Dorchester Festival - Trowbridge U10s

It was a long journey to Dorchester for a new festival with fixtures against new opposition.

The day was always going to be a challenge and so it proved as the reduced squad allowed for the tournament meant pressure on individual positional cover.

This was made worse as the festival progressed as injuries also took their toll.

Trowbridge were drawn in a strong group against Exeter , Taunton and Wimborne but also had several factors that worked against them, notably the fact that they had back to back games.

Another major factor was the variable standard of refereeing.

Trowbridge v Exeter

A well fought and committed game saw Trowbridge triumphant, as the team hit the ground running. They absorbed initial pressure and then started hitting back with their traditional driving game.

This allowed room for Will Stockley to go over for the first try.

Good tackling and commitment from everyone on the field enabled a second try from Luke Dobson to be created, using the power of the forwards.

George Gerrish was powerful as always and Jacob Marshman took on the opposition. Exeter then scored themselves but were unable to score again.

A good win for Trowbridge but one that took a fair effort to achieve, which ultimately proved their undoing.

Trowbridge 10 Exeter 5

Trowbridge v Taunton

With the match schedule working against them, tiredness proved their undoing as one soft try proved the difference between the 2 sides. Taunton were dominant in the first half but Trowbridge came back hard at them in the second and pressed for an equalizing score.

A fantastic cover tackle by Will Stockley and a great drive by Jacob Marshman were the highlights.

The unseen grafting work was carried out by all the players but notably by Will Fleming, who had his best match of the year and Jamie Howell who despite an injury in the first game came on in the second. W

ill Fleming was injured in a clash of heads leaving him with a badly swollen eye meaning he took no further part in the tournament.

Others worthy of mention include David Philips, Kieran Bancroft and Cameron Chalmers. The sole difference between the 2 sides was freshness at the start of the game.

Trowbridge 0 Taunton 5

Trowbridge v Wimborne

The game against Wimborne mirrored the Taunton match in many ways as the depleted squad worked hard for the win or draw that would see them through to the semi finals.

Again, the difference proved a single score in what proved to be an overphysical encounter.

The score itself was controversial as the referee was unsighted and relied on the Wimborne coach to confirm the score.

The lack of discipline and control of offside at the breakdown meant a major problem for Trowbridge as Wimborne drove play back up field on a number of occasions.

However, ultimately, the difference proved a predictable set of plays by Trowbridge that were blunted by a tiredness that crept in over the match.

Trowbridge 0 Wimborne 5

For the second festival in a row, a disappointed squad came together at the end but could hold their heads high as they had put in their all in playing some classy opposition.

This was a better display in many ways than the previous tournament but again shows the problems inherent in festival rugby.