Duns Mini Rugby

21st Sept 2009

" Duns Minis welcome local rivals

Duns Mini rugby squad welcomed their near neighbours the Berwick Bulldogs and a healthy proportion of the primary school aged youth of Jedburgh to their first home game of the season last Sunday. In glorious sunshine over 150 young rugby players demonstrated their skills before a crowd which seemed only slighty smaller than that which had packed Leicester's Welford Road the day before. The gallant P3 Baby Bears still struggle to grasp the notion of running forward and passing back (rather than the other way round) but they gave their visitors a good run for their money whilst overcoming some character building challenges thrown up against them by well drilled opposition. The P5 equipe showed once again what a difference a year makes as they breezed past Berwick with an impressive 12v9 score and just pipped the Jed challenge by the odd score in 15. Try scorers included Matthew Sanderson, Callum Rhind, Connor Allan (making a welcome return from a dalliance with the round ball) and impressive 4 try tallies from both Archie Bogle and Declan Renton. The rest of the boys all deserve name checks for maintaining an unbeaten run but space cruelly denies them the opportunity to bask in the glory. The P6 squad took a time to warm to their task in their opening rubber againast a strong Jed team with regulars Callum Cleasby and Jamie O'Reilly opening the account. It was in their second game against Berwick that the assembled masses revelled in the thrill of a last minute try to bring home the victory against the plucky men in black from Berwick in what became a 7/6 thriller in which Jamie O'Reilly bagged a hatrick with Ross Sutherland, Gregor Murray, Callum Cleasby and Angus Murray also crossing the whitewash for the Dingers. The Senior 7's allowed a fine Jed team some try scoring practice before recovering their composure in another finely balanced test against the all blacks. They were to run off as victors after a match truncated by ( thankfully unfounded) back injury concerns but not before Calum Paterson, Cameron Millar, the tencious Jacob Cross and speedster Jame Thorburn all added their names to the scorer's tally. Many thanks should be extended to a batch of newly blooded young refs plucked from the healthy Duns RFC colt community and also to the catering core who ably dealt with a crowded club rooms and more sausage rolls than you could possibly imagine. This was a fantastic demonstration of how community rugby can work and what the Sport Duns vision of a well equiped facilty at the Old High School might service in the years to come.

Next week sees the growing squad ( still plenty of room for new team members - particularly P4s) resume their fun filled training regime before they head off to the Jedburgh tournament a week later. All interested in joing in the fun should show up at the club rooms at 51 Newtown Street at 10.30 next Sunday."