Alleyn’s do the double at the National U13s

News

National U13 Rugby Fives Championships
St. Paul’s, Sunday 12th March 2017

STOP PRESS After the disappointment of losing both finals last year when a year young, Gwydion Wiseman this year carried off both Singles and Doubles titles. With more players and schools wishing to enter than could be catered for at St. Paul’s, a high-quality competition was a fitting end to Peter de Winton’s 12-year stint as organiser of this tournament from which so many future champions have emerged. The RFA would like to record their warmest thanks here to Peter.

Organiser Peter de Winton writes: With 44 competitors from 8 schools, it was a healthy field of players, all displaying their usual competitive spirit and enthusiasm. We missed having boys from St. Olave’s and St. Dunstan’s this year but welcomed Bloxham for the first time, and were pleased to see St. Paul’s Junior School for the second year.

In the pool stage of the Singles,  Alleyn’s Senior School and Merchant Taylors’ were to the fore, providing 10 of the 16 seeds for the knock-out stage, with St. Paul’s and Pilgrims’ also well in evidence. For the knock-out stage, Wiseman of Alleyn’s (last year’s runner-up) and Garella of Merchant Taylors’ were seeded 1 and 2. In the games that followed, Wiseman made short work of his opponents, dropping a mere 2 points before the final. Meanwhile, Garella had progressed via some tighter contests and overcame Smailes of Pilgrims’ to face Wiseman in the final, where Wiseman’s superior strength and big hitting was too much for his opponent: Wiseman won 15-1.  In the interest of sustaining boys’ energy for the Doubles, no Singles Plate or 3rd/4th play-off was staged.

We started the Doubles after a lunch break, with the 1st and 2nd match losers going into the Plate. This worked really well as it swelled the number of Plate contenders and created more activity in the afternoon at all levels of play.  Alleyn’s demonstrated their skills at Doubles by filling 2 of the 4 semi-final places, which they converted to finalist places, with the first pair running out victors. Merchant Taylors’, who had improved considerably since 2016, deservedly won the Doubles Plate, this time from the ubiquitous Alleyn’s.

My thanks to St. Paul’s for allowing us the use of the courts, to the coaches for their input into the running of the day, to all the parents who turn up to support, feed and nurture their charges, and to Bob Dolby, Frank Akerman and Bernard Atkinson for their tireless support both before and during the day. Thanks also to David Bawtree for spending most of the afternoon at St. Paul’s and for presenting the prizes.

The 9.15 start paid off once again, but there is an argument for reducing the number of points per game in the bigger Singles pools so as to finish on time for the lunch break. Once again this year I have had to cap the size of some teams to 6 players and decline an entry from a school, so there is potential to expand the day if time and facilities permit.  Having thoroughly enjoyed running the event for 12 years, I have decided to stand down now and shall pass the organisation of the Championships on, knowing that this age group love their Fives and that there is keen demand from schools for places.

Results

Singles Pools

Pool 1: 1st Smailes (Pilgrims’); 2nd Ridley (St. Paul’s Junior); 3rd Ali (Merchant Taylors’). Also played: Pesaro (Alleyn’s Junior), Harrison (Alleyn’s Senior), Richards (Bloxham), Clayton (Blundell’s), Beardsley S (Derby Moor)
Pool 2: 1st Matthews (Merchant Taylors’); 2nd Roberts (St. Paul’s Junior); 3rd= Pryse-Lloyd (Alleyn’s Junior) and Shaw (Alleyn’s Senior). Also played: Howells (Bloxham), Bartlett (Blundell’s), Winsley (Blundell’s)
Pool 3: 1st Garella (Merchant Taylors’); 2nd Meggyesi (Alleyn’s Senior); 3rd Zezza (St. Paul’s Junior). Also played: Mynors (Alleyn’s Junior), Sealey (Bloxham), Wetherall (Blundell’s), Robshaw (Blundell’s)
Pool 4: Tillotson A (Merchant Taylors’); 2nd Johnstone (Alleyn’s Senior); 3rd Mahmood (Derby Moor). Also played: Marshall (Alleyn’s Junior), Blake (Bloxham), Mayor (Blundell’s), Davies (Pilgrims’)
Pool 5: 1st Kirwan (Alleyn’s Senior); 2nd Fowler (Pilgrims’); 3rd Tanner (Alleyn’s Junior). Also played: Hughes (Bloxham), Yeadon (Blundell’s), Yates (Derby Moor), Tillotson D (Merchant Taylors’)
Pool 6: 1st Wiseman (Alleyn’s Senior); 2nd Sheikh (Merchant Taylors’); 3rd Scott (Alleyn’s Junior). Also played Smith (Bloxham), Swarbrick (Blundell’s), Beardsley M (Derby Moor), Fox (Pilgrims’), Hussain (St. Paul’s Junior)

Singles Knock-out

1st round: Wiseman bt Zezza 15-0; Roberts bt Meggyesi 15-4; Sheikh bt Matthews 15-9; Kirwan bt Ali 15-1; Tillotson A bt Pryse-Lloyd 15-6; Smailes bt Ridley 15-5; Fowler bt Johnstone 15-3; Garella bt Shaw 15-10
Quarter-finals: Wiseman bt Roberts 15-1; Sheikh bt Kirwan 15-5; Smailes bt Tillotson 15-12; Garella bt Fowler 15-8
Semi-finals: Wiseman bt Sheikh 11-1, 11-0; Garella bt Smailes 11-6, 11-2
Final: Wiseman (Alleyn’s Senior) bt Garella (Merchant Taylors’) 15-1

 

Doubles Knock-out

1st round: Merchant Taylors’ II bt Bloxham II 11-0; Derby Moor I bt St. Paul’s Junior II 11-8; Alleyn’s Junior II bt Blundell’s III 11-0; Alleyn’s Senior III bt Bloxham III 11-4; Blundell’s II bt Alleyn’s Junior III 11-10; Alleyn’s Senior II bt Pilgrims’ II 11-7
2nd round: Alleyn’s Senior I bt Merchant Taylors’ II 11-2; Blundell’s I bt Derby Moor I 11-1; Merchant Taylors’ I bt Alleyn’s Junior II 11-5; Pilgrims’ I bt Alleyn’s Senior III 11-9; Bloxham I bt Blundell’s II 11-3; Alleyn’s Senior II bt Merchant Taylors’ III 11-2; St. Paul’s Junior I bt Blundell’s IV 11-0; Alleyn’s Junior I bt Derby Moor II 11-3
Quarter-finals: Alleyn’s Senior I bt Blundell’s I 11-0; Merchant Taylors’ I bt Pilgrims I 11-3; Alleyn’s Senior II bt Bloxham I 11-1; St. Paul’s Junior I bt Alleyn’s Junior I 11-3
Semi-finals: Alleyn’s Senior I bt Merchant Taylors’ I 11-4; Alleyn’s Senior II bt St. Paul’s Junior I 11-6
Final: Alleyn’s Senior I (Kirwan & Wiseman) bt Alleyn’s Senior II 11-1
Plate: Merchant Taylors’ III bt Alleyn’s Senior II 11-3