Under 8s Reports (Most recent at Top)

The annual Dads v Lads game was a hugely enjoyable event of the chaotic variety. A combined hoard of about 25 Under 7s, 8s and 9s took on about a dozen foolish fathers and beat them 7-3 (I think).

Its unlikely that you'll get a more detailed report than that as Mesrs. Wood and Sorrill, who have done such sterling work this season in recording scores, try scorers  etc. were too busy taking part to take notes.

Villain of the match must surely go to Mr. Sorrill for utterly un-gentlemanly use of parental authority, being clearly heard instructing his son thus: "David give me the ball". The father's perfidy is surely compounded by the son's touching and commendable, though misguided, obedience.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; Jake Cox; James Easton; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Owain Hire; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 5, Chippenham C U8s 1.
Swindon started their campaign in good form, taking an early lead and holding on to beat this Chippenham side by Five tries to one.
Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (3), Christian Wood (1) and Owain Hire (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 1, Ealing A U8s 6.
Swindon were unable to muster their defence against this rampant Ealing side, and lost this match by six tries to one. Owain Hire scored to save Swindon's blushes.

Third match; Swindon U8s 6, Chippenham B U8s 1.
Stung by their earlier defeat Swindon recovered their wits to beat this Chippenham side six tries to one. Swindon's try scorers were Jake Cox (2), Tom Codling (2), Joe Jenkins (1) and Owain Hire (1).

Fourth match; Swindon U8s 5, Keynsham U8s 5.
Swindon started well against this energetic Keynsham side, and were two tries ahead at half time, unfortunately a couple of errors from the Swindon side allowed Keynsham to salvage a draw. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (4) and James Easton (1).

Fifth match; Swindon U8s 3, Rhiwbina U8s 5.
Although Swindon started well against this experienced Rhiwbina side they were unable to maintain their normally solid defence and lost the match by three tries to five. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (2) and James Easton (1).

Man of the Matches: Dave Farnsworth (Coach).

Ramblings from an onlooker:

Ealing A were in a different class to the rest of the group. Their passing was excellent. They had some players that had the vision and hands to actually pass the ball to where the gaps were rather than running there themselves. They also often passed out of the tackle without turning or even breaking their stride. I was very impressed.

Rhiwbina were a novelty as they are a Welsh side and I gather the U8s are allowed to hand-off in Wales? For whatever reason, they struggled to keep both hands on the ball. We thought they got away with murder and yet I expect they ended up feeling a bit hard done by.

Here is a clip of a great solo effort (1.2 MB).

Players. Christian Wood; Christopher Bryden; David Sorrill; Jake Cox; James Easton; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Tom Codling; Owain Hire; Oliver Ritson.

First match; Swindon U8s 8, Chinnor A U8s 6.
Swindon found themselves facing the toughest opposition of the season with this experienced Chinnor side, however, they kept to their game plan well enough to win by eight tries to six. A magnificent team effort. Swindon's try scorers were Jake Cox (2), James Easton (2), Owain Hire (2), Tom Codling (1) and Oliver Ritson (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 13, Chinnor B U8s 5.
Inspired by their hard won first match, Swindon did not relax the pace for this second Chinnor team, finding a method of scoring every play, thus winning by thirteen tries to five. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (8), James Easton (2), Joe Jenkins (2) and Jake Cox (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 13, Chinnor C U8s 4.
Swindon's young stars continued their unbeatable form to over-run this third Chinnor team with a thirteen tries to four victory. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (5), Tom Codling (3), Jake Cox (2), Christopher Bryden (1), David Sorrill (1) and James Easton (1).

Fourth match; Swindon U8s 5, Oxford Harlequins U8s 2.
In very unusual playing conditions our players adapted well to, Swindon were five tries to two ahead when the match ended. Swindon's try scorers were Christian Wood (2), David Sorrill (1), Jake Cox (1) and Tom Codling (1).

Man of the Matches: James Easton.

Players. Christopher Bryden; David Sorrill; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Owain Hire; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 6, Matson U8s 7.
In a difficult match played in some unusual conditions Swindon lacked their normal defensive sparkle and allowed Matson to win 7-6. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (4), Tom Codling (1) and Joe Jenkins (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 7, Stow U8s 3.
Swindon tightened their defence for this second game and denied Stow most of their scoring opportunities thus winning 7-3. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (5), Tom Codling (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Man of the Matches: Owain Hire.

Supplementary note from a spectator:
The wind was blowing hard and the pitch was huge - must have been pretty much the maximum 60x30m. This gave everyone a lot of room and meant that defenders on both teams had to run hard to keep out the opposition. The boys all ran their socks off, well done, but how Owain had the energy to keep running in the tries that he did is a mystery me!

Players. Christian Wood; Christopher Bryden; David Sorrill; Finn Scratchley; Jake Cox; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 6, Minety U8s 4.
In a hard fought match with both teams defending well, Swindon edged ahead and won 6 - 4. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (3), Christian Wood (2) and Jake Cox (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 7, Minety U8s 1.
In this second game Swindon tightened their defence to be almost impenetrable and thus won the game 7- 1. Swindon's try scorers were Christian Wood (2), Jake Cox (2), Tommy Farnsworth (2) and William Sullivan (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 4, Minety U8s 5.
Swindon began to tire in this third match and could not repeat their sustained defence of the previous matches, however they were unlucky to lose this match by one try. Swindon's scorers were William Sullivan (2), Tom Codling (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Man of the Matches: Christian Wood.

Players. Christian Wood; Christopher Bryden; David Sorrill; Finn Scratchley; Jake Cox; James Easton; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Owain Hire; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 8, Supermarine U8s 5.
Swindon started with a flourish and were soon two tries ahead of the opposition. Although Supermarine upped the pace during the second half, Swindon held on to win 8-5. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (4), Christian Wood (2), Joe Jenkins (1) and William Sullivan (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 6, Supermarine U8s 6.
In the next Match Swindon took their foot of the accelerator a little and struggled to keep up with the Supermarine side. In the second half they recovered enough to earn a draw at six tries apiece. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (3), Jake Cox (1), James Easton (1) and Joe Jenkins (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 9, Supermarine U8s 3.
Swindon then played a match against a smaller (also) mixed Supermarine side, with a re-invigorated game and the match ended with 9-3 Swindon victory. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (3), Christian Wood (2), Jake Cox (2), Joe Jenkins (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Man of the Matches: Joe Jenkins.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; James Easton; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Luke Stoneham; Tom Codling; Owain Hire; Tommy Farnsworth; Oliver Ritson; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 11, Fairford U8s 4. Swindon started this game at a tremendous pace, putting three tries on the score sheet before Fairford had a chance to reply. This pace continued through the game, making Swindon the victors by eleven tries to four. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (4), Owain Hire (3), James Easton (2) and Tommy Farnsworth (2).

Second match; Swindon U8s 8, Fairford U8s 4. Swindon continued with their excellent form and great defence, and after a slow start, won the match by eight tries to four. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (3), Tom Codling (2), Tommy Farnsworth (2) and Christian Wood (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 5, Fairford U7s 5. Swindon faltered in this third match and struggled to regain their earlier form, trailing by two tries at half time. In the second half they turned it around and were unlucky not to win the match at the last play. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (3) and Tom Codling (2).

Man of the Matches: Tom Codling.

Players. Andrew Milsom; Christian Wood; David Sorrill; James Easton; Owain Hire; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; Oliver Ritson; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 8, Marlborough U8s 7. In a close fought match Swindon's young stars won by eight tries to seven against a very competitive Marlborough team. Swindon's try scorers were James Easton (1), Tommy Farnsworth (2), Owain Hire (1) and Tom Codling (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 12, Marlborough U8s 8. In the next Match against a fresh Marlborough team, Swindon stepped up a gear and in a spectacularly fast game won by twelve tries to eight. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (4), James Easton (3), Tom Codling (3) and Tommy Farnsworth (2).

Man of the Matches: Owain Hire.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; Finn Scratchley; James Easton; James Sorrill; Jake Cox; Joe Jenkins; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; Oliver Ritson; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 6, Faringdon U8s 5.
Swindon took an early two try lead and were able to hold on to win by six tries to five thanks to five tries from Tom Codling and a try each from Christian Wood and Jake Cox.

Second match; Swindon U8s 5, Faringdon U8s 4.
Swindon continued their winning ways beating Faringdon by five tries to three. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (3), Joe Jenkins (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 7, Faringdon U7s 7.
In this fast moving third match Swindon were held to a draw. Swindon's try scorers were David Sorrill (2), Joe Jenkins (2), Jake Cox (1), Tom Codling (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Man of the Matches: David Sorrill.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Owain Hire; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 4, Chippenham U8s 6. Despite two tries from Owain Hire and a try each from Christian Wood and Tommy Farnsworth, Swindon were unable to hold back a rampant Chippenham side who went on to win by six tries to four.

Second match; Swindon U8s 7, Corsham U8s 8. Swindon Under then played Corsham and matched them try for try, Swindon were poised to win at the last play of the match when a lucky accident for Corsham gave them the ball and allowed them to run in a try to steal the match. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (2), Owain Hire (1) and William Sullivan (1).

Man of the Matches was awarded to William Sullivan.

Players. David Sorrill; James Easton; James Sorrill; Jake Cox; Oliver Ritson; Owain Hire; Tommy Farnsworth.

First match; Swindon U8s 5, Newbury A U8s 4. Swindon were put on their back foot, soon finding themselves trailing by two tries to nil, however our young stars dug deep and went on to finish the match as the winners at five - four. Swindon's try scorers were Jake Cox (2), Tommy Farnsworth (2) and James Easton (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 5, Newbury B U8s 6. Swindon were unable to repeat their form of the previous game allowing Newbury to score against the run of play and then not being able to catch them again thus ending the match with Newbury as the six - five winners. Swindon's try scorers were Owain hire (2), James Easton (1), Tommy Farnsworth (1) and Jake Cox (1).

Man of the Matches was awarded to Tommy Farnsworth.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; James Easton; James Sorrill; Jake Cox; Joe Jenkins; Owain Hire; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 8, Supermarine U8s 6. Swindon took an early lead against the run of play due to some excellent defensive work and held on to this hard earned lead to win the match by 8 tries to 6. Swindon's try scorers were Tom Codling (5), Christian Wood (1), Owain Hire (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 7, Supermarine U8s 8. Swindon Under Eights were unable to repeat their defensive form of the previous match and the scoring went with the play, when the final whistle blew Supermarine were one try ahead. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (3), Tom Codling (3) and Jake Cox (1).

Swindon then played a friendly game with Supermarine under sevens.

Man of the Matches was awarded to Tom Codling.

Players. David Sorrill; Jake Cox; James Easton; James Sorrill; Joe Jenkins; Oliver Ritson; Owain Hire; Tommy Farnsworth; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 11, Abingdon 'A' U8s 12. This was an exciting fast moving match with the lead changing hands four times. At half time the score was 6 all, however Abingdon just won on the very last play of the game. Swindon's try scorers were James Easton (4), Owain Hire (4), Jake Cox (1), Joe Jenkins (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 9, Abingdon 'B' U8s 6. Swindon's young stars didn't relax for their second game and ran out as the winners by nine tries to six. Swindon's try scorers were Owain Hire (4), Jake Cox (2), William Sullivan (2) and James Easton (1).

Swindon Man of the Matches: Awarded to James Easton for a well disciplined performance.

Players. Christian Wood; David Sorrill; James Easton; James Sorrill; Jake Cox; Joe Jenkins; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth; Oliver Gore; Oliver Ritson; William Sullivan.

First match; Swindon U8s 5, Oxford 'Quins U8s 5.
In a hard fought competitive match the end result was a justified 5 all. Swindon's try scorers were Christian Wood (2), James Easton (1), Jake Cox (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Second match; Swindon U8s 6, Oxford 'Quins U8s 8.
Swindon Under Eights let the opposition take an early lead and were unable to recover it by the end of play losing by eight tries to six. Swindon's try scorers were Christian Wood (2), James Easton (1), Jake Cox (1), Tom Codling (1) and Tommy Farnsworth (1).

Third match; Swindon U8s 6, Oxford 'Quins U7s 6.
Swindon Under Eights then faced Oxford 'Quins under 7s who surprised them by taking an early two try lead. Swindon stepped up their game to end the match 6 all. Swindon's try scorers were Christian Wood (2), Tom Codling (3) and William Sullivan (1).

Man of the Matches: William Sullivan.

Swindon 10 - Maidenhead 'A' 6

Swindon 5 - Maidenhead 'B' 9

Players both matches

Christian Wood, James Easton, Finn Scratchley, Tommy Farnsworth, Jake Cox, Owain Hire, Oliver Ritson.

In frosty conditions and on a very hard pitch, Swindon under 8's played Maidenhead.

The same Swindon Team played against both Maidenhead teams, winning the first 10 - 6. Tries from Owain Hire (5), Jake cox & Tommy Farnsworth (2 each) & James Easton (1).

In the second game, Swindon let themselves down losing 9 - 5, due mainly to Swindon's own bad tackling. Tries from James Easton & Jake Cox (2 each) and Owain Hire (1).

Man of the Matches - Owain Hire

Players.    Christian Wood;  Finn Scratchley; James Easton; James Sorrill; Jake Cox; Tom Codling; Tommy Farnsworth.