<![CDATA[Down High Rugby - U14 Rugby]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:38:04 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Down High complete successful Junior Rugby Tour]]>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:22:40 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2012/03/down-high-complete-successful-junior-rugby-tour.html

 

On a crisp Wednesday morning, 44 boys and 5 staff gathered at Down High School to embark on a 3 day / 2 night rugby tour to Scotland. After an uneventful crossing to Cairnryan and a 2 hour bus journey to Glasgow, the touring party checked into their accommodation before setting off for their first matches against Glasgow Academy. Both teams recorded similar convincing victories with the Under 14s winning 47-7 and the Under 13s securing a 41-5 success. Special mention should go to Chris Beattie and Paddy Browne who were named man of the match in their respective matches. An interested spectator was Northern Ireland football’s record goal scorer and Killyleagh native David Healy who was there to support his nephew Ross Connolly who plays for the Under 14 side. The victorious group returned to the hotel and capped off a long day by visiting the local cinema.

Day 2 began with a hearty breakfast and a bus journey to Edinburgh where the group had the chance to visit the world famous Edinburgh Dungeons. This was an excellent opportunity to learn about life in medieval Scotland and the reaction of a number of the boys certainly dispelled the myth that rugby players do not have a soft side! A spot of sight seeing along the historic Royal Mile saw another encounter with famous sportspeople. As part of Sport Relief, a mile run was being held which finished at Edinburgh Castle and among the participants were Rugby World Cup Winners Martin Corry and Josh Lewsey along with Olympic Gold Medallists Chris Boardman and Amy Williams. Some of the boys took the opportunity to get a photo with the 2 rugby players.

The group then made their way to Boroughmuir High School where the Under 13s recorded a convincing 45-0 victory with Lewis Canning outstanding. Unfortunately the Under 14s conceded a late try and the resulting conversion gave Boroughmuir a 2 point victory. Ewan Keers was awarded the player of the match. The second evening was spent ten-pin bowling in the Xscape complex in Glasgow.

Day 3 began with a visit to the Braehead Shopping Centre for the boys to indulge in a little retail therapy. The good humour shown throughout the tour continued when a number of the Under 13 team decided to invest in fancy dress for the journey home. The long journey home then started and the coach eventually rolled into Downpatrick on the Friday evening to mark the end of a successful tour.

Credit must go to the boys on how they conducted themselves over the 3 days. They were excellent ambassadors for Down high School.

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]]><![CDATA[U14s continue impressive form!]]>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:35:41 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2012/01/u14s-continue-impressive-form.htmlDown High School 36-34 Belfast High School

On the back of a very good win against Banbridge, Down High were in high spirits for the game against Belfast High.

In the early exchanges, the light wind was exploited by Down High, pinning Belfast back in their own 22”. When BHS secured ball in the 22”, their centre tried to kick clear but blind-side flanker Chris Beattie charged him down and was able to touch down for the first score, Power bisected the uprights to give Down a 7-0 lead.

The visitors bounced straight back with a try of their own after a rolling maul to leave the score at 7-5. Down High were tied down in their own half, but good work by Paul Forbes at the break-down won possession. A try was on the cards with a 4 on 2 but Rowan McWilliams threw an intercept and Belfast scored between the posts, 7-12.

BHS kept piling on the pressure but a clumsy knock on gave Down High a scrum in their own half. A well rehearsed backs move allowed Sam Leckey to burst clear for a brilliant try between the posts.

Down High stuck at their task and Leckey crossed the whitewash for a second time after some good link up play with Andrew Frazer and Peter Davidson, Power converted. The home side were now brimming with confidence and that showed in some of the plays. The forwards were presenting quick ball for Frazer who released his backs who showed speed and strength to gain yards.

Just before the end of the half, Down High were camped on the opposition try line and second row Michael Reynolds barged his way over for Down High’s fourth try, Power duly added the extras.

Skipper William Martin then left play and handed over to out-half Power to lead the side. The second half got off to a bad start after Down got turned over and BHS spread the ball for their winger to touch down in the corner. Belfast were beginning to play good rugby now, and got their fourth try after the out-side centre spotted a dog-leg in the defence before bursting through under the sticks, 28-24.

The Belfast pack were now beginning to dominate the game but handling errors in the backs let them down. After a Down High scrum on half way Power chipped the ball over the defence for a line out. Chris Beattie intercepted a pass from the scrum half and scored in the corner, 33-24.

Belfast scored another quick try after soft tackling in the backs. This put Down on edge and resulted in another score for Belfast, they were now leading 33-34. However, great aggression from McBride, Frazer, Peter Morrison and Alex Martin gave Down High a scrum and after an eight pick from Michael Reynolds, BHS were adjudged to be off their feet and Down High immediately opted for the posts, Power then slotted a crucial kick. The clock ran down and after some solid play by Forbes, Morrison and Ellison, scrum-half Frazer lashed the ball out of play for another good win for the Mount Crescent men.

By Charlie Power

]]><![CDATA[14s Squeeze Past Banbridge]]>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:55:11 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2012/01/14s-squeeze-past-banbridge.htmlDown High 21-20 Banbridge Academy

A resilient Down High side took to the field on Saturday and came away with a brilliant victory against an extremely strong Banbridge team.

Banbridge kicked off playing with a slight breeze which their out-half exploited by pinning Down into the corners. From a line-out inside their own 22” Alex Martin took a clean catch and started a rolling maul. Down High’s attacking intent was clear as the backs ran it from deep and outside centre Sam Leckey was able to break through tackles and run around Banbridge’s full-back to touch down under the posts for a brilliant individual try. Charlie Power added the easy extras.

Banbridge came straight back, after several picks up and drives, Peter Heaney eventually touched down, the score was 7-5. The tactics enforced by skipper, William Martin was to keep them deep in their own half and not to let them out. Down High won a scrum and brilliant play by Peter Davidson allowed Down to set up a ruck on the 22”, Michael Reynolds and Christopher Beattie made it to the five meter line and Banbridge were clearly slowing the ball down by going off their feet, the referee awarded a penalty which Martin took quickly and touched down in the corner, Power added the tricky conversion to end the half on a high.

In the second half Banbridge came out fighting. They parked the bus inside the Down High 22” and after several phases of play, number eight, Andrew Neil was able to shrug off a few tackles a score under the posts, they missed the resulting kick.

A long restart kept Banbridge in their own half but inside centre Luke Atkinson broke the line and drew Rowan McWilliams before shifting the ball to the winger to score, the score was now 14-15.

Spurred on by good support Down gave the best possible response; Charlie Power drilled the ball to touch. A scrappy line out resulted in Down’s hands and some good, quick passing from the back row allowed James McBride to touch down once for another good score, Power was on target again.

The whole team really stepped up. McBride, Morrison, Forbes and Ellison were at the heart of every ruck and holding up every maul. But they couldn’t hold out for much longer as the Down High backs were sucked in to the rucks, Banbridge spread it wide with numbers and scored in the corner to set up a tense finale. 21-20.

Banbridge were able to get possession inside the Down 22”. A try looked certain but a knock on gave Down High a scrum. The message was to get the ball up the field and Power gave the men in green relief as he booted the ball up to the visitor’s 10 metre line. Excellent chasing from Leckey, Baxter and Davidson meant that Down High had possession in their 22” and another kick put pressure on Banbridge’s full-back and winger. Banbridge knocked on and the whistle was blown, leaving Down High with a very good win.
A quick mention to Christopher Beattie, who has broken his nose. We wish him a speedy recovery.

BY CHARLIE POWER

]]><![CDATA[Dromore's dominance comes to an end!]]>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:25:13 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/12/dromores-dominance-comes-to-an-end.htmlDown High 15-7 Dromore High

Down High faced Dromore for the second time this season and were fired up as in the last 4 meetings, Dromore have beaten the Mount Crescent boys.

Out-half, Charlie Power got the game under-way and the pressure from the forwards resulted in a scrum. From here one of the backs’ moves saw inside centre John Hyndman break the line before being stopped on the 22. After a few more phases, Charlie Power dropped back in the pocket and slotted over a drop-goal to open the score.

After the restart Down were quick to get ball back in the oppositions’ half and Power fed Sam Leckey who drew his man before passing to Robbie Stewart to score in the corner. Power added the tough conversion.

Great work up front from Chambers, Martin, Heenan and Morrison managed to keep Dromore pinned back in their own half. With 2 minutes to go before half-time there were a few injuries including Power’s shoulder and Martin’s calf. The half-time score was 10-0.

After half time a few changes were made; Reuben Ashe joining the action at full-back as well as Matthew Graham getting on. With the influential Martin missing from the field, Down High struggled to mount any attacks but admirably defended their try-line. Big tackles from Keers, Reynolds and Stewart kept Dromore at bay. However it was only a matter of time before they scored from their outside centre. He burst through two tackles before touching down beneath the sticks.

The return of William Martin gave more confidence and with excellent scrummaging from the front row of Chambers, Graham and Morrison the backs were presented with good ball. Sam Leckey made his way to the Dromore 22 with support from John Hyndman. Dogged defence from the visitors prevented Down from scoring until 4 minutes from the end when, fittingly, William Martin showed great strength and surged over the line.

Following Martin’s score Down High held onto their lead until the final whistle blew, signalling an end to Dromore run of victories over this team.

Man of the Match: Ewan Keers
By Charlie Power

]]><![CDATA[14s enjoy win over Killicomaine]]>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:51:10 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/11/14s-enjoy-win-over-killicomaine.html
Photos courtesy of Jack McGivern
]]><![CDATA[U14 Triumph at Wellington]]>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:45:27 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/11/u14-triumph-at-wellington.htmlWellington U14s 7-47 Down High U14s

Down High travelled to Wellington, expecting a competitive match after losing to this side last season. The visitors got off to the best possible start. A hung kick-off allowed the pack to pressure the ball receiver and a big hit from Harry McCormick gave McBride, Chambers and Heenan the chance to ruck over and secure a turnover. The ever present William Martin picked and ran to score under the posts, Power added the simple conversion.

A lot of time and effort has been put into backs moves these past few weeks and it paid dividends when quick hands presented a two on one opportunity, Frazer drew his man and released Sam Leckey on the wing who touched down for a great score. Again, Power extended the lead by an extra two points.

Shortly afterwards McBride very nearly scored but unfortunately knocked on while trying to gather an interception. He was successful a few moments later though when he gathered up a poor pass from Wellington’s scrum-half taking the score to 21-0. From here the score remained the same until half-time after a Ewan Keers try was disallowed.

At the start of the second half a Down High ruck was set up. Keers released Power down the blind side; he in turn fed Leckey who ran past his opposite number to score his second try. Power added the extras.

Then the substitutes got on: Hogg for McBride, Beattie for Martin, G.Stewart for R.Stewart, Hayes for Keers, Davidson for Leckey, Peter Morrison for Graham and Alex Martin for Ross Connolly.

Substitute Peter Morrison was quick to get involved, disrupting Wellington ball and making big tackle after big tackle. But it was the other sub, Chris Beattie, who got over for a good score close to the corner. Power added the kick.

Towards the end of the game a lapse in concentration allowed Wellington in for a score but the final word went to man of the match, Harry McCormick, who used his strength and power to drive over in the corner. This was a great day for the guys in green, showing clinical attack and a robust defence.

Man of the Match: Harry McCormick

By Charlie Power

]]><![CDATA[14's notch up another win!]]>Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:47:57 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/10/14s-notch-up-another-win.htmlDown High 38-12 Clounagh

A well drilled Down High side took on Clounagh at home and won what was a very physical battle.

The game started with early pressure from the Down High pack which got us to half way, and when the backs spread the ball wide, winger John Hyndman made a very good break to Clounagh’s 22. A quick break from scrum half Ewan Keers made more yards before he offloaded to Charlie Power who ran through to score his first ever Down High try. Reuben Ashe’s absence meant that Power was handed kicking duty and he slotted the two points over.

For the next score, Down High soaked up a lot of pressure from the visitors before turning the ball over. More quick hands in the back line got the ball to speed-machine Sam Leckey who used his blistering pace to touch down in the corner.

Straight from the restart Hyndman made another break, and brilliant rucking from the back row presented the ball to Keers, who released Leckey to score again in the corner, Power was unsuccessful with his kick to leaving the score at 17-0.

The back line defence was in peak condition and after brilliant work from Frazer, Down got a turnover. From the resulting play, the ball was shifted to skipper William Martin who used both speed and strength to touch down, Power added the extras taking the score to 24-0 before Mr. Simpson blew up for half-time.

Clounagh got off to a bright start in the second half, scoring an unconverted try within a few minutes through their centre after good work from their pack.

The boys in green were quick to respond however, and after fierce work from Peter Morrison, James McBride was able to bundle his way over the line, Power again added the two points.

Follow this dogged work in defence from the home team kept Clounagh out for a considerable period of time but eventually they created an overlap and touched down leaving the score at 31-12.

With only a few minutes remaining McBride got over for his second of the match. This came after quick ball from Keers to Power who threw a miss pass and allowed James to top off another great performance. Timmy Hayes the honour of booting the ball into touch for a hard earned victory.

Man of the match: Sam Leckey
By Charlie Power

]]><![CDATA[Close Encounter in Armagh]]>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:13:25 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/10/close-encounter-in-armagh.htmlR.S Armagh 29-28 Down High
After a long journey to Armagh the guys knew that it wouldn’t be easy, especially in the blustery and wet conditions.

The boys in green got off to a flyer, forcing Armagh into errors and conceding penalties. Charlie Power kicked to touch and from the resulting line-out, skipper William Martin carried the ball past the white line. Reuben Ashe added the extras with a fine kick.

We didn’t stop there; good work from James McBride and Chris Beattie gave Power another chance to kick to touch. This time Michael Reynolds won the line-out and went on to touch down in the corner, Ashe once again got the conversion.

However Armagh’s number 8 made a few very good runs to set up play in Down’s 22. Some Quick play from the Armagh backs eventually saw their centre touch down, to leave the score at 14-5.

The Down High heads dropped a little after this and some sloppy play and missed tackles led to their strong inside centre making a run and scoring an unconverted try. Down High went into half-time 14-10 up.

Down High got off to a good start in the 2nd half, when effective play from Keers, Power, Frazer and Leckey in the back line, lead to a ruck set up in the opponents 22. McBride managed to score between the sticks to leave the score at 21-10. A few minutes later Leckey’s sheer pace on the wing allowed him over for another try. The conversion was added taking the score to 28-10.

Then we got bad news that William had to leave, this was a big blow for the team and Armagh took advantage. Their powerful number 8 driving through our defence to score and the extras added. Then Armagh soaked up pressure from us before shifting the ball to the centre who took advantage of a dog-legged defence, this time missing the kick.

So it went into the last play of the match, we were defending on our 22. The number 8 picked up and got to the 5 metre line. Despite an excellent tackle from substitute John Hyndmen, their man was able to offload and they touched down in the corner. So in the end it was down to the conversion kick.  Sadly a big charge from the Down High players wasn’t enough to put the kicker off, as he split the posts to give Armagh victory by a point.

Man of the match: James McBride

By Charlie Power

]]><![CDATA[13s come out on top of in house fixture!]]>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:11:51 -0800http://www.downhighrugby.com/8/post/2011/09/13s-come-out-on-top-of-in-house-fixture.htmlDown High U14’s B 7-25 Down High U13’s A.
After Cambridge House cancelled on the Down High fixtures, a select U14 side arranged a game with the U13 A team. From hearsay the U14 boys had been informed of the younger boys talent and strength and this was evident when within the first few minutes, some strong back running got the try that had been coming for the U13 side. They had run through our defence like a hot knife through butter.

Some words from captain Charlie Power and Michael Reynolds sparked the U14 boys into life. Immediately after the restart they turned the U13’s over and after several quick taps Charlie Power forced his way beyond the defence and added the conversion.

The U13s responded to this try through a terrific run from man of the match Zac Ward who presented the ball to Matthew Dougherty and got over for the 13’s second try. The half-time score was 10-7 to the U13’s side.


Throughout the second half, the U13 lads pressed harder at the tiring 14’s side. The loss of Robbie Stewart proved to be a big one as the U13’s scored another three tries. Gregory Stewart came on in Robbie’s place and was terrific in defence, taking down Sam Rickard and Clayton Milligan after the two props got a run on him.

The U13 side were sensational and extremely clinical, if they keep this up they will be one of the top sides in Northern Ireland. Zac Ward and Matthew Dougherty were outstanding as well as that there were stand out performances from Jonny McCoubrey and William Annet.

On the U14 team there were strong performances from Michael Reynolds, Ross Connolly, Charlie Power and Gregory Stewart. The U14 side need to work on tackling if they are going to beat strong sides.


Man of the match: Zac Ward


By Charlie Power

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