52Observer March 13, 2008www.hertsandessexobserver.co.ukPraise for trio after
Saracens8217 selectionDefeat leaves Stortford
in relegation dangerDiss-aster for Walden as daunting cup final awaitsWin8217s a huge
relief as Tigers
lie in waitIt was a massive reliefto get the
win over Sale Sharks on Sunday.
After a run ofthree successive
games without a win, it was vital
that we got the result ifwe are to
keep up our challenge in the
Guinness Premiership.
Only six games now remain in the
competition and we8217ve now given
ourselves a chance to finish in the
top four which was one ofour aims
this season.
I got on the scoresheet again on
Sunday, but it was a rather
fortunate try.
One ofthe Sale players dropped the
ball and when it fell at my feet, I
had the simple task ofrunning in
from the halfway line.
It was a timely score and gave us a
bit ofbreathing space which did
help us relax.
The size ofour task doesn8217t get any
smaller this weekend.
We travel to Leicester Tigers and
when you consider that Welford
Road is a place where we8217ve never
won a competitive fixture before, it
means it8217s not going to be an easy
task.
However, it would be a great time
to get our first win at Leicester and
would send out a real message to
the rest ofthe competition and
ourselves.
The week after that we travel to the
Millennium Stadium to face the
Ospreys in the EDF Cup semi-final.
A few ofthe lads are joking around
that we8217re pretty much playing
Wales when you consider that 13
out ofthe starting 15 who faced
England earlier in the Six Nations
tournament are Ospreys players.
They are practically an
international team in their own
right and will be on home soil. As I
said earlier, it doesn8217t seem to get
any easier!
But we have a great opportunity
and these are the type ofgames I
want to play in 8211 on the big stage
and in front ofbig crowds.
To be part ofoccasions like this is
one ofthe reasons I signed an
extension to my Saracens contract
a few months ago. Exciting times
are ahead. All the best,qSARACENS face Ospreys
in the quarter-finals of the
Heineken Cup at Vicarage
Road on Sunday April 6 (KO
12.30pm). Book now by
calling 01923 475222 or visit
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mIn our exciting weekly column,
Bishop8217s Stortford8217s very own
Saracens star Ben Skirving brings
you an insight into life at the
Guinness Premiership club. THE spectre ofrelega-
tion hangs over Bishop8217s
Stortford after they lost a
crucial 8216four pointer8217 at
fellow strugglers Civil
Service.Stortford8217s defeat at
Duke8217s Meadows in
Chiswick on Saturday has
left them ninth, just two
points ahead of10th-
placed Civil Service.
They are also four points
behind eighth-placed Old
Albanian, whom they next
play in the league in 16
days8217 time.
IfStortford can beat
them and Service lose to
leaders Richmond on the
same day, the Silver Leys
side will be virtually safe.
Service looked distinctly
stronger last Saturday
than when they played at
Silver Leys in September.
They won the battle up
front, retained the ball well
and allowed the visitors lit-
tle space in possession.
Flanker James Lancaster
and number eight Sevi
Faleono proved a real
handful for the visitors.
Stortford centre Alex
Stockley (shoulder injury)
was ruled out. Nick Harris
switched to inside centre
and the returning Joe
Clarke (hamstring injury)
went to outside centre,
with Paddy Dean remain-
ing at full-back.
Flanker Tom Stokely
was at a friend8217s wedding
and Jesse Macrae filled his
slot, while there was a late
substitute appearance for
debutant forward Ben
Parker.
With the wind and slope
in their favour, Civil
Service dominated early
on but Stortford defended
well from the home line-
outs and backs8217 moves.
The deadlock was bro-
ken on 15 minutes.
Lancaster broke from just
inside the Stortford half
and set up Tom Latu to
dash over from 30 metres.
Matt Easton converted
and then kicked a penalty
seven minutes later, award-
ed for a ruck offence which
saw the previously warned
Alex Colenso sin-binned.
Down to 14, Stortford
conceded a second try
when bad midfield defence
allowed Tom Sumner to
run 40m and score a try.
Easton converted, putting
them 17-0 ahead.
Easton then missed a
penalty shortly after,
before Stortford resisted
more home attacks.
The visitors had an early
second-halfattack thwart-
ed before Civil Service
exerted heavy pressure
which only subsided when
Easton missed a 54th-
minute penalty attempt.
Stortford8217s persistence
was rewarded with Tom
Coleman8217s 59th-minute
penalty.
However, the hosts had
the edge and scored two
more unconverted tries on
68 and 73 minutes.
Faleono broke from a
scrum. He was stopped by
Stortford and the ball was
spun out for winger
Kwabena Yeboah to score
an unconverted try.
Then Faleono barged his
way over from a quickly-
taken tap penalty.
But Stortford did not
give up and from a late
line-out and rolling maul,
the hard-working Rob
Faiers scored a try con-
verted by Coleman.
Stortford coach Colin
Johnson said: 8220It8217s mas-
sively disappointing. We
needed this one and they
were the better side.
8220We missed too many
first-up tackles and we did
not exert any control.8221
BISHOP8217S STORTFORD: Dean
(Howatson 69), Clark, Clarke,
Harris, Alder, Coleman, Whiffen,
Ferguson (Millard), Faiers, McMillan,
T. McCraith, Colenso, M. McCraith
(Parker 68), Macrae, Rose.Civil Service 27, B. Stortford 10 (RFULondon &SE, division one)HAVING been crushed by promo-
tion-chasing Diss, Saffron Walden
face an equally daunting task
when they take on National
League division two club
Cambridge in the Cambridgeshire
Cup final at Henham this Sunday.
Although they played better
than in previous defeats when
they went down heavily against
the Norfolk side last Saturday,
they will have to improve consid-
erably ifthey are to trouble
Cambridge.
Paul Marshall missed an early
long-range penalty for Walden.
The Norfolk side went ahead on
33 minutes. The visitors8217 number
eight broke from a scrum to score
a try near the posts and this was
converted, giving Diss a 7-0 half-
time lead.
Diss stretched their lead on 48
minutes. A quick-tap penalty close
to the Walden line was taken and a
forward went over for an uncon-
verted try.
Diss concluded the scoring with
two converted tries, both via line-
outs and rolling mauls on 65 and
75 minutes respectively.
SAFFRON WALDEN: McPartlan, Harris,
Marshall, Jones (Miles 55), Patch, Mummery,
Smith, Willingale (Martin 50), Peck,
Mugridge, Leonard (Bartram 70), A. Wisbey,
C. Wisbey, Lancaster, Reid.Saffron Walden 0, Diss 26 (RFULondon division three north east)By
David Rimmerrimmerd@hertsessexnews.co.uk GET HIM: Scrum-half Sam Whiffen and colleagues try to get to grips with Civil Service
number eight Sevi Faleono against Richmond on SaturdayPhoto: Paul TillerTEAM coach Sandy Barnard
has praised three Bishop8217s
Stortford College Junior
School boys who have started
training with Guinness
Premiership club Saracens8217
Academy squad.
Jack Cullen and Jack Kramer,
who are both from Bishop8217s
Stortford, and James Orbart,
from Abridge in Essex, have
been included in the 20-player
Elite Player Development
Group.
Barnard said: 8220While all three
boys obviously have the
strength of skill necessary to
excel in their specific
positions, their basic skills of
handling and passing are of a
very high standard which
makes them excellent all round
players.8221
Thie squad is picked from
players aged from 13- to 15-
years-old, chosen from across
Hertfordshire, Essex and Kent.
James (a 13-year-old centre),
Jack Cullen (a 12-year-old
scrum-half) and Jack Kramer (a
12-year-old who plays in the
second row) all play for the
Maize Green Road school8217s U-
13 first XV.
John Greathead, headteacher
of the junior school, said: 8220It is
an outstanding achievement to
have three players from one
school in the Elite squad.
8220Our congratulations go to the
boys, their coaches and their
parents who have supported
their rugby development.8221R
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Worthing..............19160332
Shelford...............19130626
Barnes..................19120724
Hertford...............19101821
Sutton & Epsom....19100920
Portsmouth..........1991919
Old Albanian ........19801116
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Civil Service.........19501410
Basingstoke.........1940158
Thanet Wander8217s..1910182CHOSEN TRIO: Bishop8217s
Stortford College Junior
School youngsters, from
left, James Orbart, Jack
Cullen and Jack Kramer (s)
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