Grizzlies Finishing the Season on a High

Guildford Rugby Club

Grizzlies Finishing the Season on a High

Over the last two weekends, our Guildford Grizzlies (Girls) teams have played in three Surrey Cup finals and come away with some strong results, plus a couple of trophies.

First up were the U18s on Sunday 24th April: clustered with Farnham, they played against a combined Cobham & Warlingham side in the Bowl final (5th place play-off). It was a sunny day and the hard ground on Cobham’s first-team pitch was ideal for running rugby.

Farnham & Guildford’s strong forward pack and hard-running backs tested the opposition right from the kick-off, enabling us to score three tries in quick succession. We maintained the pressure on the hosts for the rest of the first half and into the second, scoring tries at regular intervals. The referee called the game to a close midway through the second half as the margin of the lead rose above 50 points, reaching a final score of 59-5. A great way for our U18s to finish their season, and we thank Farnham for making them feel very much part of the team.

The action then moved to Esher on Sunday 1st May, with the U15s and U13s both playing in their respective Shield Finals (3rd place play-offs).

The U15s, clustered with Old Ruts this season, faced a stern test against a strong Sutton & Epsom side, who had triumphed 60-0 when the same teams met in a friendly fixture in the dark days of January. Old Ruts and Guildford have shown great determination to move on from that with two stirring victories in the pool games: one against Farnham, and a never-to-be-forgotten win over Guildfordians.

In a physical first half, both sides scored two tries apiece to go in 12-12 at the break. Sutton & Epsom had blistering pace in their back line and this proved to be the difference between the teams as they notched up four break-away tries in the second half. Old Ruts and Guildford had plenty of pressure on the opposition try line but we were unable to convert this into points and Sutton & Epsom ran out victors by 34-12.

Despite the disappointment of the result, the performance reflects the huge progress the team has made over the season and the players can be extremely proud of their achievements this year.

Last but very definitely not least, our indomitable U13s had placed second in their pool to earn a place in the Shield Final vs. Old Reigatians. After conceding an early try, the Grizzlies got into their stride and dominated the first half with their brand of fluid attacking rugby, putting smiles on the coaches’ faces with some strong running, great support play and quick offloads.

Heading into the break leading 5 tries to 1, we might have been excused for thinking the match was in the bag. But credit to Old Reigatians who came out strongly in the second half, and after a quick exchange of tries brought sustained pressure to bear in our 22. Some frantic goal-line defence from the Grizzlies held them out until late in the game, when our lack of subs and the fresher legs on the Old Reigatians replacements started to make a difference, and led to two further tries being conceded.

So it was 6-4 with 2 minutes to go… and Guildford held on bravely for the win. A great end to a fantastic season, and hopefully a strong base for even more success next year.

Go Grizzlies!

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