Date: February 11, 2010
Venue: Bromsgrove Rugby Union FC
Competition: Rugby League Champion Schools: Midlands Finals
Brum School Sides Battle Hard in Defeat
Two sides from Kingsbury School, Year 7 (11/12 Years Old) and Year 9 (13/14 YO) gave their all in the Midlands Finals at Bromsgrove, but lost out to some formidable opposition.
Kingsbury Year 7, missing some key players through unexpected absence, faced Burton Borough from Newport, Shropshire. Burton took a ten points lead with two tries and a conversion before Kingsbury’s Jonah Falconer’s great run took him over. Two more tries for Burton gave the Shropshire side an 18-4 half time lead.
A converted try after the restart took Burton out to 26-4, but Kingsbury stormed back with two more tries from Falconer, for a hat-trick, one from hard-tackling Alan Kayongo plus a conversion from Joe Griffiths to cut the gap to eight points. Last word went to Burton, though, with a late converted try (Res: Burton Borough 32 Kingsbury 18)
Kingsbury Year 9 took on the well-drilled Bishop Ullathorne from Coventry.
An early try for Bishop’s was cancelled out by a score in the corner from the powerful Simba Rwambiwa, but, aided by come careless penalty concessions by Kingsbury, three more tries and a conversion saw Ullathorne 18-4 up at half time.
Continuing to do the basics well, the Coventry side added a converted try after the beak before Rwambiwa went over from a 70-metre charge for his second. Bishop’s continued to dominate, scoring three more tries, but not before Rwambiwa had completed a hat trick. (Res: Bishop Ullathorne 36 Kingsbury 12)
.
Other matches
The Year 8 final looked like being a comfortable win for Bishop Ullathorne against Walkwood from Redditch as they pulled away to a 22-6 lead. However, before half time Walkwood scored a converted try, though Bishop’s nipped on with one of their own before the break.
A terrific second half from the Redditch side saw them level matters and, as full time approached, extra time beckoned. But, at the very last gasp, a try from Nigel Mkhwananzi, who together with Ethan Lilley had led the way for Ullathorne, saw the Coventry side squeeze home. (Res: Bishop Ullathorne 32, Walkwood 26)
The Year 10 Final brought together St. Augustine’s of Redditch and Coventry’s Stoke Park. The 14/15 year olds produced a match of high quality, flowing rugby which was nevertheless dominated by some terrific defence.
The sides scored just one try apiece in the first half, with Stoke converting theirs for a 6-4 lead at the break. The second half was every bit as tight, and produced just one try, for St.Augustine’s that was converted to give victory to the Worcestershire school. It was tough on Stoke Park; a draw would have been eminently fair for two fine teams. (Res: St. Augustine’s 10, Stoke Park 6)
For more information on schools rugby league in Birmingham, please contact
Russell Parker
Birmingham Rugby League Community Sports Coach
Birmingham Bulldogs Director of Junior Rugby
Mobile: 07854 637505
Email: russell.parker@bcu.ac.uk
_________________________________________________________________
[Note to Midlands press recipients; please include the tag line below if possible]
<*> For more information on Birmingham Bulldogs Rugby League FC, please call 07854 637505 or 0121 707 8773
