u11's Match Reports 2005 - 2006

Milton Keynes 14 - 14 Harpenden

Milton Keynes under 11s warmed up for the Peterborough Festival next Sunday with three games against teams from Harpenden at Field Lane on Sunday. The move up from 9 to 12 player rugby had been keenly anticipated, and with the new coaches and 16 weeks of summer training hopes were high for the new season.

The first game against Harpenden 'A' saw early pressure from the visitors but MK steadied themselves and began to force errors, Oliver Anderson opening the scoring after MK won a series of rucks and mauls, and won a penalty on the Harpenden 5 metre line. Zachary Ezenagu converted. Despite this early dominance, MK then slipped back into old habits. Scrums were solid but possession and recycling from rucks and mauls dried up, and the line-outs were ragged. It was from one of these that Harpenden equalised and for the rest of the first half they were playing the better passing game. Too many MK players seemed to want to do it all themselves, but it was to MKs credit that they kept Harpenden out.

The second half saw more of the same. There were handling errors and a lack of support. The words drive over are easy to say but no player other than Mad Dog Marchbank seemed inclined to clear out Harpenden when MK were trying to go forward. Harpenden then embarked on a period of dominance which saw a series of 5 metre scrums culminate in MK conceding a penalty close to the line, and then a try. There followed intense pressure from Harpenden. Four times MK held them up on their own line, with particularly sterling work from Kieran Duffin and Anderson. When they are not firing in attack this team can certainly defend. Just when it seemed all over for MK a blast of collective memory seemed to come over them. Aaron Dennis made a great break and popped the ball to Duffin who took it at pace to touch down in the left corner. As Robert Friend converted, the whistle went, and MK were very relieved indeed to draw.

Milton Keynes 49 - 0 Harpenden

After the wake up call of this game MK faced Harpenden 'B' in an altogether different game. From the off when Ezenagu dropped the ball over the Harpenden line when it would have been easier to score, the difference between the two sides was evident. First half tries by Anderson, Ashley Morris (2) and Dennis, with conversions by Morris, Lill (2) and Friend saw MK galloping away.

The second half continued in the same vein with MK almost able to score at will. It was all MK pressure, and tries from Duffin and Lill were rounded off by Anderson who, on his feet, picked up the ball from a ruck and helped himself. Conversions by Ffred Bollom (2) and Lill.

Milton Keynes 14 - 5 Harpenden

The third game of the day was a rematch with Harpenden 'A', but this time MK, having rediscovered their scoring boots and passing hands, were in no mood for a replay of Harpenden dominance. The tackling was more positive and MK hits loosened the ball a lot more. Ffred Bollom, who had been very quiet up to this point, capitalised on this, picking up a loose ball and touching down midway through the first half, Morris converting. Harpenden equalised when Bollom, Morris and Ezenagu were all found offside, nobody retreated the required 7 metres, and MK were marched back twice until Harpenden were 5m from the try line. From the ensuing penalty and amidst the confusion a Harpenden prop had little more to do than fall over the line. Hopefully, lesson learned.

A competitive second half saw more open play than previously with some good bursts and runs, but the game was decided when Bollom again pounced on a loose ball, made the hard yards, and stretched over to score. No conversion was taken but seven points were awarded.

Spalding 0 - 0 Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes under 11s won the Peterborough Festival Shield for the third consecutive year at a sunny Fengate ground on Sunday, having won as under 9s in 2003 and under 10s in 2004.

Traditionally slow starters, they first faced Spalding in the pool matches in a game which promised much but delivered little, and was marked by some idiosyncratic refereeing. The scrum was solid but the line out messy, and in the first half the backs were disorganised. Both teams were sizing each other up, little knowing they would be facing each other in the final some four hours later. There were few clear cut chances to either side in a half which saw MK penalised for hand-offs which on another day would have bothered no-one.

The second half saw more MK pressure and some intelligent Spalding kicking to relieve challenging positions. Mad Dog Marchbank reminded us all why he carries his name so well as he was penalised for intimidation for running at the opposition line after a penalty to MK, shouting a noise which would have done credit to Concorde taking off. Idiosyncratic refereeing indeed! MK did not capitalize on the few chances that came their way. There was much intense effort on both sides, but in the end this was a game MK should have won but didn't.

Peterborough 0 - 30 Milton Keynes

The second game was against a Peterborough side who looked a shadow of the semi-finalists of last year. There was much greater urgency about MK this time. Some big hits gave them a lot of ball. Zachary Ezenagu appeared to have scored early on but he was penalised, again for a hand-off. A further big hit allowed Ben Lill to break and score, and this was followed by some awesome breaks from deep in the MK half by Aaron Dennis and Ffred Bollom, the latter resulting in a penalty which Kieran Duffin passed quickly for Oliver Anderson to touch down. Then Louis Rutter scored his debut try for MK after an unselfish pass from Robert Friend, and MK went into the break with a comfortable lead.

In the second half it was all MK. The slow start against Spalding was forgotten and another try was certain if only Ashley Morris had passed, but Ezenagu landed the fourth from a lovely back line move after a penalty, and Ffred Bollom the fifth following a thumping tackle by Anderson on an unsuspecting Peterborough player. From the restart Ezenagu caught the ball and ran through the by now shredded defence to record the sixth. The backs had begun to discover their place and MK filled their boots to make a semi-final place a realistic proposition.

Stamford 0 - 5 Milton Keynes

The third pool match was against a much more resilient Stamford side who had also given Peterborough a good seeing to earlier on. They were quite a different proposition and began to exert considerable pressure on the MK defence, running and passing well and threatening the MK line on a number of occasions. Gradually MK began to secure some possession, but this had all the makings of a seriously good game. Dennis continued to make the hard yards, leading to a MK penalty from which Ezenagu had another try turned down, this time as the unsighted referee claimed it had been held up. This was to be MK's last chance of the half as again Stamford drove forward only to be stopped just short of the line by Anderson's strength.

From the restart MK gained 20 metres or more with a rolling maul, but it came to nothing. Breaks by Friend and William Holiday were held up, but MK were creating the chances now. Stamford always looked capable of breaking out with their good handling game, but MK tackling and pressure moved up a level, until, in the final seconds after a series of battering runs, they won a maul five metres from the Stamford line. Ashley Morris scooped up and dived over in the blind side corner to give MK the win as the final whistle went. This was one hell of a game which put them through to the semis as pool winners.

Oundle 0 - 15 Milton Keynes

All MK's previous finals at Peterborough had been against Oundle, but this time it was to be a semi-final clash. From the Oundle kick-off Duffin caught the ball and set off like an express train down the right wing to open the scoring. Team work? One of Los Gallacticos was back with a vengeance! While Oundle looked shell shocked they slowly began to impose pressure. A long diagonal kick deep into MK territory resulted in MK abandoning their no kicking policy as Morris kicked to relieve the pressure. Sadly there followed a spate of rather silly kicking by both sides and mid field calm set in until Dennis made another break, setting up the try for Ezenagu, and more MK pressure saw Morris score their third just on the half time break.

The second half began with a series of MK drives into Oundle territory, particularly again from Dennis who was having a great game. After one of these he found an extra gap to touch down and put MK into the final against Spalding, winners against Kesteven in the other semi final. It was clear that Oundle had expected a much closer game, but MK were really firing now.

Spalding 0 - 10 Milton Keynes

The rematch began with Spalding sometimes running into gaps in the MK defence which had not been there earlier. But with Dennis again in the thick of things MK attacked down the left, a ruck formed, Anderson drove forward and Spalding were pinged for offside. From the ensuing penalty, Duffin passed to Morris who went over in the corner. Spalding responded strongly but determined tackling and solid defence saw MK through to half time with a deserved, if narrow, lead.

The second half was a very intense affair, little quarter being given by either side. MK's tackling was giving Spalding little to work with, but they applied pressure again with more intelligent kicking - something which marked them out from the other sides on the day. MK were always looking to counter attack, and a great pass to Lill saw the outside half bob and weave his way through the defence to increase MK's lead. Undetered, Spalding came back hard. MK defended gamely. One abiding memory was of Ffred Bollom kicking to clear his line and being quick enough to flatten the Spalding catcher. In attack this is praiseworthy. In defence perhaps he should have kicked further. But more Spalding pressure ensued, and the last play of the game, again after a good kick, saw them camped near the MK line until one final shove by what seemed the entire MK team put the ball into touch to secure the win.

So another Peterborough Shield, eight try scorers, thirteen tries, and not one conceded. The real strength of this side is its defence, and this requires the entire team to contribute. Congratulations to them all, our other Ben, Alex, Billy and Elliot, and to the new coaches who have lived up to what has become a bit of a tradition. The other tradition that beckons is the graveyard in Dunstable in two weeks time. Time for a change !!

Dunstablians 14 - 7 Milton Keynes

Who are we playing today, Mum?

Milton Keynes

Oh, the team with the nice coach

Thus a conversation between a Dunstable under 11s player and his Mum early on Sunday morning. Well, dear Reader, the nice coach has gone, and been replaced by something altogether more sinister, and so it was Geoff, Bob and Tine's team that took on the might of Dunstable on Sunday - one of, the best teams, if not the best, seen locally over the last few years.

On a balmy morning it was clear that the Duns had smartened up their catering with a brand new outdoors BBQ. The trenchant critique provided by our onetime culinary correspondent, Mrs Sue Baker, of their post match hot dogs had clearly hit the spot. Would the MK team do the same? A cracking game was in store.

In the past the Duns strength and ability to run through whatever defence MK tried to put up had always been MK's undoing. The coaches had worked on the defence and tackling, and so it was in the first half that no such easy breakthrough came. Both sides tried hard to make the break and both looked for gaps, but it was stalemate until the Duns won a lineout some metres short of the MK line. A very dubious short throw to a Duns prop - it was very uncertain whether he was in the line or not - and the ball went through the backs for a converted try in the right corner. MK came right back, and some great handling through Aaron Dennis, Ben Lill, Ashley Morris and Zachary Ezenagu took them deep into Duns territory. But when the breakdown came the MK scrum was not firing at all, and although MK were attacking at the half-time whistle, Dunstable were worthy half-time leaders.

In the second half the MK scrum was put under more pressure. With no Mad Dog Marchbank to hook the ball, possession was only really secured by big shoves - and the Duns were the masters of that. Kieran Duffin did his best to disrupt the Duns scrum half but MK were living off scraps going forward, and having to kick much more than the coaches would like to relieve the pressure. From a Duns interception of a wild Ezenagu pass only a last gasp grab and shove by Oliver Anderson saved the day. But further pressure resulted in another converted Duns try from a quick penalty on the edge of the MK twenty two. The referee had not allowed quick ones before and this caught MK unprepared. From the restart MK were determined to get back in the game. A knock-on on the Duns twenty two saw MK win a scrum at last, and scrum half Kieran Duffin forced his way through a sea of Duns backs. Ezenagu converted, and at the death MK were pushing hard for the chance to equalise. It was not to come, but never had MK held Dunstable to such a tight game before. A credit to the whole team.

Dunstablians 0 - 26 Milton Keynes

The gap between games was punctuated by some serious practice to firm up the MK scrum following astute analysis from the nice coach referred to earlier. None other, of course, than Stuart Morris, who was unaccountably asked to referee the second game. The Duns made big personnel changes while MK rested Ffred Bollom (pride and knee), Anderson (thigh strain) and Morris (uncomfortable new boots).

Despite the hard work in the gap, the first scrum collapsed, but thereafter both sides produced a game of much passion and drive.The Duns scrum was still in the ascendant but some nice work and carries by Dan Hunter and Billy Cook at the base gave MK some momentum. But try as they might MK could not prevent the Duns gaining territorial advantage, and it was only hawkeye-style refereeing, penalising a double movement in the touchdown, that prevented a first half lead for the Duns.

From the restart George Lill, making his debut at this level, caught the ball and ran a full twenty metres at the Duns, only to be stopped short. MK were beginning to open up and play a more expansive game. Gaps began to appear in the Duns defence. Again MK were going forward, but Dan Hunter and Ben Lill were penalised for crossing. But the NZ connection became unstoppable as George Lill broke tackle to glide through the Duns defence and open his try account, Ezenagu converting easily. At last, a lead over Dunstable! This began to inspire MK, and in particular Ezenagu who began a move on the half way line with a break and pass to Ben Lill, taken up by Dennis and Will Holiday, and then back to Ezenagu to touch down, Ben Lill converting. Ezenagu scored his second after another strong run by George Lill led to a maul from which Ezenagu jumped out like a boy possessed to score in the corner. Rob Friend just missed the conversion, but the game wasn't over yet. More personnel changes in the Duns failed to stop the MK tide, Eliot Ryan's mazy run stopped only by a Dunstable arm and a rearranged lower tooth. Ezenagu's ability to be in the right place at the right time was to be seen again at the end as he picked up a loose ball near the line and put the game beyond doubt, Ffred Bollom converting some five minutes after the final whistle went. An excellent second half to round off an excellent morning.

Plenty more games to come but all will look forward to renewing the battle with Dunstable at the Aylesbury Festival next April.

Aylesbury 5 - 17 Milton Keynes

"Why do we always draw with Aylesbury and beat Stockwood Park?"

Thus the conversation on the way to Luton on Sunday. On a cloudy, dull morning at Stockwood Park both MK and Aylesbury looked like they wanted to put an end to the four draw series since 2003. We noticed that the pitch had not been clearly marked out. Where exactly was the try line? But this seemed less of a problem as Kieran Duffin put MK ahead early on, finishing a fine passing move as the ball moved down the line from Ben Lill to Zachary Ezenagu and finally to Duffin who touched down in the corner, and then converted his own try. The second plus for MK was the scrum. With Mad Dog Marchbank back as hooker MK were winning the ball so much more than last week. And the running and passing, from Oliver Anderson, Robert Friend and Ezenagu looked so much better too. Aylesbury began to fight their way back into the game after some MK handling errors but the scrum was holding. Then came the shocker - one Aylesbury player picked up a loose ball and beat three tackles on a long run to draw the scores equal. The conversion was missed, and MK began to reestablish their superiority. Will Holiday came as close as he ever has to scoring so far in his come-back season and then the badly marked pitch took its toll as first Friend and then Lill failed to realise that all they had to do to score was fall over and land on the ball. Instead, and unaccountably in view of what was to come later, they looked to pass.

MK were looking the stronger side now, forcing scrums near the Aylesbury line on a number of occasions. Duffin had moved to scrum half and with his terrier-like ways it was no surprise when yet another quick heel led to a short burst and touch down. This time Ezenagu missed the conversion - something of a surprise in view of MK's 100% record this season. Aylesbury pressure from the restart saw a great 40 metre burst from Ffred Bollom come to nothing as support was missing. Again gradually, but with increasing momentum, MK forced their way towards the Aylesbury line and from the scrum Duffin passed to Lill to make the victory certain. The conversion by Bollom was missed again. They don't like dropping conversions. Where were the kicking tees? Nevertheless the stalemates with Aylesbury were consigned to the past. Now for the icing on the cake?

Stockwood Park 7 - 5 Milton Keynes

It should have been stroll in the park. But not in Stockwood Park on Sunday. The first half was so much MK pressure that a try had to come. But it didn't. A game and feisty lot, Stockwood, built like rugby teams of old. A big one here, a short one there, a lad who looked like he'd been found in McDonalds very late last night. But they would not give. The game looked at times more like the Eton Wall Game than a rugby match. Maul, ruck, scrum, maul. When the ball became available no- one would pick it up. Then just as Aaron Dennis thought he'd scored the referee whistled for a bad injury to a Stockwood player. Tough luck that. Needless to say the referee was none other than the ex-coach Stuart Morris, but he was showing proper concern for the injured player. MK found possession difficult to come by, and when the ball was secured no-one would pass it for fear of never seeing it again.

The second half saw more of the same, mostly MK pressure and then some relief for Stockwood as they knocked the ball out of MK hands.Then a little moment of magic. A Stockwood scrum on their own 5 metre line, the MK shove, the Mad Dog hook, and Lill at scrum half racing to touch down for the lead. Morris missed the conversion, again from a drop goal attempt. Straight from the off Stockwood attacked, pushed forward, wheeled round and scored in the left hand corner. Mk were dazed and amazed. And the little Stockwood outside half could drop a conversion too. With not long remaining MK pushed forward again. Lill was penalised for retaliation when he was tackled without the ball. A lesson there for the Kiwi!! At the death MK were attacking but a superb run from Ashley Morris was stopped just short and Friend was flattened as he tried to pick up and secure the victory. The whistle went (a little early some would say) and the well-deserved victory over Aylesbury was put in its context.

So it was off to the bar and a photo call with the World Cup, with an envious Kiwi coach looking a little bilious as the flash went off. A good morning's rugby yet again. Some ghosts buried. Others, appropriately as Hallow'een approached, coming out of their coffin. But the annual bunfight at Leighton Buzzard beckons in a fortnight. It doesn't get any better. Really, it doesn't.

Leighton Buzzard 14 - 28 Milton Keynes

The season is in full swing, England have beaten Australia again, and so it was entirely appropriate that this Sunday Milton Keynes under 11s found themselves at Leighton Buzzard. This fixture has history, and the sight of ex-coach Stuart Morris in the car park at Wrights Meadow did nothing but send the memories racing back to last season's unforgettable 3 red card epic. All three red card holders were in the starting line-ups. Would there be a re-run or would good behaviour, and good refereeing, break out?

Milton Keynes kicked off on a cold, dry morning and within minutes were ahead when Ben Lill was held up and from the resulting scrum Kieran Duffin passed to Zachary Ezenagu who forced his way over, Lill converting. It was unclear at this point whether the Buzzards had in fact turned up. It was all MK pressure from the restart and from a melee on the Buzzards' line Lill touched down and Ffred Bollom converted. Even now there was little from the Buzzards. MK's running was penetrative but they were not stringing the passes together. The half backs were not moving the ball out at all. But the Buzzards were still going backwards and Lill broke again from a rolling maul to put MK further ahead, Ezenagu converting. The MK mauling in this half was excellent. Not pretty, perhaps, but extremely effective. A pity, though, that the ball was not moved out more.

No personnel changes for the Buzzards at half time, but clearly a good talking-to from the coaches, and the second half saw a bit of a turn round. From the kick off Leighton Buzzard applied pressure to the MK line. Initially staunched, the Buzzards began taking different options, keeping possession and going different ways. MK held them up on the line, but Ezenagu was judged offside and poor MK tackling allowed the Buzzards a converted try. The Buzzards scrum had improved. Initially MK had won a lot of set piece possession but it was drying up. There was a lot of mid field push and shove, but the real dominance of the first half had gone. Ashley Morris was held up on the Buzzards' line, Oliver Anderson led a number of drives, but it took a typical Duffin diagonal run from the base of a scrum near the Buzzards' line to increase the MK lead. Robert Friend converted. From the restart Morris judged failed to gather near his own line, and the Buzzards were awarded a controversial touchdown. But MK had done quite enough to emerge convincing winners.

Leighton Buzzard 7 - 12 Milton Keynes

So far, then, last year's fireworks had not been repeated. But there was to be another match. A few personnel changes and off they went again. From the Buzzards' kick off Elliot Ryan gathered and made a powerful run into mid field, and MK forced themselves forward. From a scrum near the Buzzards' line Duffin was held up just short. Dan Hunter took a bad knock and went off. And there was some excellent clearing out at the ruck from Ezenagu and a powerful run from Billy Cook. It was good stuff. Then they started passing the ball down the line, but Ryan was forced into touch near the goal. From the line out a poor Buzzard put in saw Ezenagu, at his predatory best, pick up to score and then convert his own try. From the restart Anderson drove forward only to be stopped just short. And then - a high tackle on Ffred Bollom brought back memories of last year. A penalty - and Anderson was again held up over the Buzzards' line. MK pressure was telling and compelling as the half time whistle went.

The Buzzards' scrum was gaining momentum as the second half developed, and MK seemed to be tiring. The defence was still solid, and a poor kick from Leighton Buzzard led to a great burst from Lill and a definite scoring chance when Aaron Dennis was held up over the line. More mid field stuff, a rolling maul, a Morris steal and drive, touch, scrum, a huge heave, ball in scrum half Morris's hands and a touch down in the corner. Lovely. But Morris was so excited he missed the conversion. More hard graft from both sides followed, and at the death the Buzzards' pressure was rewarded with a converted try though many thought this was held up too.

So no repeat of last year's shenanigans, but a solid performance, if a bit ugly at times. Rugby is a handling game, and a little more handling and passing would be welcome.

Milton Keynes 10 - 14 Olney

Perennial slow starters, Milton Keynes under 11s lost their 13 month unbeaten home record at Field Lane on a cold and cloudy Sunday to a determined Olney side. The visitors' free-flowing style contrasted markedly with the more English steamroller approach of MK, but it was their tactical kicking that brought their first try as Louis Rutter failed to gather a tricky kick and Olney scored a converted try in the right hand corner. MK were unable to secure much possession at this stage, and could string little together when they did. Olney, comfortably beaten last season, fought hard in the midfield, and looked far more dangerous throughout the first half. The MK scrum was solid but when the ball came to the backs there was no flow, and some of the attempts to move the ball were little short of inept.

Early in the second half Olney scored a lovely converted try, the ball moving sweetly down the line through five passes. Again the MK backs were not doing justice to the ball gathering of the forwards. Slowly, very slowly, the power up front began to assert itself, Ashley Morris in particular moving forward strongly at every opportunity. Propelled by Ben Ledingham and Oliver Anderson, he reduced the deficit after a 1960s style pile-up moved slowly over the Olney line. Despite the auspices of International fast track referee Stuart Morris, who had a surprisingly good game behind the whistle, Olney probably illegally at this age charged Zachary Ezenagu's attempted kick, and Morris's try went unconverted.

Milton Keynes had at last woken up to the challenge, with the forwards again playing the bigger role and the backs trying desperately to string something together. Olney's relieving kicking was working well as forward pressure from MK was regularly dissipated, until, that was, Ezenagu pounced on a loose ball and characteristically haired down the right wing through three tackles to score in the corner. Though Olney were this time prevented from charging the conversion, Robert Friend kicked wide. The last few minutes saw more MK pressure, but Olney held on for a deserved win. In this game MK just could not string it together. When I say that the highlight of the game was referee Morris telling one Olney parent "I referee, you spectate, and if you don't like it go and sit in the @**%& clubhouse" you will get some idea of the general frustration. This was a particularly disappointing game. Individually there were some strong performances. Collectively the team failed to turn up, kickers included.

Milton Keynes 38 - 0 Slough

At first the second game, against first-time visitors Slough, looked like it was to be more of the same. A four-girl back line had narrowly lost 14 - 7 to Olney's second team, and there was much heavy midfield stuff before Ffred Bollom was denied a try for a double movement. Slowly the MK scrum again achieved dominance, and from a Slough put in, the shove gave Morris a clear pass to Kieran Duffin who touched down neatly. John Marchbank converted. MK failed to take advantage of a number of penalties conceded by an overenthusiastic Slough side, the lengthy debates about what to do with the ball allowing Slough to cover every eventuality. However forward dominance was growing, and it looked now that MK had finally woken, breakfasted, and turned up. The steamroller propelled Ffred Bollom forward to reprise his April 2004 Nottingham Festival backwards touchdown, Ezenagu converting. Again it was not pretty, but it was becoming more effective.

The second half began with a powerful run by Dan Hunter coming to nothing, smothered by the Slough forwards. MK were moving now. A fast pass from Morris to Bollom after a well shoved scrum increased the lead but Duffin missed the kick. As if to make amends, from the restart Duffin gathered and ran through the by now tired Slough defence to further increase the lead. This time Robert Friend kicked successfully. Slough began to fall apart and at last MK scored a try that parents had come to see, the ball moving down the line for left wing Louis Rutter to score. Bollom missed the conversion. Then, after a typical Oliver Anderson charge, Morris picked up and scored and Marchbank converted.

Too late. Too late. What was needed was another game with Olney to see if MK really had arrived. But it was way past 12-o-clock, it was cold, and the bar was open.

Kettering 7 - 61 Milton Keynes

With Geoff Lill on the piste in Austria and Tine Marchbank suffering a bad migraine it was up to young Bobby Dennis to coach Milton Keynes under 11s in their first visit to Kettering on Sunday. They were somewhat surprised to discover they were first pitched up against Kettering's Development Squad, but with a 33 - 0 half time lead it was clear that MK were taking no prisoners. A series of half time Kettering changes made no difference as MK ran riot.

On a dull and cloudy morning the blue touchpaper was first set alight by Zachary Ezenagu, following powerful runs by Aaron Dennis and Robert Friend, who converted his own try. Then Elliot Ryan scored his second try for the club, spinning out of a rolling maul, Ezenagu again converting. MK were playing their natural game - hard tackling, strong defence, powerful surges - and their forwards were winning a great deal of possession, and it began to dawn on them that in these circumstances they could explore that somewhat dark and hidden aspect of their rugby - passing. It took Robert Friend a little while to consider this possibility as he broke from the base of the scrum to touch down and convert his own try, but the next time the ball emerged from MKs powerful scrum he passed - and Ezenagu ran a full 40 metres to score, this time John Marchbank converting. At this stage Kettering were still game but all the creativity was coming from MK. Every gap, every space was there to be exploited. Friend kicked audaciously from just inside the Kettering half, and chased it all the way to the line, only to twist his knee badly in the process. Kettering managed to bundle it into touch but from the line-out Oliver Anderson grabbed the ball and powered over the line. This time Marchbank missed the kick.

With the half-time substitutions Kettering's Development team began to look a little more developed and started to offer something of a game to MK. Ezenagu and Ffred Bollom were beautifully sidestepped by the left winger to open their account and we began to think that something could be up. It took MK a little time to recover their composure, but recover it they did in the way they know best. Ezenagu was held up on the line, Dennis was held up, Anderson was held up. Then - another scrum, and Dennis took the blind side option, this time to score. Marchbank converted. Then the passing took off. Near the MK line Dennis passed to Ezenagu who threw it out wide to Bollom who took it at speed from full back and ran seemingly effortlessly the length of the field to touch down . Ezenagu converted, and then as if to rub in his superiority he caught the restart kick and ran straight through the Kettering defence to complete his hat trick, Kieran Duffin converting. To round it all off Billy Cook emerged from a moving maul to score his well deserved debut try for the club, and that man again Zachary Ezenagu - converted to complete a terrific display by him and the whole team.

South Leicestershire 0 - 21 Milton Keynes

The other visitors to Kettering were South Leicestershire, a club MK had never faced previously, and who had gone down to a thumping 49 - 0 defeat to Kettering's fully developed team earlier on. To their credit, and after a short break, they took on MK in a shortened game. MK carried on where they had left off against Kettering, Ezenagu being held up on the line after another of his powerful surges. From the ensuing scrum Kieran Duffin at scrum half took the blind side option to post MK's first try, Ezenagu converting. Further powerful running by Anderson and Dennis threatened more MK scores but South Leicestershire held on. They had a tendency to kick away any possession they were getting, and the MK forwards were not giving them very much at all.

The second half began with some neat passing between Duffin, Alex Jay and Daniel Hunter, but they were stopped short. From the South Leics scrum an almighty shove by the MK pack gave Duffin the space to tear down the blind side to increase the lead. Ezenagu converted. South Leics had a number of line out calls which could perhaps have bamboozled the MK forwards except for the fact that "One, two, China" unerringly saw the ball end up in Dennis' or Andersons' hands. Perhaps our boys' geography was better than theirs. Thanks for that, South Leics. The rest of this shortened game saw more MK pressure, the final try of the day summing up all MKs qualities on the day. Pressure, maul, scrum, huge shove, ball in Duffin's hands, fast pass to guess who? Yes, Ezenagu, and he clattered through the remnants of the South Leics defence. Oh, and John Marchbank converted.

Many, many positives to take from the day. Some great individual performances by a number of players, but so much of it based on the hard work done in the engine room. The pack should be very proud of themselves.

Milton Keynes 33 - 0 Buckingham

On a cold and cloudy morning the Italian and Welsh parents watching the Milton Keynes/Buckingham matches on Sunday at Field Lane were hoping they could put the refereeing nightmares of Saturday at Landsdown Road and Twickenham behind them. And for the first game they could, as MK faced a competitive Buckingham side who were happy to throw the ball around from the off. MK's coaches had demanded an early show, mindful of their side's traditional slow start. And well this paid off as they made Buckingham realise early on that passing rarely gets past a brick wall. Though Buckingham tried the pretty stuff the MK defence was immense, with nothing given. Straight in the face, all the time. Only one team was going to score and it came, not surprisingly, when Ffred Bollom was propelled out of a rolling maul, passed to Ben Lill who sent Elliot Ryan over in the corner. Zachary Ezenagu converted. MK pressure and territory was overwhelming at this point, with Buckingham reduced to clearing kicks only for the pressure to develop again and it was no surprise again when Oliver Anderson emerged from another moving maul after a line out to pass to Ezenagu who forced his way over, Ben Lill converting. Despite their best efforts Buckingham could not penetrate the MK line. For all their attempts to pass out of trouble, MK were instantly up them. They could not gain ground at all. Another Buckingham line out near their own line, untidy ball, Anderson pounces and more points on the board, this time a rare miss by Rob Friend leaving the try unconverted.

With all the possession and territory they were achieving, in the second half it was really a question of how many for MK. Buckingham were still willing to try to run their way out of trouble, but the trouble was getting closer and closer to their own line. MK were really pumped, and the measure of their confidence was the intelligent passing in the tackle. George Lill was taking every opportunity to push forward, and Billy Cook was everywhere. When Buckingham were pinged for a penalty in their own half, Lill took the quick option and threw a long one to Glyn Lewis and the little Welshman made the necessary eight yards to score his debut try for the club, Ffred Bollom converting. By now MK were simply oozing confidence, giving nothing and beginning to throw the ball around with impunity. George Lill had a try disallowed but when Aaron Dennis broke from a maul and passed to him Lill made no mistake. Ezenagu converted and brought a thoroughly positive performance to an end.

Milton Keynes 7 - 7 Buckingham

How much do referees influence games? A difficult question, but some insight was afforded the spectators during the second game of the morning. It was clear that Buckingham had not expected such a comprehensive drubbing in the first match and some sort of action had to be taken. Their players had performed commendably but MK were too fast and too fierce for them. So what action could be taken? How about a change of refereeing style? Let's see. Again Buckingham were happy to pass their way out of trouble but again they came up against the MK wall. The game became a litany of maul after maul, push after push, scrum after scrum and then the referee decided that there must be some hanky panky going on somewhere and that MK were responsible for it. First of all there were "off the ball incidents", all committed by MK, then Ashley Morris on his comeback was red carded for "persistently pulling down mauls". Penalty after penalty was awarded to Buckingham for a variety of offences, ranging from a genuine offside to good old fashioned argy bargy in the line out. The MK coach was called on to the field for a talking-to and the entire MK team were told not to behave like thugs. Half time arrived with no score, a blessed relief from some notably difficult to follow refereeing. Messrs Pearson and Honiss would have loved it.

The second half began with all 24 players and the MK coach receiving another lecture on behaviour from the referee, and it took Ben Lill to remind us why we were all there with a steaming run down the left to score in the corner. But no. A foot in touch apparently. No try. More penalties against MK followed before Ezenagu pounced on a loose ball from a ruck and scored under the posts, Bollom converting. In the face of such difficult officialdom both sides were to be commended for continuing to try to play rugby, and Buckingham got their reward when Ezenagu lost possession just in his own half and the Buckingham wing picked up and ran a full thirty yards to touch down. The try was converted and it came as a surprise to nobody as the referee immediately whistled to indicate the end of the match.

Definitely a morning of two halves. We parents didn't know whether to laugh or be offended by the apparent notion that we were harbouring such a bunch of thugs and off the ball specialists.

Luton 0 - 19 Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Under-11's travelled to Luton RFC expecting to take on both Luton and Hemel Hempstead. Hemel failed to turn up so MK faced two games against Luton on a cold, wet and muddy morning.

Luton's secret weapon was soon revealed in the shape of Brandon Lewsey, who stood a foot taller than all the other players, a fact which clearly disturbed some of the MK team.

MK won the toss and elected to kick. Luton showed their intent with some good passing but were unable to break through the MK line. Milton Keynes showed that they could pass too and the crowd could see that this was going to be a close, hard fought match.

A series of line outs and scrums, with some good bursts from Ashley Morris, Zach Ezenagu and Elliott Ryan saw MK moving towards the Luton line but they were moved back by some good kicking from Lewsey.

Some robust play from Lewsey was upsetting some of the smaller MK players but they used their anger positively and one thumping tackle from Ryan on the Luton Giant had the crowd applauding.

Luton kicked off to begin the second half, the ball was caught by George Lill and his run, and a good drive from the forwards, took the ball to within 10 yards of the Luton line. Luton managed to strip the ball but a loose pass was intercepted by Full Back Ffred Bollom and he dived over to open the scoring. The conversion from Ben Lill was good.

Luton kicked off, the ball was caught by Ezenagu and good runs from him and Ben Lill took the ball into Luton territory. A series of scrums and Lineouts, plus a good run from Morris, moved the ball to the Luton 5 yard line. From a scrum, Luton attempted to kick downfield but only managed to kick the ball about 10 yards where it was caught by Ezenagu, who ran in to score in the corner. Unfortunately he failed to convert his own try.

From the kick off the ball was moved swiftly downfield with some good running from Ezenagu and Morris, who was bundled into touch on the Luton 5 yard line. From the throw in the ball went to ground and Oliver Anderson picked up and dived over, however the try was disallowed for a knock on. MK won the resultant scrum and the ball was fed to Robert Friend who ran across field to touch down in the corner. The conversion by Bollom was good.

From the kick off the ball was moved back into the Luton half by some strong running from Morris and some good passing amongst the backs, however, MK conceded a penalty and the ball was fed to Lewsey who set off down the sidelines with half of Milton Keynes on his tail. He was eventually gang tackled just short of the MK line and the referee blew for time. It was another solid performance from MK with some excellent tackling, not least from Hooker John Marchbank.

Luton 7 - 21 Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes kicked to start the second game and a series of exchanges ended with Luton winning a line out in the MK half. The ball was won by Anderson and he fed the ball to Kieran Duffin who ran hard down the sideline before being tackled, from the ruck the ball was picked up by Ryan and he drove downfield, ably assisted by the MK forwards, before they were stopped just short. From the ruck Ezenagu retrieved the ball and dived over for his second try of the day. The kick by Friend was good.

Luton now made a determined effort to get back into the game and were threatening the MK tryline, but some great defence kept them out and from a ruck the ball was stripped by Ezenagu who ran 40 yards before being tackled. Luton again responded well and Lewsey had his own 40 yard run down the sideline before being put into touch about two yards short of the tryline. Luton won the throw and from the resultant maul a Luton player peeled off and dived over for the try. The conversion was good and the Referee signalled half Time.

Luton kicked off the second half and a great run from Glyn Lewis took the ball into Luton territory. Billy Cook peeled off from the resultant maul and showed great strength in running 20 yards downfield with three Luton Players hanging off of him, he was eventually brought down just a couple of yards shy of the tryline and from the resulting ruck Duffin picked up the ball and dived over for the try. George Lill made the conversion.

From the kick off, a Luton player kicked a loose ball and MK were awarded a penalty. Ben Lill took it quickly and ran to within 10 yards of the Luton line where MK were awarded another penalty. However, in the resulting maul, a Luton player was tackled off the ball and MK appeared to lose the advantage. Luton Kicked downfield, the ball was caught by George Lill and he kicked it back. Ezenagu recovered and was tackled on the 5 yard line. From the ruck that followed Glyn lewis squeezed through to put the ball over the line and after some debate the try was awarded. The conversion from Morris was good.

The game ended with Milton Keynes applying more pressure after good runs from both Lills, Ezenagu, Friend and Big Ben Ledingham who found himself with the ball in amongst the backs and half the field in front of him ... wisely, he chose to pass.

Witney 0 - 10 Milton Keynes

It is a truth increasingly acknowledged that when Milton Keynes under 11s travel east they do extremely well, and when they travel west it is much harder, and further proof came this Sunday as they played two terrific games, against Witney and Bicester. On a cold, dry morning in Bicester Team manager Bruce Anderson confirmed that Zachary Ezenagu had passed a late fitness test on his injured finger, and the game against Witney began on a big, wide, and well grassed pitch.

The first five minutes saw the whistle blown nine times but the referee eventually got the measure of the teams (or perhaps vice versa) and a hard, competitive and absorbing match was underway. Both sides were clearly intent on as open a game as possible, but when it became tight Witney were quicker at clearing out the rucks. MK held on to the ball too long and were getting pinged in possession. But when MK pressure began to tell and Witney would kick forward to relieve territory MK did not capitalise because (usually) a back would not take possession as if waiting for a forward to arrive. There was a bit of standing around going on. But the forwards were increasingly pushing into Witney territory, and when a ruck ten yards from the line was cleared out almost single-handedly by Ezenagu, Kieran Duffin was at scrum half to post the first score. Ben Lill hit the bar with the conversion. With minutes to half time Ezenagu broke from a maul, crashed through two tackles and looked certain to score until the ball fell from his hands as he went to touch down.

The coaches had asked for more controlled aggression at half time and MK responded with a flowing back line move which ended with Louis Rutter being bundled into touch some eight yards short. They nearly scored again when after Witney incurred a double penalty (wrong side and then not retreating) Duffin passed to Ashley Morris and to Ffred Bollom who unconscionably cut back inside when his speed would certainly have made it into the corner. As it was the ball was held up, and the scare for Witney was over. Then, unaccountably, a number of players seemed to go walkabout as first Witney evaded a tackle in midfield and then outpaced the chasing MK players to score in the right corner. This was converted, and with little time left MK had to respond quickly. Another scrum, shove, quick possession for Duffin who threw a long pass to Ashley Morris and at last with some width he forced himself over the line. Unaccountably, again, Ezenagu missed the conversion but seconds later the game was won as Bollom relievedly punted the ball into touch - shades of France and Wales last season.

Bicester 0 - 0 Milton Keynes

With just a short break it was time for the second match, against Bicester. The hosts signalled early that they were prepared to throw the ball around and MK replied in kind, but handling mistakes plagued both sides, and when the ball was passed down the line both sides lacked penetration. The tackling was sound, but the tendency was sometimes to pass well before the tackle so defences remained unbreached. At other times the ball was carried too long. Ezenagu at least tried to take the ball at pace on occasions. Captain Oliver Anderson seemed to appreciate the need for change as he drove hard through the Bicester defence supported by Ben Ledingham, but too often MK arrived too late at the breakdown to recycle the ball or even retain possession. Elliot Ryan was literally carried off after trying to break through, replaced by the brave Aaron Dennis who himself had been injured against Witney. Duffin continued to probe behind the scrum and it began to look like a game of chess as Bicester were often repulsed by Will Holliday and the Lill brothers who themselves were turned back by Bicester. At half time then - stalemate.

If the second half had been decided on points - boxing rather than rugby points - MK would have shaded it. Bicester were penalised for a high tackle on Ben Lill and Morris was stopped just short. MK won a Bicester scrum and Duffin was held up on the line. The MK scrum was gaining dominance with John Marchbank's hooking beginning to tell. But Bicester would break, on one occasion being bundled into touch only by the Herculian efforts of Billy Cook, aided by Bollom. Bicester were penalised for squeeze ball (don't ask) and Anderson charged again, but the defence was solid. The endgame was as unremitting as the earlier play, and when the final whistle went both sides had acquitted themselves wonderfully well. A nil - nil draw at any age level is rarely as entertaining as this.

A great morning's rugby. Three good sides, all committed to in your face rugby. No charges of violent play, just powerful, aggressive and in many cases skilful endeavour. A pleasure to watch. With only three training sessions to the first of the Spring Festivals, it promises to be an intriguing couple of months for players, coaches and parents alike.

Buckingham 0 - 0 Milton Keynes

MK began their Pool matches with a 0 - 0 draw against Buckingham, a game they really should have won. Despite exerting great pressure on the Buckingham line MK were undone by strong relieving kicks by the Buckingham backs and by their own tendency to delay the offload until it was too late. Time and again they were drawn into mauls of their own making when a decisive pass would have broken the line and enabled a score. Despite powerful runs by, amongst others, Zachary Ezenagu, John Marchbank, Oliver Anderson and Ffred Bollom, the final pass never came. The best chance came when Marchbank threw a long line-out ball and Glyn Lewis marginally knocked on when in space.

Boys Brigade Old Boys 0 - 15 Milton Keynes

The Warriors were keen to get some points on the board and were soon pressuring the BBOB line. A scrum saw the ball moved out to Zach Ezanugu but his run was stopped just short. The resulting scrum was won by MK and Fly Half Ben Lill crossed the tryline before very generously passing to Robert Friend to touchdown for the opening try. More MK pressure came from the kick off and they soon moved down to within 10 yards of the opposition line. An altercation between Ffred Bollom and the very large BBOB prop saw both boys given a stern talking to by the Referee.Within moments, a penalty to MK and the ball was in the hands of Aaron Dennis who touched down to make the score 10-0 at half time.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with MK having most of the ball. A series of scrums followed and from one of them BBOB dropped the ball, it was quickly scooped up by Bollom who ran in for the try.

Olney B 5 - 5 Milton Keynes

The last game in this Pool saw MK looking for the win which would see them top the group. They had most of the possession and tried to play attractive rugby, the ball moving sweetly down the back line but again forward progress was difficult. They were on the attack straight from the Kick Off as Ezenagu booted the ball down to the Olney one yard line and charged downfield to make the tackle himself, a tremendous effort. MK failed to make it count though and Olney managed to clear their lines, kicking the ball deep into MK territory. Some great running from Ezenagu and Ashley Morris moved the ball back downfield to within a yard of the Olney line. Olney defended stoutly, Morris crossed the line but was held up and the Referee signalled the half.

The second half started with more MK pressure. Ezenagu thought he had scored but the referee decided he had made a double movement. An Olney lineout was deemed to be not straight and MK chose the scrum, it was a good choice as the ball was moved out to Ezenagu who passed quickly to Lewis and the little winger forced his way over for the try. That was it. Pool winners? But no. Olney attacked down the left, were awarded a penalty and moments of confusion (amongst spectators, players and - dare I say it - referee alike) saw Olney awarded a last minute try.

MK now had an agonising wait before finding out that they would go through as the best runner up from the three pools. The jury deliberated and MK were rewarded with a semi-final against the much fancied Old Northamptonians, the highest scoring team of the day in their Pool.

Old Northamptonians 0 - 0 Milton Keynes

The Warriors were missing key players, but this was always going to be a tough one. Oliver Anderson gave a rousing team talk urging the team to grasp the opportunity they had been given.

MK applied the early pressure, but a good kick downfield saw the tables turned and it was MK's turn to show the dogged defence that is their trademark. Bollom limped off and there followed a long delay as fly half Lill lay prone after a high tackle and had to be tended to by the Ambulance services. From the restart ON's showed good strength in the scrum and the sort of passing skills that MK are aiming for, but they still could not breach the MK line. Early MK pressure gave way to staunch defence as ONs pushed (and in two cases punched) their way into the MK half.

The second half saw a wonderful series of passing moves by ON's as the ball moved backwards and forwards across the field and with the help of a penalty they moved to within 5 yards of the MK line. Once again they were repelled and the ball was out for an ON's lineout with just a minute or so to go. ON's won the lineout and again passed the ball swiftly down the line to the winger who crashed in to a brick wall called Billy Cook and the ball disappeared into a maul. Shortly after the referee blew for time. MK were rarely out of their own half in the second period, but heroic work by Dennis, Ben Ledingham, Daniel Hunter, Ashley Morris, Oliver Anderson, Will Holliday and Billy Cook prevented ONs from breaching the MK line. The MK scrum performed wonderfully well, denying ONs the ball they wanted time and time again.

So where now? Extra time? The referee had no idea so the coaches hared off to the control tent to discover that these things would be decided on tries scored in the Pool matches. ONs had scored 15, MK had scored 4. No contest then, and ONs went on to beat Olney A in the final. Well done to them. MK were left to think about Ben Lill, who we are assured is OK, and a day of no defeats, but no final either.

Some of the MK players were visibly distressed by the ordeal, but they should be very proud of the way they played, the team was depleted, but the rest of the squad stepped in and raised their game.

Tring 7 - 0 Milton Keynes

By their own standards Milton Keynes under 11s had an ordinary day at the Tring Festival on Sunday, failing narrowly to qualify for either the Shield or the Plate finals. On a sunny morning they played their first game against the hosts on a sloping pitch which would have an affect on the day's play. MK's usual slow start allowed Tring to set the pace, interspersed with the usual penetrating runs by Zachary Ezenagu and Kieran Duffin. It became clear early on that the forwards were missing the experience of hooker John Marchbank who was apparently appearing in a choir at the Albert Hall (and he, an Englishman !!). Tring were winning all the scrums and most of the rucks where the MK forwards spent too much time trying to pick the ball up rather than clearing Tring out. MK were living on scraps of possession, playing uphill, and keeping Tring out only by their usual hard tackling.

The second half saw more Tring pressure and some lovely passing, with MK still trying to secure more ball. Eventually they fell behind to a quick penalty as the home side forced their way over in the corner. Try as they did, MK could not secure enough ball to challenge the Tring line. Ffred Bollom charged through with a tap penalty, but at the whistle Tring - the eventual joint cup winners - were still pushing forward.

Bicester B 0 - 35 Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes' second game was against Bicester B. The Warriors found the scoring touch that had been missing in the first game and good line out play from Oliver Anderson and a fine run from Ben Lill moved the ball to within 5 yards of the Bicester line. A scrum led to a Milton Keynes penalty which was taken quickly and Ashley Morris dived over for the try. The conversion from Lill was good. More MK pressure and an excellent passing move saw the ball in the hands of Jake Phillips who sprinted to the corner for his first try for the club. Ffred Bollom kicked the conversion to make the score at half time, Milton Keynes 14-0 Bicester B.

There was more of the same in the second half as another MK penalty was quickly taken and Zach Ezenagu ran through some poor tackling for another score which Morris converted. The Bicester kick off was caught by Ezenagu who set off on another of his mazy runs before being forced into touch on the Bicester 5 yard line. The Bicester throw was deemed illegal and from the resulting scrum the ball was fed to Bollom who went over for another score, Kieran Duffin converting. It was all Milton Keynes now and they were throwing the ball around with abandon, Ezenagu found himself with the ball just feet from the Bicester line, he could have scored easily but passed unselfishly to Lill who passed Glyn Lewis and he touched down for the final try of the match. Lill converted and the referee signalled the end of the match. Final score Milton Keynes 35-0 Bicester B.

Leodesians 7 - 17 Milton Keynes

Next MK faced Leodesians, a team from Yorkshire, and they continued where they left off attacking Leo's from the off. A fine goal-line tackle by Morris dislodged the ball from a Leos' hand, Bollom was quickest to react and pounced on the ball for the try, Lill converting. The game was evenly contested and some fine tackling by both sides, in particular Alex Jay meant no further scores in the half.

Leo's kicked off the second half, the ball was caught by Duffin deep in his own half and his powerful running saw him stepping out of at least three attempted tackles as he careered down the right wing for a try, a tremendous effort. Morris' conversion attempt hit the underside of the bar.

MK suddenly went off the boil and it was Leos' turn to apply pressure and as MK tried to pass their way out of trouble the ball was dropped and a Leos players picked up and ran in for the score, which was duly converted. Then they gave away two needless penalties, putting themselves under pressure and allowing Leos to demonstrate their good handling skills.

MK continued with the passing game and moved the ball down to Leos 5 yard line where they were awarded a penalty, the ball was passed to Morris and as so often has happened in these short games, he ran in for the try thus releiving the self induced pressure. Elliott Ryan converted.

Chinnor 12 - 0 Milton Keynes

Warriors next faced unbeaten Chinnor. In previous games they had looked to be a very good side and they soon had MK under pressure. MK tried to run and pass their way away from their own try line, but a loose pass was pounced upon by Chinnor for a try, the conversion was missed. More Chinnor pressure saw MK at their defensive best with some tremendous tackling from Aaron Dennis, Oliver Anderson, Ashley Morris and Billy Cook, but they couldn't stem the tide and some fine passing from Chinnor saw them eventually break through for their second try, this time the conversion was made and the score at half time was Milton Keynes 0-12 Chinnor.

The Warriors were still very much in this game with the benefit of the gradient and their not inconsiderable skill and tried hard to pull back the deficit. Both sides were attacking, but both defences stood firm. An MK penalty in the Chinnor half saw a strong run from Morris ended by a high tackle, the Referee hadn't noticed it and the game continued until the crowd, the MK and Chinnor coaches brought it to his attention. The injury was serious and for the second festival in a row an MK player was off to hospital for precautionary X rays. Thankfully, no harm done. It was obvious that there would be a long delay so the referee abandoned the game, score line standing, with around 4 minutes remaining.

Old Albanians 0 - 7 Milton Keynes

There was a long delay before MK's final game against one of the pre-tournament favourites and possible Nottingham opponents. It was a test of character. Would their hearts be in it?, The Warriors were playing for pride and for their injured teammate and though they were clearly tired they put in another fine performance. A good passing move saw the ball arrive in the hands of Phillips who was caught just short of the OA's line. MK piled on the pressure and Bollom, caught on the OAs line on his back, did his now customary trick of of touching the ball down over his own head to give MK the lead, and converted his own try.

From the kickoff Duffin again caught the ball and went off on one of his runs but this time he was stopped after twenty yards. Some excellent tackling by Daniel Hunter, Alex Jay, Oliver Anderson and Aaron Dennis was providing plenty of ball, but MK could not score again. MK again showed their willingness to move the ball through the backs and Phillips was forced in to touch just short of the line.

The second half continued in the same vein with both sides looking to pass, but neither being able to break through. There was some good tackling from Phillips and Duffin and some hard running from the backs. MK held firm and a relieved Ezenagu punted the ball into touch to signal the end of the game. The boys had done very well to win this game after the enforced delay of nearly an hour due to Morris's injury.

Three out of five ain't bad, as they say, but it has been two years since this group of boys lost two games in one day. There were positives - heart, defence, Ashley being well again, a healthy points difference, six different try scorers and some high class individual performances. If not for a slow start they could well have been competing for a trophy. But lessons of winning, keeping and using possession will need some work as preparations for Nottingham continue. Skipper Anderson, interviewed at the end of the day, and thunder-faced, said that the words "focus" and "prepared" readily came to mind.

Milton Keynes 73 - 0 Towcester

We knew that skipper Oliver Anderson had an injured ankle and wouldn't play. We knew that his father, Bruce, had flown first class to New York to avoid some Watford parents. We knew Zachary Ezenagu had had a hairdo that would make Rio Ferdinand blush. We knew we wanted stern tests from Towcester and Watford prior to the Nottingham Festival at Easter. But we didn't know Towcester would send a development squad to play Milton Keynes U11's on Sunday.

It was a sunny, blustery, spring morning that welcomed the kick off. Things started badly for Towcester when it sailed straight into touch. MK opted for the scrum, which they won and they drove towards the Towcester line only for Ashley Morris to drop the ball. MK won the resulting scrum and a pass from the base by Kieran Duffin to Ben Lill was passed quickly to Ffred Bollom and he touched down for the opening score after just four minutes. Zach Ezenagu converted to make the score 7-0.

MK settled down to some enterprising rugby. The coaching emphasis on passing skills had been taken on board and MK were throwing the ball about on occasions a bit like a hot potato. The scrum was solid, possession was not a problem, and it began to dawn on us that the Tows were not making any real impression on the game. Big Ben Ledingham peeled off from one maul and instigated a passing move which led to Ezenagu bursting through the line to score a classic gallactico try, which he promptly converted.

The Tows were penalised for a high tackle by the referee, who clearly wanted to stamp her authority on the game early, and from the tap penalty the ball moved sweetly down the line from Lill to Aaron Dennis to Elliot Ryan who went over in the corner, Ezenagu again converting. The restart kick went directly into touch again and when Dennis emerged from the rolling maul that followed the restart scrum to touch down it was clear that this was not the test MK had wanted. Ezenagu converted, and then some neat passing saw Duffin go on another trademark tackle busting run from halfway for a big half time lead, Bollom adding another two points.

The second half was more of the same. Ezenagu showed his strength when he squeezed out of a non-tackle to score, and Bollom converted. The Tows were not making their tackles and MK were revelling in the space this gave them.

The backs were still passing freely, but the forwards wanted some of the action. First Billy Cook broke from a maul and drove towards the Towcester line, he was held up, but Ledingham came in, picked up the ball and dived over for his first try for the club, a feat which earned the biggest cheer of the day. Bollom converted.

The forwards hadn't finished yet, though. A series of mauls took the ball to the Towcester 5 yard line, Towcester tried to clear but the kick was blocked and ended up in the hands of Will Holliday, he passed to Cook who ran in for the try. Robert Friend converted.

The game went through a scrappy phase as Towcester were awarded 3 penalties in a row, but were unable to clear their lines, they tried to pass their way out of trouble, but dropped the ball, Bollom was quickest to react and he picked up and dived over for another try. Friend converted.

There were further tries for Bollom and Glyn lewis, who's tackling had been outstanding, but the conversion attempts of Friend and Daniel Hunter were both missed.

So a record breaking performance from the Warriors and good evidence that the passing game is coming together. The forwards were totally dominant and this allowed the backs to express themselves. All credit to the Tows who never let their heads fall, but in truth it was something of a relief when the curtain fell.

Milton Keynes 28 - 0 Watford

The second game was against Watford with Ben Lill changing sides to make up the Watford numbers. Referee Morris abandoned the toin coss for his trade mark arm wrestle which Morris Jnr won and elected to kick. Watford collected, but fumbled a pass and from the resulting scrum Glyn Lewis tore through untouched for the try, Bollom converting.

A series of scrums followed the kick off and the Referee had to have a word with the two Hookers who were merrily kicking lumps out of each other. MK worked the ball down to the 5 yard line and Lewis repeated his earlier feat and went in for the try. Bollom converting

MK tried the passing game and at times the ball flew sweetly. Fast hands do require considerable skill so the occasional knock on was no surprise, but when it worked it worked well. MK could have had another just before half time, a good passing move saw the ball in the hands of Ezenagu, but he dropped the ball over the line.

In the second half fast hands were tried again but with some personnel changes there were a few more mistakes this time. MK needed some good tackling from Lewis, Friend, Elliott Ryan and Morris to keep Watford out. But MK gradually gained the upper hand once more, they drove the ball steadily towards the Watford line and Ezenagu went in for the Warriors 100th try of the season. Morris' conversion was good.

From the kick off a series of mauls, good runs from Cook and Duffin and some good passing through the backs led to Lewis going over for his Hat-trick, Ryan's kick was good

Two pretty comprehensive wins then, and a morning when the team tried its hand more than usual at the open, handling game. Success in this was mixed. A few overlaps went unnoticed and at times the difference between the offload and a mere pass would have secured a reward. Ideally the passing game would lead to defence splitting penetration and of course this was not always the case, but efforts were made and praise should be given. Not the ideal preparation for Nottingham we had wanted but with Anderson expected to recover in the next week we can set off with a song in our hearts.

Most Improved Player: Robert Friend Best Tackler: Elliot Ryan Player Of The Day: Ben Ledingham

Old Northamptoniams 5 - 0 Milton Keynes

On a balmy sunny morning MK Warriors (U11s) set off on their quest for Team Manager Bruce Anderson's dream - a final at Twickenham - in the first game against local rivals Old Northamptonians with whom they had battled out a draw at the Old Scouts Festival a few weeks earlier.

This column has often bemoaned the traditional slow start and once again it had to be endured.

The game started off in a similar vein to the previous encountr with ON's having most of the possession, but meeting determined resistance from the Warriors. The rucks and mauls were set up, but where was the ball? Early Spring it might be, but the ball was still hibernating. Recycling is clearly not just a problem for Milton Keynes Council. ON's were dominating the rucks with MK losing possession too many times, it was from one of theses rucks that ON's found themselves with a 3 man overlap and went in for the try.

Good tackling, from Ben Ledingham and Aaron Dennis in particular prevented further scores before half time, but ON's were relying more on tactical kicking.

ON's kicked off the second half, the ball was caught in full flight by Zach Ezenagu and his run took him close to the ON's line but the ball was forced from his hands and a scrum was awarded. Soon after Ffred Bollom was injured as he was spectacularly cleared out of a ruck by an ON's forward. There followed a long delay as Ffred was treated on the pitch and then whisked off in an ambulance. After the restart, both teams showed some good passing movements and there was some terrific tackling from Daniel Hunter, who tackled three ON's players in quick succession. MK piled on the pressure, but couldn't break through. MK were pressing hard, but ON's were content to keep pinning them back with tactical kicking.

It was no ball or slow ball, and no try.

Warlingham 5 - 5 Milton Keynes

The Warriors second game was against Warlingham from Surrey who had lost their opening two games. Ashley Morris kicked off and Aaron Dennis charged downfield to tackle the catcher. Warlingham made a poor kick downfield, but Glyn Lewis caught the ball superbly and ran in for a try in the corner, a brilliant piece of Rugby.

From the kickoff MK moved the ball out to the wing but Ezenagu was forced in to touch. This was better. The rucks were still not working properly, but the lead was motivating MK.

The game became a series of scrums and lineouts with Kieran Duffin putting in some great tackles. From one of the scrums, MK almost scored again as the ball went through the backs to Ezenagu but the ball slipped from his grasp just 5 yards out and the referee blew for half time.

In the second half Warlingham were getting back into the game and pushing hard. MK knocked on, Warlingham won the scrum and their scrum half ran diagonally into the corner to score. He should have been stopped.

For a while the game was even but neither side threatened to score until the final two minutes when MK pressured the Warlingham line. Oliver Anderson tried to power his way through but the Warlingham defence held and the referee blew for time.

In short games like these it is the taking of the half chances that makes the difference. This was a game MK should have won.

Lincoln 0 - 10 Milton Keynes

The final match of the first day was Lincoln, who had lost a torrid encounter with the alpha team in this Pool, Worcester, six tries to nil, the game being stopped early in the second half.

It was an even start with a series of mauls and scrums giving neither side the advantage though there were some good breaks from Ezenagu, Elliott Ryan and Morris and some immense tackling from Dennis and Billy Cook and Will Holliday.

Once again going into rucks and mauls and coming out with the ball was not a regular occurrence for MK. Lincoln tried to pass the ball around, but it came to little. One move from Morris to Lewis to Elliot Ryan threatened, but was stopped just a yard short.

Bollom was back from hospital and on in the second half, but the difference was that Kieran Duffin was becoming more influential, and making some neat fast runs and passes. There was space.

The Lincoln kickoff was caught by Cook on his own line and a maul formed. Duffin broke, passed to Rob Friend who passed to Ryan and the ball was at half way. MK lost possession and Lincoln kicked downfield, another maul formed and MK were pushed back to within 10 yards of their own line and were under great pressure. The referee awarded a scrum which MK won, Duffin broke and ran downfield, he passed to Anderson who drew the tackler and offloaded to Ryan 10 yards out. This time he took the outside lane and avoiding two tackles to touch down in the corner directly in front of his father, who had just been woken up by the shouting and cheering. In any event he claimed he saw it!. It was exhilarating stuff.

Almost immediately from the restart Robert Friend intercepted a Lincoln pass and ran a full 25 yards to score, celebrating long before he reached the try line in a manner of a player touched by the dark side code. He was pursued by a Lincoln player who though close, never made an attempt at a tackle.

MK continued to control the half, there were good runs from Morris and Lewis and fine tackles from Dennis and Ryan before the Referee signalled time.

We were left to reflect on how a game can change in a matter of moments, and how a slow start to the day was speeding up.

The end of the first day, then. A loss, a draw, and a win, all low scoring games. MK were fourth in a Pool of six, with games against the top two teams to come tomorrow. We'd seen enough in our own and other Pools to remember what a high standard Nottingham sets. Spirits were high, but sleeplessness and injuries were already taking their toll.

Worcester 10 - 0 Milton Keynes

The Warriors toughest games, and their best performances, came at the start of day two. First up were Worcester, easily the best side in the Pool who's passing game and support play had impressed everyone. This side had won every game, scored thirteen trys and concedded none. It would be hard, but would the usual slow start make it harder?

Worcester worked their moves as they had done so successfully the day before, but this was an impassioned MK. They held their own, giving nothing and tackling like their lives depended on it. Standout tackles from Bollom, Duffin, Morris and Friend and one from the whole pack who were driven over the line but managed to hold the ball up.

Dennis had to go off suffering from a stamping on the hand, Ben Leddingham hurt his arm, Daniel Hunter came on. Lill put in a last gasp tackle to knock the ball out of what seemed the certain try scorer's hand. Bollom made a good drive, but then had to go off again. But the walking wounded held out till half time with a mixture of raw courage and cussedness.

For the first time in the tournament Worcester went into half time without having scored and were given a stern talking to by their coach. MK parents started to think the impossible.

Whatever the Worcester coach said at halftime it seemed to work. The Worcester handling was making space the MK drift defence was holding the line. Skipper Anderson was encouraging his players for another eight minutes of guts and more guts. But from a scrum near the MK line Worcester went over in the corner.

This seemed to spur MK on who showed that they could pass too.

Duffin went down injured and, inexplicably, the referee let play continue. Despite good tackles from Cook, Anderson and Ezenagu, Worcester went in for another try. This team knew how to exploit an extra man!

The Warriors were tiring now, but they held on for the next five minutes to give one of the best back-foot games of rugby they have ever played.

In the dieing moments Worcester looked like they might round things off with another try when, from a penalty, they moved the ball quickly to the winger who got to within a yard of the tryline before being unceremoniously bundled into touch by Lill.

A terrific performance despite the scoreline. It took a lot out of the team.

Sevenoaks Saints 5 - 0 Milton Keynes

The final Pool match was against Sevenoaks, who had beaten everyone in the pool apart from Worcester and possessing some of the biggest players in the tournament.

It was a closely contested game with lots of forward play and any chances ending with knock ons. The best chance of the half went to Sevenoaks who fed the ball to their winger and he looked like he would score, but a terrific two man tackle from Lill and Daniel Hunter put him into touch just short of the try line.

When Sevenoaks moved forward they were stopped by Billy Cook and John Marchbank who were doing all the hard work, the latter practising the hooker's black arts as only a player coached by Black Bob could.

The second half saw another whole-hearted effort. Morris was using his loaf and playing the little general role, kicking for the corners a couple of times so well that Ryan only narrowly missed being first there to touch down. But Sevenoaks took the lead from a scrum five yards out and the ball went right down the line for a score in the left hand corner.

MK battled back but the closest they came was a grubber kick from Morris which went over the dead ball line before he could pounce on it. As the final whistle came MK were still foraging and looking for the equaliser. That it did not come meant that they finished fifth in their Pool and would have a Bowl quarter final.

Dursley (Bowl Quarter Final) 0 - 0 Milton Keynes

So, a quarter against Dursley from Gloucestershire who finished 6th in their Pool with no points, no tries scored and 20 tries conceded. On the countback rule a draw in this game would be good enough for MK. We began to suspect some dual allegiances from one of the parents, but to his eternal credit he remained true to the Warriors. The players were confident of victory, too confident!

The game opened spiritedly, with both sides looking to throw the ball about and attack. MK were dominating but not penetrating. The work rate was high. Duffin, Will Holliday and Louis Rutter were all looking to create space and Lewis tackled like a demon when Dursley threatened.

Prop Dan Hunter was injured and later went off to hospital, but it was not serious. He was replaced by Cook and MK began to dominate the scrum, winning two in succession against the head. But the backs couldn't find a way through the Dursley defence and it remained scoreless at half time.

MK stepped up a gear in the second half and the backs were creating chances. One passing move saw Ezenagu stopped just 3 yards short and another saw Lill pushed into touch just shy of the line.

Though Marchbank had to go off, MK secured a series of penalties near the Dursley line, the first for a high tackle on Ezenagu. Lill rushed forward but was bundled into touch, impaling his eye on the bent corner flag pole. A line out but then another MK penalty for Dursley holding on in the tackle. Then another for off side so close to the line that it seemed MK must score. However, Dursley proved resilient tacklers. But then - a Dursley penalty for hands in the ensuing ruck. These referees had clearly been told the penalty count was down. But - another no-try game.

A trip to the control tent proved what we already knew. The Warriors were sixteen minutes from Twickenham. However, the boys were tired and depleted and did not get the confidence boosting win they wanted against Dursley.

Hertford (Bowl Semi Final) 5 - 0 Milton Keynes

Hertford had looked a good side in their quarter against Ormskirk and had scored six trys in their pool, so this time the Warriors needed to win.

The game was presaged by the Milton Keynes Haka, led by Ben Kiwi Lill, but it did not seem to intimidate Hertford who began with a flowing passing game and did all the threatening at first. MK defended stoutly, their scrum came under pressure, but as in the early games they could not secure enough possession to make things count.

MK defended stoutly, as always and there were notable tackles from Lill, Cook and Marchbank. Hertford won a penalty 2 yards from the MK line, they passed all the way to the left wing, but couldn't get through, so the ball came all the way back to the right wing, but again the Warriors defence kept them out, so the ball came all the way to the left wing again and this time Hertford found themselves with an overlap and were able to go in for the try. Key tackles were missed.

The second half was dominated by the Hertford forwards and they were camped in the MK half.

At this stage of the tournament the coaches play those who are still alive. There were more injuries in the second half and once again MK Warriors found recycling harder than MK Council. Very little was being created. What little possession there was was sometimes just thrown away as passes went astray.

The MK line out looked weak as the throws began to miss home players, but in the end the referee stopped the game for an injury to a Hertford player some minutes before the appointed time. Perhaps the required two tries would not have come, but it was a sad end. The dream of a Twickenham final was back on the shelf for another year.

They were all very disappointed after the game, but had recovered sufficiently to trounce all-comers in impromptu the inter hall pillow fighting in the early hours of the morning.

So what can we take from seven incredibly hard fought games? Was it a (Trent) Bridge too far? One win, two draws, and four defeats, three tries scored, six conceded. No side, other than the four pool winners, conceded fewer tries. The defence is sound. But what marked the excellent at Nottingham out from the merely good were pre-prepared moves, superior handling, recycling, and - of course - technique. Who can remember a single individual Worcester player? None of them had helmets. None of them were injured. There's much to ponder there. Things to work on. A battered, disappointed, but brave bunch of lads trooped back to their hall of residence, and the good news was that Dan Hunter, who had been hospitalised despite walking from the field, had made a good recovery.

At the team (and parent) talk on the Sunday morning Head Coach Geoff Lill told everyone that he was stepping down next season to spend more time with his other son George who is playing for Buckingham. Many thanks to him for all his great work and commitment this season, and to coaches Tine and Bob for theirs. With Stuart Morris returning to coach next season it is to be hoped that they can prevent the Haka being replaced by some form of Morris dancing, though the Welsh National Anthem would be a perfectly acceptable alternative. Many thanks to Bruce and Carole for organising the tour so effectively, and to Robin for the hotel booking. But the real heroes are the 18 boys who turned up and fought so bravely. This season good, next season - we hope - excellent. So here's the roll call of honour - in alphabetical order as on all good war memorials:

• Oliver Anderson
• Ffred Bollom
• Billy Cook
• Andrew Dachtler
• Aaron Dennis
• Kieran Duffin
• Zachary Ezenagu
• Robert Friend
• Will Holliday
• Daniel Hunter
• Alex Jay
• Ben Leddingham
• Glyn Lewis
• Ben lill
• John Marchbank
• Ashley Morris
• Louis Rutter
• Elliot Ryan

The good news is we counted them all out and we counted them all back in again. No one died.

Milton Keynes 52 - 0 Daventry

The Warriors last home game of the season should have been against Stockwood Park and Daventry. Stockwood pulled out at the last minute and Daventry arrived with only 10 men but Alex Jay, Andrew Dachtler and Jonathan volunteered to bolster their ranks and don the red jerseys.

Oliver Anderson won the arm-wrestle with ease to decide who should kick off on this gloomy, overcast morning. Glyn Lewis made his intentions clear from the off, unceremoniously dumping a Daventry player flat on his backside and winning possession. MK won the first scrum against the head and the ball was moved through the backs to Ffred Bollom, who made good progress before being tackled. Billy Cook broke from the maul and drove down to the tryline, but the Daventry defence stood firm until the ball was collected from the maul by Kieran Duffin and he dived in for the try. Ben Lill converted.

MK were signalling their intention to play an expansive game, and throwing the ball around, at times very sweetly. But the next try came in a more traditional MK fashion. A good run from Cook took the ball close to the Daventry line, the ball was fed out to Ashley Morris and he looked like he was going in for the try but the ball was knocked from his grasp. He made up for it though when the Warriors pack won the resulting scrum and the ball went down the line to Morris and he scored the try. Bollom converted

Daventry were trying hard but MK's stingy defence allowed them no room to manoeuvre and there were some good tackles from Glyn lewis, Aaron Dennis and Morris.

MK had established considerable dominance up front and this was allowing the backs more leeway than they ever had at Nottingham to pass the ball around. Some passes were far too ambitious and a number of knock ons resulted, but it was good to watch.

From a ruck, the ball was passed through the backs to Bollom and he twisted his way through the Daventry line for the try. Ezenagu's kick was wide perhaps because he had been practicing from 20m earlier in the day.

MK were making a substitution when Daventry restarted, but despite protests from some of the Warriors the referee allowed the game to continue and Daventry pinned back MK on their own try line, MK tried to pass their way out of trouble, but a knock on gave Daventry a scrum just 5 yards out. A great shove from the MK pack won them the ball and the backs were able to move it downfield. There was another good run from Cook, some great work in the maul from Dennis and a good run from Morris and his pass to Ezenagu saw MK's top scorer go in for his 22nd try of the season. Duffin's kick was good.

At times the action resembled the Eton Wall Game as Daventry tried to slow down the MK ball, with maul after maul forming. Then came what was the try of the game, and indeed perhaps the try of the season. The ball passed down the entire MK back line to Bollom on the wing. He darted back inside drawing the Daventry defence, was held, then popped the ball up for Ben Lill to go over in the corner. Lovely. Lewis missed the kick, but by now it was clear that there was only going to be one result in this game.

In the second half the Warriors continued to use their passing game that let's hope they've learned from the Nottingham experience. Great work by Oliver Anderson clearing up in the line out was a feature of this game, and this time he popped the ball to Ezenagu who bobbed and weaved through the Daventry defence to post MKs sixth try, this time Morris converting.

The game went through a scrappy phase with neither side able to keep possession and MK deciding they ought to practice their clearance kicks instigated by a kick downfield from prop Ben Ledingham. Coach Geoff Lill was not amused.

A good run from Ezenagu took the ball close to the Daventry line. A good shove from the maul and the ball was fed to Lill and he strolled in for the try. Elliot Ryan's kick was good.

Daventry were still game and giving their all, no doubt inspired by one of their supporters' imploring them to "pull their fingers out". Then came a rather awkward incident when Ben Leddingham was perceived by the referee to have thrown a punch in the general direction of a Daventry player and was asked to remove himself from the field of play. The MK eleven continued their dominance, however. Two fine runs from Cook took the ball to within 2 yards of the Daventry line, but they managed to recover the ball and kick clear. The final try of the day came when Morris passed to Bollom who went over in the corner despite a high tackle which the referee chose to ignore, and John Marchbank added the final two points.

Most Improved:

Will Holliday

Best Tackler:

Glyn Lewis

Player Of The Day:

Billy Cook

MK won the game easily without being at their best. It was encouraging to see the backs passing the ball, but they were only allowed to do this because of the tremendous work done by the pack. The MK tackling was, as ever, ferocious. A pretty solid end of term at Field Lane where only one game has been lost all season. Onwards and upwards to Aylesbury next week for the end of season Festival. Throw the ball about boys and show us what you can do.

St. Josephs (Cardiff) 0 - 28 Milton Keynes

The Warriors ended their season 2005 - 2006 in the, now, traditional manner by finishing runner up at the Aylebury Festival with a mixed bag of results. MK were in the 'A' pool against teams who have provided close competition in the past in the shape of Tring 'A', Aylesbury and Beaconsfield plus the unknown quantity of St. Joseph's who had set off that morning from Cardiff and who arrived an hour late. Tring had already set the standard with a 35 - 0 win over Beaconsfield so we knew where the threat was going to come from.

The Welsh lad's barely had time to stretch their legs before being thrust into the fray against a Warriors side who, for once, started the day at full speed.

Straight from the off a strong run from Ffred Bollom ended when the pass to Zachary Ezenagu wasn't gathered with the try line begging. No matter, the support run was good and MK's intentions were plain to see.

The forwards were dominating the game with some great rucking from Will Holliday and Aaron Dennis, creating space for the backs and the usual slow start seemed a thing of the past. St Jo's were pretty static, as was their passing. A terrific tackle by Dennis on the Cardiff Stand Off, as he was passing, saw the ball pop into the arms of the ever lurking Ashley Morris and he ran in for his trademark interception try. Ben Lill converted.

The rest of the half saw much enterprising rugby by MK with Billy Cook and Oliver Anderson in the vanguard driving St Jo's backwards. MK almost scored again when, from the kickoff, Zach Ezenagu and Ffred Bollom produced characteristically strong runs to take the ball deep into the Cardiff half, Bollom only stopped by a high tackle. Oliver Anderson surged forward from the penalty, passed to Ezenagu, who passed to Bollom but he was held up short and the referee blew for half time.

MK kicked off the second half and Ezenagu raced downfield and recovered the ball, he passed to Billy Cook who drove for the line but he was bundled into touch a yard short. The lineout led to a scrum for MK and scrum half Kieran Duffin fed Lill who passed to Bollom and he went over for the try, downing the ball whilst laying on his back, over his head in trademark fashion. He converted his own try.

Although the pitch was quite a big one, and although MK were clearly trying to play an expansive game, real movement was coming down the middle as of old. However, another fine passing move saw the ball end up in the hands of Morris, he was stopped just shy of the line. From an MK penalty Ezenagu was propelled over by what seemed the entire team. Again the try scorer added the two points.

By now it was clear that St Jo's were no match for MK. Bollom caught the Cardiff restart and produced a dazzling run downfield, but was stopped just short. MK won a penalty which was taken quicklyand Lill twisted and turned through the St Jo's line to add the fourth try. With Morris adding the conversion it was a good solid start to the day, but wait there was more. The restart led to possibly the finest piece of passing rugby the MK backs have produced all year, the ball moving down the line at pace and travelling nearly the full length of the pitch. It deserved a try but Ezenagu was forced into touch just 5 yards short and the referee signalled the end of the game.

Tring 5 - 0 Milton Keynes

Tring had looked impressive in their first game and there was a sense that this game would be the key one of the the group. Having narrowly lost to Tring at their own tournament Warriors knew that they were in for a tough game.

MK kicked off, Tring collected, but Ezenagu was again in strong running form, making a drive down the centre into Tring territory. Tring responded with a rolling maul propelling into the MK half and for a while we were back into constipated maul mode with neither side recycling quickly.

Fullback Bollom went off after a suspect high tackle and foot in the back, and then as MK pushed forward Tring won a turnover when Ezenagu tried to run the ball out of danger and ran in to score with the new fullback out of position. Unaccountably the conversion was missed, but this was a try that should not have been conceded.

The second half saw MK pushing hard for the equalising try. Elliot Ryan was hurt, Dan Hunter chased a Lill kick for all he was worth. Hell for leather. Good work in the lineouts from Anderson and Dennis was negated by too many turnovers and Tring looked more likely to get the next score, indeed if it wasn't for their own errors they would surely have done so spilling the ball over the try line.

MK tried to respond with a fine run from Ezenagu and some good passing in the backs, but Tring defended superbly and forced MK to defend their own line. Duffin broke from the scrum base but was stopped. But it wasn't going to come, and the joy on the faces of the Tring players as the last play was ended by a huge punt into touch showed that they knew they'd done enough to win the Festival. The thunder on the face of MK skipper Anderson's face showed that he knew it too

Aylesbury 0 - 7 Milton Keynes

Earlier in the week, The tournament organisers had tried to put the Warriors in the 'B' Pool with the 'B' teams and lesser lights of local rugby, but an MK protest saw them being reinstated,

Games against Aylesbury have always been tough and low scoring and this one was no exception. At first the Warriors seemed to have lost the will to live, missing tackle after tackle as Aylesbury pushed forward. But the scrum was firm and MK pushed their way into the Aylesbury half, Aaron Dennis again doing all the hard and often unseen work to keep the momentum and possession in MK's favour. Both teams were choosing to kick their way out of trouble, perhaps having been watching Tring.

The end of the half belonged to the Warriors as a great run from Bollom took the ball to within yards of the line. Cook and then Dennis tried to drive their way over, but Aylesbury were resolute in defence and must have been relieved when the referee blew for half time.

If MK were going to win this match it was surely the forwards who were going to make the space. Big Ben Leddingham was huge, Will Holiday pushed and pushed, Anderson made the hard yards, and Glyn Lewis flattened any Aylesbury player with the temerity to try to go forward. There were some good solo runs from Elliott Ryan, Dan Hunter and Ben Lill, but the play was generally scrappy and they lost the ball too often

Dennis, now playing at hooker, was throwing in so well that the line out was as sure as eggs. Things were looking desperate however and it was looking like another 0-0 draw. Then, Bollom after a snap pass from Ezenagu at centre, made a magnificent run through the massed ranks of the Aylesbury players breaking several tackles and just managing to get the ball over the line. Try! Duffin converted easily.

A good restart from Aylesbury produced a knock on and MK were under pressure just 5 yards from their own line. Faint hearts could see victory being snatched away at the death, but one thing we know about this Warriors side is that they can defend like demons and Aylesbury could not breach the thin black line before the referee signalled the end of the game.

So another close encounter with Aylesbury and another win.

Beaconsfield 7 - 7 Milton Keynes

Beaconsfield weren't the team that beat MK in the Tring tournament last year but they were still a force to be reckoned with. The weather had improved enormously and a fine afternoon was being enjoyed by all. MK only needed a draw to secure second place, but we hoped for more. The Warriors had the better of the first half and thought they had scored when the ball moved through the backs to Ezenagu who sprinted down the sideline and touched down, but he had put a foot in touch and the try did not stand. From the lineout Ledingham powered forward, Anderson picked up, then Cook. They must score, but no. Then a scrum from a promising position and the call of Nail It Zach. A move they had been practicing for months. Duffin fed to Lill who popped the ball to a charging Ezenagu who powered through for a try. Perfect execution. Lill converted.

MK were spurred by this success and good runs from Lill and Hunter and more good passing from the backs kept up the pressure. But they couldn't capitalise on this and the half ended without further score

The scrum again was looking good. The boilerhouse boys were doing their bit. Lill was masterminding some good stuff - a little kick here, a dummy there - but he was hurt as he tried to follow up another grubber kick. There good work done by Holliday and Dennis in the lineouts, but it was undone by lost possession, bad passing and interceptions. MK had to defend mightily as Beaconsfield pressured their line by moving the ball from side to side across the field.

A Mad Dog Marchbank tour de force as he prevented a Beaconsfield interception reaping rewards. Beaconsfield were now really going for it. A big overlap on the left, two players at least, meant Bollom really had to make the last tackle count. He did, turning the Beaconsfield player round for the Warriors to get the ball. As good as it gets this one. But it was backs (and forwards) against the wall now. Beaconsfield were pressing hard and there was an air of panic in defence as an unwelcome pass was ripped from the wingers hands and over they went for a try. A poor conversion scraped the bar and off the upright, but managed to go over. And so ended the season.

End of season then. Runners up at Aylesbury, same as last year. Peterborough Champions again. Reality hit in at Nottingham as usual.

The festival was a microcosm of the season. Weaker teams were summarily dispatched, there were occasional flashes of brilliance, the team proved that they are very difficult to score against, but find it difficult to score against the tougher, well disciplined teams. Too often they lose possession through bad technique and lose or draw with teams they should beat. But there has been tremendous progression this season and that is down to the hard work of the coaches and the players. This is a good team. The players have confidence in their ability. They need confidence in each others ability so that can make a killer pass rather than going for glory.

Thanks to all this season who made 2005-2006 so interesting, so much fun, and unmissable. Canterbury, Olney, Giffard Park and Shenley Church End. Thanks to you all. The good news already in this close-season is that Black Bob will again be able to teach his son Aaron the black arts next year - the merely dark side has been rejected. September 2006 - bring it on !!