Hampstead U8s at Eton Manor

Despite losing a couple of players due to the last minute fixture switch, Hampstead turned up with 9 players and split into two teams, with a rotating roster of Eton Manor players making the two Hampstead squads up to 12.

Aidan, Huxley, Louis, Rowan and a long-awaited debut for Felix in one team, while Cooper, Tom, Liam and Donnie into the other. After a narrowly won opening encounter 7-5, the Hampstead five ran in 18 tries over their next three matches conceding only 6! Huxley and Louis "crossed the whitewash" twenty times between them, with Felix diving in on the wing to open his account in the fourth match. The Hampstead four were strongly led by wily campaigners Cooper and Tom, forming a formidable tagging partnership that didn't allow Eton Manor many tries at all over their first three games. It was good to see some quick hands leading to tries being scored on both wings, while taking advantage of some loopy Eton Manor passing to run in some interception tries. The final try of the morning was a typical crash-ball try scored by Donnie, putting the seal on a 6-2 win.

Once again, it was really refreshing to see the gradual improvement in these players as they really gain their focus on match days and make all the cold Saturday morning trainings worthwhile. They definitely earned their hotdogs!