Woodbridge U15 – 12, Bury St Edmunds U15 – 0

1st February 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Bury with the home advantage put us on their first team pitch, a great honour for both teams and it certainly gave Bury a huge boost in confidence. As always they were up in defense very quick so that all our hard won ball through the forwards was nullified before we could start an attack in the backs.

Our first try came from a lineout, a set piece we have worked hard on, stealing the ball from Bury’s throw in and setting a driving maul, rolling around until Tom Jermy drove over and grounded for our first points.

The rest of the half was a constant grind of forwards v forwards, with Woodbridge having the upper hand, winning or recycling the ball for the backs with cold hands to fumble or get caught early. But the boys didn’t give up.

Eventually, the Woodbridge backs put together two or three amazing runs, particularly Travis’s inside pass to Guy inside our 22 opening up the Bury defense and sending us racing up the pitch, and only a fabulous tackle from their full back preventing the try.

But it put us in their half again and this time from a scrum and some set pieces, Harry Hobday went over for 5 points and duly converted by Elliott.

A great performance by all the boys, confirming us the best team in Suffolk. Colchester next in the Cup which will be a huge challenge as they seem to be in brilliant form.

Tim

Get a taste of Wheelchair Rugby

28th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

The region’s first wheelchair rugby team, the Wheelchair Warriors, is looking for new recruits. Formed in 2013 as a part of Woodbridge Rugby Club it is holding a Taster Session on Sunday 28 February at Brackenbury Sports Centre, Felixstowe IP11 9JF to attract new members. The session will start at 10am and last until 12.30pm.

The Wheelchair Warriors came together when Woodbridge Rugby Club worked with Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby to bring this rapidly-growing sport to the East of England as part of the Paralympic legacy. With only ten clubs across the whole of Great Britain in those days, players had to travel long distances to train and play. They train every Sunday morning at Rock Barracks and have capacity for more players to join – even if it’s just to train.

With this Taster Session the Warriors hope to attract;

Beginners and pros that may have played the game before
Men and women, new to the sport and over 16 years old
Competitive types and social sportspeople
Those recovering from injury and/or looking to rebuild strength

The event, organised in conjunction with Suffolk Coastal District Council, will be a relaxed introduction to the sport under the careful instruction of Martin Saych, the Warriors Coach. Visitors can just watch, have a go, try some skills and join in the game on the day if they choose. Specialist wheelchairs will be available for visitors to try so they remain safe.

Rob Simpson, Chairman of Woodbridge Rugby Club, said “The Rugby Club gives hundreds of local kids and adults the chance to be active, get fit and be part of a team. The Wheeled Warriors are currently in their first season competing in the BT Super Series Division 3 where they won their first league match in Stoke Mandeville last weekend. We’re incredibly proud of them and their achievements, not least helping to make the Club as inclusive as possible for the community and the region.”

Boudicias v Old Northamptonians injurys get well soon

25th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Glad to hear that the injured player/s are on the mend from yesterday’s Boudicias match v Old Northamptonians

Match Report: Woodbridge U15 B’s – 27, Ipswich U15 – 24 Sun 24/1/16 Tim Owens

25th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

With some help by spare A team players, Ipswich and Woodbridge kicked off with 15 a side, but due to a lack of experienced props, scrums were uncontested. That led to lots of open running play, with Woodbridge looking by far the better out wide.

But Ipswich worked to their strengths with Big Zack at 8 for Ipswich picking and driving deep into Woodbridge territory until our own Curtis in a black and red shirt drove over for the first try of the match.

Woodbridge looked dangerous out wide, but couldn’t finish it off, so Barnaby picked up just on the opposition 10 meter line and ran through several tackles to score a brilliant try in the corner.

Ipswich struck back through some big forwards bashing up through the middle until they scored just under the posts, converted by Theo Underwood. Ipswich were taking control through their big forwards and another try was scored just before half time by their number 8 Zack, again converted by Theo.

19-5 to Ipswich at half time.

Woodbridge didn’t let their heads sink and put in the first score in the far left corner through Saxon, followed very quickly by a score by Barnaby once again taking the ball from the base of the scrum and running the best part of half the pitch.

Even with great work by the Ipswich forwards, the Woodbridge 15 took confidence from the two quick tries and dominanted out wide, with Marcus running in under the posts, then Alex converted by Henry.

But the last score was by Ipswich, and rightly deserved with big strong forward after big strong forward smashed into us until they drove Curtis over for his second try.

Final score Woodbridge 27, Ipswich 24. Close game, fairly played and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Huge well done to everyone who played for Ipswich, but Men O the Matches to – Barnaby in his first outing as Captain leading from the front, tackling and scoring. And Riley for his tackling and direct running in the centres.

Match Report: Woodbridge U14s 10 v Bury St Edmunds U14s 10 Jonathan Brookes

25th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Two very evenly matched teams battled out what turned out to be a well-deserved 10-10 draw, and a fair result at the end of the day from both teams perspective.

Woodbridge took a 3-0 lead with a penalty calmly converted from Austin James, following some great work along the back-line. Following a long period of pressure from Bury, and us giving away too many penalties!?$!, Bury were eventually rewarded just before the break with a try in the corner to lead 5-3 at the interval.

Some inspirational words from captain Dan Driver seemed to do the trick with Woodbridge dominating much of the early 2^nd half spoils. Only a last ditched clearance denied Sam Davies scoring in one corner, but the momentum continued which eventually saw Max Irwin scrambling the ball over the line in the other. Ethan Haywood kicked a near perfect conversion giving us a 10-5 lead with 10 minutes of play remaining.

Bury turned up the pressure, but Woodbridge were resolute. A long clearance to the pacey full back put us on the back foot, and Bury were able to eventually run the ball into the corner and even the scores at 10-10.

Max Irwin collected the man of the match award but could of easily given it to any number of the players. An excellent game of rugby and a great display of the progress being made by our U14’s who were “whitewashed” in the same fixture last year.

Woodbridge Amazons 5 v Southwold 10 Match Report 24/1/16

24th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Match Report – Women’s National Championships SE North 1 – Woodbridge Amazons 5 v Southwold 10 – Sunday 24 January 2016

This top of the table duel between local rivals Woodbridge and Southwold certainly lived up to its billing and proved a fantastic advert for women’s rugby in East Anglia.
Full of passion and sometimes ferocity, it was a shame indeed that one side had to lose. Unfortunately for the hosts, the Swallows again came out on top, and in the bitterest of ways. Nearing the end of a magnificent clash, former Amazon Emma ‘Magic’ Johnson scooped up a loose ball after sustained Woodbridge pressure, and sprinted 70 metres to break the 5-5 deadlock.
Until then the rugby had ebbed and flowed between these two powerhouses of their division. The Swallows were coming off a shock defeat to Wymondham last week, while the Amazons were eager to avenge their only league defeat thus far.
The first half saw the hosts on top for 15 minutes, until the visitors began to enjoy some possession of their own. It was clear neither side would give an inch, Woodbridge skipper Claire Brickley was inspiring playing at Centre, with Coach Jane Stokes in Brickleys usual number 10 jersey, and Anna Dewberry inside her at 12, halting every Swallows outside attacks. The inside ball was fiercely contested, both packs going at each other hammer and tongs, with young Jess Delaney first to every tackle and breakdown. The only score of the half came after a period of sustained Southwold pressure, fly half Jay Ash darted over from 5 yards out after a 5 metre scrum. Bea Moore missed the conversion and an uncompromising half ended 0-5.

The second half started just as the first had, with the hosts in the ascendancy. After a series of attacks, Dewberry ran left and swatted tacklers aside before being halted just a metre short. Great support ensured possession and the diminutive figure of Amazons scrum half Morvern MacAlpine sniped her way over in the corner for the tying score. The difficult conversion from the touch line was just wide from Stacy Robinson but it was now game on!
Both sides somehow upped their game, and it was a joy to watch at times as not one player eased off a hit, tackle or ruck. Carmel Roisin repeatedly made inroads into the visitors half, Jenna Ray looked great with ball in hand, but Southwold defended bravely.
Chantelle Gallagher always looked threatening for Southwold but it was Johnson that broke the deadlock when she out-sprinted everyone after picking up a ball knocked from Brickley’s grasp.
Angela Wadham missed the conversion to set up a frenetic last few minutes when wave after wave of Woodbridge pressure was repelled until the final whistle was greeted with cries of relief from the league leaders, and utter exhaustion from the gutsy hosts.
This was truly one for the ages.

Woodbridge Amazons 5 v Southwold 10

Mistley 10 v Saxons 59 23/1/16

23rd January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Mistley were good value and played well despite the score. The Saxon scrum nullified their strength then got dominance in the 2nd half. Quick ball was used well and the score could have been a lot higher if the last pass had of stuck on a few occasions. Notable performances from Pete Edward, Alan turner and Anthony Gibson. John Yorke lead from the front and was MoM in my opinion.

Tom Stokes

Sudbury U15 – 0 v Woodbridge U15 – 21 Match Report 17/1/16

18th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

From the kick off Sudbury were up for a game of high intensity and maximum physicality and with lots of set pieces coming from nervous handling, which meant the two packs got intimately acquainted from the start.

Woodbridge had the upper hand in most of these bruising encounters taking a couple of balls against the head in the scrum and turning over loose ball in the open game. But quite quickly Woodbridge started to dominate in the forwards leading to the first half’s two tries by Tom Jermy and James Eaton – both converted by Elliott.

Sudbury to their credit didn’t give up and although we had several other chances to put a couple more tries away which we didn’t finish the opportunities. For the last 10 minutes of the half Sudbury pinned us in our 22 but without any score, our defense was immense.

The second half started just as ferocious and the intensity continued as Sudbury started to bring on their bench with fresh legs. But to no avail as both our forwards and backs put huge pressure on any Sudbury player in possession leading to fumbles or stolen ball, returning possession to us time and time again.

Amazingly we ruined at least two more try scoring opportunities, then from a scrum on the 22 James O picked up and drove to within 5 meters, offloading to Sonnie who was held out but recycled the ball for Elliott to dart through and take 5 more points, which he then converted for another 2.

Lots to take out of this performance, it wasn’t perfect, but the boys did play for the whole 60 minutes.

Men of the Match – Elliott with 3 conversions and a try, and Travis for his distribution and defensive tackling.

Tim

U16 Warriors v YM U16 13

18th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Sunday 17^th January saw Woodbridge U16’s travel to Ipswich YM to face the local rivals in the 1^st round of the Suffolk Cup. The 12.30pm kick-off allowed time for the pitch to thaw and present perfect conditions for the much anticipated match.

Woodbridge started the game with intent and early pressure saw them encamped in the YM twenty two for the first 20 minutes of the half. YM defended resolutely but Woodbridge continued to pile on the pressure and, following good work by the forwards to turnover a YM scrum, Ives and Kelleway linked up to allow Kelleway to break the defence line and score between the posts, the hard work was fully rewarded when Maclean slotted the conversion over.

YM put together some quick ball following the restart and for the first time in the match tested Woodbridge’s defence fully. The defence line held out well and Woodbridge continued to frustrate the hosts with dogged work by the forwards and intelligent kicking to clear the lines. A Woodbridge scrum just outside the YM twenty two saw them secure the ball and superb link play moved it out to the wing for Chesterman to score against his former club.

The Host’s came out for the second half fired up and instantly took the game to Woodbridge with strong scrummaging and good work around the loose from both flankers. The pressure deservedly bought its reward in the form of five points from an unconverted try. Both side vigorously fought for every ball in the tightly contested match and Woodbridge were reduced to 14 when the referee adjudged Sykes to have made a high tackle. Sensing victory YM again piled on the pressure and despite some sound defence from the pack managed to score again but failed to convert.

Woodbridge had however weathered the storm and the return of Sykes saw them return to full power and the match turned again. Ives continued to bring players in with fast thinking and a deft sidestep, and on one such escapade manged to grubber kick a YM knock on through the defence line and pick up the difficult ball to score right between the posts which Maclean once again converted.

YM managed to slot a late penalty over with 5 minutes to play but Woodbridge held strong for their second cup win in two years against Ipswich YM.

Amazons 87 Hampstead Heath 0 17/1/16

18th January 2016 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Confidence was high in the Woodbridge Amazons camp on Sunday. The visit of Hampstead Heath to Hatchley Barn was viewed as an ideal warm up ahead of the top of the table clash with Southwold next weekend.
What transpired however, particularly in the latter stages, resembled a training ground run through as the hosts demolished Hampstead in fine style.
From the outset the Amazons dominated proceedings. Possession was secured as the scrummaging was solid, the line outs slick and handling, despite the cold, adept.
Within minutes of receiving the opening kickoff, the hosts were on the board. Winger Julie Tyler outpaced the Hampstead cover and sprinted 50 metres for her first try of the day, quickly followed by her skipper, Claire Brickley, who went over from even further out!
Stacy Robinson converted one of the two for an early 12 point lead and the writing was on the wall.
Jess Delaney ran through several “tacklers” for the next score, and after great rucking by the pack, Aska Zareba scored her first ever try.
The Polish Zareba’s score was a fine example of the match thus far; Hampstead attempting to run straight at the Woodbridge defence with their large forwards, but losing possession at the breakdown as the Amazon pack quickly turned up to steal the ball away.
After half an hour, the visitors regrouped and enjoyed their best spell. Stoic defending kept them from scoring and fullback Robinson was forced into making a try saving tackle down the sideline as Zelda Dura opened her legs and looked destined to halt the landslide.
Woodbridge were galvanised again and a further two tries before halftime left the score line in no doubt.
Number eight Vicky Watts picked up at the base of a scrum at Hampsteads 22 and forced her way over in the corner, and Tyler scored her second from distance after great work by Brickley. 39-0 at the break.
In the second half tries from the busy Jennifer Ray, and Delaney getting her brace kept the scoreboard ticking over as Coach Jane Stokes continued introducing fresh legs.
Zanya Brooks came close to scoring but appeared to lose her footing as the whitewash drew closer, but another score from Tyler (for the hattrick) and Brickley (for her hattrick!) took the demolition past the 60 point mark.
Hampstead were struggling to cope by now but continued to play with a great spirit.
With each kickoff however, it appeared the hosts got stronger and stronger. Ray returned a kick deep into Hampstead territory, setting up Brickley for her fourth, before Carmel Roisin went one better by returning the next kick all the way into the in goal area.
Shoving the visitors pack backwards at their own put in proved how dominant the Amazons pack were, with standout performances from the unsung heroines of the front row Victoria Felstein and Paula Ireland.
One such steal saw Brickley scoring her fifth and the coup de gras came when Roisin and Ray combined again from the ensuing kick off, Ray touching down to cap a massive win.
It finished at 87 unanswered points, a terrific performance ahead of the big game next week.
As if the top of the table clash with the local rivals wasn’t enough of a draw, Southwold were beaten for the first time this season on Sunday. Revenge could be on the cards next week as the Amazons line up against the only team to beat them in the league this season – it looks like being a cracker!