An emphatic win!

It was a beautiful spring morning that welcomed Romford U14s to Crow Lane. Basildon had made the journey and were looking to provide Romford with a strong test but Romford’s recent draw with Woodford had given them confidence and they were determined to get that win.

The game started brightly and Romford were firmly in control, Romford’s defence was strong and it wasn’t long before James Mimms put his head down to break some tackles and dart across the line for Romford’s first try of the day, which was duly converted by Sam Slatford. Romford’s attack was direct and within a few minutes some slick passing to the wing allowed Tom O’Meara to race down the sideline to score a fabulous try that Sam Slatford again converted. Basildon were struggling to get into the game at this point and Romford finished off the quarter with a darting run from Michael Courtney burrowing over to give Romford a resounding lead after the first period.

The second quarter saw Basildon score their first try of the day but this pushed Romford on. The tackles were fast and furious and the boys showed huge commitment to their cause. Shaun Kerr, Connor Hardy and Ryan Page all attacked the Basildon forwards and their defence allowed a turnover which enabled a series of passes to the wing for Luke Metcalf to grab a try. Basildon bounced back with another score, but the forwards were determined to leave their mark on this game, a line out in Basildons 22’ and Michael Sultana, Nelson Fragjaj and Lee Harris showed their strength to help Ben Walton maul the ball over the try line for another Romford score. Romford were flying and it wasn’t long before a barreling run from Michael Sultana burst through the Basildon defence to score the final try of the half.

HT: RGP 35-10 Basildon

The third quarter began and Basildon showed their resolve, they scored two trys in this quarter but Romford were still attacking, a strong scrum and some fine work from Bobby Watts, Sam Slatford and Ryan Blinkhorne allowed Harry Runham to dart through for a score in the corner.

The final quarter saw Romford on full attack, Luke Metcalf bagged another try with a twisting run that Basildon just couldn’t stop and although Basildon managed another score Michael Courntey’s final try of the day sealed a fantastic win for Romford. A fabulous game to watch and it was great to see every player shine – well done boys!

Final score:

RGP 53
Basildon 30

Tries: James Mimms, Tom O’Meara, Michael Courtney (2), Luke Metcalf (2), Ben Walton, Michael Sultana, Harry Runham
Conversions: Sam Slatford (2)

Squad: L. Metcalf (c), C. Hardy, L. Potter, H. Runham, M. Courtney, J. Rawana, R. Pooley, S. Kerr, B. Watts, R. Page, O. Flower, B. Walton, J. Mimms, M. Sultana, B. Shawyer, T. O’Meara, L. Harris, S. Slatford, R. Blinkhorne, N. Fragjaj, A. Olaleye, T. Adewole