Match Reports
Sunday, 11th April
Aireborough U9’s played games against Castleford and Bramley U9s in perfect conditions for free flowing rugby.
In the first game against Castleford, Aireborough were too strong running in 10 tries to 1 with an excellent team performance with tries from Harry (4), William (4) Mikey (1), Ollie (1) and strong running from Charles, Ben, Tom K and Tom S and Max. The defence was equally good with excellent “ripping” of the ball from Max and Mikey.
In the second game with Jack as captain Aireborough played a good Bramley side who started well on attack scoring 2 quick tries. To their credit Aireborough reacted positively with Will finishing a good passing move. Good defence by Aireborough including Jamie and Callum kept Bramley from scoring and Harry levelled with an opportunist try. Whilst Bramley took a deserved lead Aireborough again fought back with Harry’s second try from excellent team work. The game seemed to be lost until man of the match Ollie scored in the dying seconds with a strong darting run to the line. The game finished 4-4.
Aireborough U10s vs. Castleford.
Aireborough got off to their usual slow start, but picked up the pace in the last 30mins. Some great defending from Alex on the wing and four tries from Tom Ireland helped win a hard fought contest. Fenton made a telling contribution with some of his best running and was supported in this by Oliver. Other noticeable contributions came from Dan whose service from scrum half was excellent. Tom Evans also tackled himself to a stand still. Ryan Dunn looked comfortable at fly half and moved the ball with great effect. Jonathon's all round performance was rounded off with a great score. A great all round team effort.
Sunday, 28th March
The under 8’s were at Wetherby this week for a festival of Rugby. Aireborough were drawn in a difficult group containing Bramley, Sandal and Yarnbury.
The first match between Bramley and Aireborough was a pleasure to watch, end to end rugby with both sides scoring when they were in possession. James Allen, well supported by all his team mates scored all of Aireborough’s tries with some good strong running. Unfortunately, the full time whistle went with the score being 5-4 to Bramley.
The second match was against Sandal who are a well drilled and competitive team. Aireborough really tried hard in the first half, against the strong wind, with some great tagging from Austen, both Sam’s and Matthew. Despite some good runs from Jonah and Josh, Aireborough turned round 3-0 down. The second half showed Aireborough at their best. They tagged and competed very well and although there were no more scores it was a real credit to the team and a special mention should go to Will, Louis, Aiden and the two Dan’s who worked very hard to keep Sandal out.
The final match was against Yarnbury, this was another good flowing game of rugby with both teams seizing the opportunity to score. James, Mathew and Austen all got on the score sheet with the final outcome being 4 a piece.
Aireborough U9’s were drawn against tough opposition in the District Festival having to play West Park Leeds A, Sandal and Moortown.
In the first game Aireborough played a well drilled West Park side and lost 7-0. There was a lot of endeavour by Aireborough forwards and backs but they could not break down a resolute West Park defence. There was a good performance from Mikey who had to leave at the end of the first game.
A much improved performance by Aireborough in the second game against Moortown ended with Moortown just shading the contest 4-3. Losing 3-1 at the interval Aireborough produced their best rugby in the second half with strong drives by the forwards Tom, Jamie, Jack and Ellis and attacking play by the halves Ben, Will and Christian and excellent defence from Max and Tom K. All 3 tries were scored by team captain Will who led by example.
In the third game Aireborough’s started slowly with their defence tested early on. In the early exchanges Aireborough leaked 2 scores. However, as the game went on they started to gel more with good runs from Tom S, Ollie, Callum and strong defence. Despite a try saving tackle from Christian the score line was Aireborough 0 Sandal 6.
sunday, 21st March
Aireborough U8's- 6 Bramley U8's -8.
Aireborough played a very well drilled Bramley outfit, who were out of the blocks much quicker than their hosts. To their credit Aireborough hit back with some slick ball handling and there were some outstanding breaks & passing moves by Jonah Stansfield & James Allen.
Sam Birkenshaw and Austin Dodsley made some hard yards in attack which gained vital ground for Aireborough. Josh Firth scored 3 great tries & Dan Sellers produced a couple of fantastic solo runs to score a brace.
Aiden, Will Marchbank & Sam Michaud stood firm in defence, however Bramley's more direct approach proved the difference.
Aireborough U8's- 7 Morley U8's -4
Aireborough started much quicker in this game and weren't phased by Morley's physical approach. Sam Michaud and Aiden worked hard in defence whilst Will Marchbank, Austin Dodsley & Sam Birkinshaw carried the game to Morley. This hard work made space for touchdowns from the highly impressive trio of James Allen, Jonah Stansfield & Dan Sellers. It was good to see Aireborough creating chances and the defensive line was much more effective than in recent matches. Man of the match Josh Firth was outstanding in all areas & thoroughly deserved his trophy.
sunday, 14th march
Aireborough Lions U7s – 7 Bramley U7/8s - 9
The past 2 weeks have seen much improvement in the Lions U7 side. It seems that they are no longer a group of individuals playing rugby but have, at last, become a team. Any playground politics have been forgotten or at least pushed to one side and now, not only has the passing improved, but the support is also there. Will Metcalfe led the scoring with 3 well taken trys, Josh McCann added a brace while Josh Dunn also added one. Try of the match however must go to George Goodyear, his first for the club and, hopefully, there will be many more to come.
Defensively the Lions struggled to Tag against some strong running older players but overall a much improved performance.
Aireborough Lions U7s - 7 Huddersfield YMCA U8s - 6
Despite the age difference, and in some cases the size difference, Lions were not daunted by their task of playing a team of older players although defensively they did allow the stronger running 8 year olds to take an early lead. However, trys by Will Metcalfe (2) and one each from Matt Tanner and Josh McCann kept them in the game although it was Charlie Mullen’s Hat trick that paved the way for Lions well deserved victory.
Strong tagging from James Collier and Harry Turner kept Lions in the game although this is certainly one area that needs improvement.
Aireborough Lions U8s
With Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Marchbanks away on international duty, it was a great effort by the U8s at Bramley in a three team affair that included Huddersfield YMCA. The first game saw The Lions run out comfortable winners against Huddersfield 9-5. The boys quickly got to grips with the strong wind, and the opposition, running in some super tries and some great tagging. The second game was a much tougher affair against a well drilled Bramley. A very close game which saw Bramley edge it 9-7 after a valiant fight by Aireborough. Tries on the day coming from Jonah Stansfield, Sam Burkinshaw, Matt Sellers, James Allen, Jake Fletcher-Stega, Sam Michaud and Austin Dodsley.
Aireborough U10's 5 Huddersfield YMCA U10's 2
After a poor loss at Huddersfield two weeks ago the return fixture saw Aireborough dominate throughout. The work rate of every player was superb, the visitors just could not settle as Aireborough went about the task with a will to win every contest. Forward Olly Colenutt was first to sore after great work by all his teammates, Luke Tate then went over again after some superb rucking by Jacob Whitaker and Fenton Forrest-Parkinson. Alex Spence and Jonathan Allen covered the flanks when needed and both had good runs. Tom Evans and Ryan Dunn's tackling was awesome throughout. Olly added a third before Tom Ireland went over for 2 trys again from good team play. The forwards were winning the scrums and Dan Nicholson at scrum half was feeding good ball to his backs before injury forced him off. The effort put in last week was continued and another good win chalked up.
Sunday 7th March
Aireborough U8's vs Morley U8's
After a season dogged by bad weather Aireborough lions under 8's finally played a home fixture in perfect conditions against a well drilled Morley side. Playing without last seasons player of the year Dan Marchbank, out with a broken finger, a well fought 1st game finished up even with 7 trys each.
A different outcome lay ahead for the Lions in the second game with Morley taking the spoils 10-9 in a game where Aireborough were always within 1 or 2 scores of the visitors, but could never quite force there way in front.
A morning of splendid rugby in glorious sunshine was enjoyed by players and supporters of both clubs. Amongst the scorers for Aireborough were Jonah 4, James 4, Josh 3, Matthew 2, Jake, Austin and Sam B, with excellent tagging from the rest of the team. Lets hope the bad weather is now well and truly behind us and more games of this quality can take place from now until the end of the season.
Aireborough Lions player of the week was Jake Stega-Fletcher.
Wetherby U8’s 2 Aireborough U8’s 2
With a team of only eight players wearing their new strip and with no substitutes, Aireborough were off to a ‘flying’ start at Wetherby. James Allen scored the first try with a darting run down the left wing just moments after kick off which kept them in front for the first game.
Next Wetherby A Team were not an easy match but tagging from Aireborough was superb especially Sam Michaud and Dan Marchbank but it was not enough to keep out the opposition.
Some great dodging play from Jonah Stansfield and support by Sam Birkinshaw saw easier tries against Wetherby B Team. Again completing their set of six tags from Matt Sellars and Will Marchbank stopped Wetherby B’s in their tracks.
Great rugby in the final game against Wetherby A Team. Daniel Sellars quick offloading of the ball even before being tagged got compliments for Aireborough even from the referee, but as a result of Aireborough’s exhausted eight players, against two great Wetherby sides they did exceptionally well to achieve an overall score of 2-2 draw. Man of the Match was awarded to Jonah for four ‘outstanding’ tries and tagging.
Wetherby U10's 9 Aireborough U10's 4
Aireborough never really got into their stride on Sunday at Wetherby, loaning a player to the hosts and having a rolling sub meant the team was forever changing to ensure all got some good game time. After 2 Tom Ireland tries drew the scores level, Wetherby pulled away with 2 break away tries and 2 from very good line out moves. Unusually the forwards struggled; Wetherby won most of the scrums and lineout ball and were much more dominant at the breakdown. The last 2 quarters were keenly contested and good breaks from Ryan Dunn and Tom Evans were stopped with some great covering tackles. Luke Tait and Tom Ireland did get over to score but we could never do enough to get into contention.
Baildon U8’s 16 Aireborough U8’s 7
Aire were certainly suffering from an X factor hangover for this local derby & were outclassed from the start by a well drilled Baildon outfit.
Aire struggled to cope with Baildon's tenacity in defence, which caused the home team to turn the ball over in crucial positions of the pitch.
On the other hand Baildon ran the ball with purpose and they soon reaped the rewards of some fluent moves, which included great passing and backing up skills.
Aire were certainly second best on the day & had it not been for decent performances from James Allen, Jacob Grigashvilli & Austin the score could have been far worse.
Hopefully next week Jedward & co will be just a distant memory (nightmare) so Aire can once again perform like a real rugby team.
Aireborough u10’s 7 Baildon U10’s 5
Back to action this week after losing games to the weather. Baildon provided the opposition and the game turned out to be very evenly contested as was expected. Only 1 score separated the teams as we went into the last quarter, but Aireborough quickly added to their slender lead to record a well deserved victory. Forward Olly Colenutt worked hard to disrupt the breakdowns, and both Fenton Forrest-Parkinson and Jacob Whitaker scored good trys. Scrum half Dan Nicholson was a real handful, wings Tom Evans and Alex Spence both made telling runs and put in great defensive tackles. Zak Michaud had his best game yet, Luke Tate and Jonathan Allen (1 try) worked tirelessly in the middle and Tom Ireland took advantage when good ball was won to score 4 superb trys. A fantastic performance by all, great reward for the hard work of the last 2 months.
Morley U7 - 8-8 Aireborough Lions U7
In a closely fought contest Aireborough found themselves in front in the first few minutes with a brace of trys from Josh Dunn and one from youngster Harvey Sellers. Morley countered however and pulled a couple of trys back. Thereafter the game ebbed and flowed with each side scoring in turn. Aireborough’s further trys came from Josh Dunn (2), Charlie Mullen (2) and Will Metcalfe. Altogether this was a much better performance than their last match with some good backing up, passing and defensive work. Aireborough were unlucky not to win as Morley scored the equaliser with the last move of the game.
Morley U7 - 5-6 - Aireborough Lions U7
In the second match Aireborough came into their own with a strong defensive performance despite going 2 down in the early stages. Matthew Tanner, captaining the side also crossed for his first try for the club, swiftly followed by Carter Proctor who confused the opposition with his strong direct running. Charlie Mullen added another 2 trys to his 2 in the first match while Josh McCann, awesome in defence also crossed for 2 well deserved trys.
George Goodyear pressed hard and was always first up in defence, applying pressure when needed but Man of the Match for an all round performance went to Matthew Tanner.
Morley U8’s 2-7 Aireborough U8’s
The U8's traveled to Morley and showed their training was paying off. They worked well as a team, looked for gaps in the defence and pushed Morley off the ball well. With tries from Aiden, Austin, Jonah, Dan, James, Sam and Will the final score in the first game was 7 - 2 to Aireborough Lions. Full length of the pitch runs from both Joshua and Jonah pushed up the score with Sam, Jake and Dan defending tirelessly.
Morley U8’s 1 - 3 Aireborough U8’s
A further game was played and again the Lions were victorious beating Morley 3-1.
The U8's have started to learn rugby is a team game and quite often a pass into space is far better that running into contact. The best tries of the game were created when the boys looked to each other rather than themselves.
Leos U7 5 - 8 Aireborough Lions U7
Starting out as they left off last Sunday saw the Lions win comfortably over their opposition in the first of 2 matches at Old Leodensians. Carter Proctor again went on the rampage showing that he is a match for any opposition when he sets his mind to it. Both Josh Dunn and Josh McCann went on mazy runs, while newcomer Matthew Tanner showed what a quick learner he is.The teams were evenly matched for much of the game with Leos making the most of the slope in the 2nd half but Lions stuck to their task well scoring 3 unanswered trys in the closing minutes, the pick of which must have been Charlie Mullen’s try covering the length of the field, to round off a sound win.
Leos U7 7 - 8 Aireborough Lions U7
Starting slowly in the second match, Lions found themselves 2 trys down within minutes despite strong tagging from both Jake Williams and Harvey Sellers. Good defence, with help from George Goodyear and Harry Turner kept Leos at bay however and it was not long before Lions were on the score sheet thanks, in part, to several mistakes from Leos.Both Will Metcalfe and Josh Dunn shone in the second half with the score ebbing and flowing. The Lions tagging was, at times, awesome and their defence held out against some strong pressure.In all another splendid performance from the youngsters with Man of the Match Jake Williams taking the prize for another all round excellent display of tag rugby.
Leos U8 6 - 8 Aireborough Lions U8
Aireborough U 8's had there 1st match of the new season with a visit to Leo's.
Aire' started rather slowly with a distinct lack of enthusiasm and trailed an eager Leo's side 2-3 at the break. At the start of the 2nd half, playing down hill Aries' pressurized Leos and played with far more urgency resulting in a 7-5 win.
The squad of 15 all played well, strong runs from Jonah, Sam and Thomas were backed up and finished by Dan, Jake and James. Especially pleasing and the difference between the sides was Aire' ability to pass into space creating flowing moves and fantastic tries.
Aireborough won the 2nd game 8-6 with good runs and quick tagging from Aiden, Will, Jacob and Dan New recruits Sam, Josh had great debut performances, but Louie Williams’s jinking runs and passes into space earned him the man of the match on his debut.
Leos U10's 8 - 4 Aireborough Lions U10's
The friendly at Leos was played over 3 periods to allow the large Leos squad of 16 to get some match practice. Our hosts clearly started with their strongest 9 and some good play by them coupled with some poor handling errors by Lions put them 4-0 up after the first 15 mins.
Lions responded well and though most had played on Friday evening in a tournament at Morley the work rate increased and the forwards begun winning loose ball, the scrum competed well and Dan Nicholson, playing at scrum half for the first time, picked up countless times and ran straight at the Leos defence setting up further plays. Pushing Leos back Lions got their reward with Jonathan Allen bursting through to score. Leos responded and scored again only for Tom Ireland to go in from half way after good work by the forwards. Fenton Forrest-Parkinson then worked good ball to Tom again and Tom Evans backing up well took over to score his first try for the club. Alex Stocks and Luke Tate put in some great tackles as the second and third periods were evenly fought with Tom Ireland weaving through the Leos defence to score his second try.