Hornets Under-12s opened their season with a hard-fought victory over Broad Plain.

HORNETS Under-12s opened their account for the season with a hard-fought win against a spirited and physical Broad Plain side.

Hornets made many errors but were always robust going forward and in the tackle and it was dominance in these areas that secured the win. The opening try was scored by Bradley Lucas who gave a superb performance from scrum-half.

The second was from Eddie Williams who was driven over by his pack after a dynamic run from full-back. The next try came from Oscar Browne who proved a thorn in Broad Plain’s side all morning with aggressive attacking runs.

The final try of the match came from Aiden Chenoweth after turnover ball was quickly moved to the flank where he crashed over in the last minute of the game.

These sides will contest the Jim Toman Memorial Trophy on an annual basis in the spirit of friendship through rugby.

The Under-9s played their first game of the new season. They got off to a slow start, but soon got going with some good tackling form Alexander, Robson and Sam C.

Charlie and Louis had some good runs with James scoring a good try. There was also some solid defence from Roman, Tom, Beth and Lara, but unfortunately their hard work did not translate into a win.

A special mention to Sam M on his first game as he played confidently with some good tackles.

The Under-14s welcomed St Mary’s Hutton Moor and the rugby sparkled as bright as the sunshine. Hornets scored straight from the kick-off when Holyday caught the ball and brushed aside would-be tacklers to score.

Again, after strong runs by Mohide, Richardson and Robinson and with the backs linking well, Hornets made their way into St Mary’s territory. A solid hook by Cocking and with his props Verncombe and Fitzpatrick in support, No 8 Holyday scored his second.

Defending on their own line, a loose pass was picked up by Blake Williams who, with the forwards in close support, released Dover to make ground and then pass to Holyday for his hat-trick, converted by Humphris for a 17-0 half-time score.

Good defensive tackles by Keane Williams, Parkman and Entwistle forced St Mary’s to risk their ball and Hornets were off again. Caple and Turner made ground and when Francis received a pass on the halfway line, he showed sidestepped his way for a try, converted by Humphris.

St Mary’s scored a try before Solomon set up Holyday for his fourth try. Holyday repaid the compliment for Solomon to touch down. St Mary’s scored the last try on the whistle for a final score of 38-14.

The Under-11s entertained Broad Plain from Bristol in their first game this season. The game was played with the zest of kicking, adding a new dimension to the game.

Reef Morton broke through for the first trym but this was matched by the huge Broad Plain forward who swept every player aside to equal the score.

In the second half, Hornets came to life with some fine tackling from Reeve Bailey and Lawrence Pilgrim and a dashing run from Keelan Hodges-Swales. Hornets ran in four tries without reply to win the first game 5-1.

The tries came from Tom Reed, Alex Leeks, Morton and Lloyd Chudley for his first try for Hornets.

The second game was nearly a carbon copy as Hornets won 6-1. They could have scored more had Reed, Bailey, Millie Bamfield and Mike Stack completed touchdowns just short of the try lines.

Tom Biggs helped with some quick ball from the scrums and rucks and there were good try scoring assists from Leeks, Morton and Harry McFarling. The Hornets try scorers in the second game were McFarling, Morton, Leeks and a hat-trick for Pilgrim.

The Under-7s hosted Broad Plain for their first match of the season. There was some great passing and tries, with everybody running forward and great support from all the supporters.

Broad Plain had a strong team on the middle pitch, but Hornets held their own on the other two pitches. More importantly, all the players got involved and everyone managed to score at least once, have fun and get a hot dog.

Any Year 2 pupil interested in playing rugby at Hornets should e-mail HornetsRFC50@gmail.com or check the website bit.lyHornetsU7