Chichester colts win at Portsmouth ... Bognor youngsters are great sports

Chichester travelled to Portsmouth with their under-17/18 side for a friendly and triumphed 19-16.

The home side drafted in several under-19s and the difference in size was very obvious and the Chichester pack struggled early on in both set scrums and rucks.

Portsmouth took the lead when Chichester gave away a penalty in front of their posts.

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The visitors scored the first try after Nat Jackson put in some deft sidesteps to make good ground. Richard Foulkes emerged from behind the ensuing ruck to dart down the blindside and outpace the chasing defenders to score under the posts.

Chichester soon gave away another penalty, with a further ten metres for holding on to the ball. Portsmouth took advantage with a clever lineout move, working the ball down the five-metre line to score in the corner.

Just before half-time, they converted from another Chichester infringement to give themselves an 11-7 lead.

Chichester brought on all otheir subs, which helped even out the size difference. Harry Martin, who had had such a brilliant first half in defence, showed his strength in attack too, by handing off his opposite number and running powerfully through for Chichester’s second try.

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Henry Luxton’s conversion gave Chichester a 14-11 lead. When Portsmouth tapped back from a lineout near their try line, Chichester’s dynamic lock Luke Inkle burst through the gap to pounce on the ball and touch it down.

Portsmouth scored a breakaway try to come within three points of Chichester. But the Sussex side coasted through the final minutes of the game.

CHICHESTER: Smith, Salt, Boxall, Mitchell, Inkle, Knight, Menage, Foulkes, Tucker, Kirkpatrick, Rivard, Martin, Luxton, Munday, Jackson, Bowley, Grace, Stride, Dudley, Hunter, Bennett, Boginosoko.

Bognor under-11s put on a great show against tough opposition at the Pulborough RFC festival, sponsored by Harlequins.

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With no reserve players, the team knew they’d have to dig deep and keep their strengh up for more than four hours of tournament rugby. They kicked off their pool against Heathfield with a fantastic hard-fought game winning 10-5.

That gave them confidence to take on Weybridge with a positive stance and they powered over to score four tries, with none scored against them.

The final pool game against Camberley saw spectators from other pitches drawn in to watch, with both teams showing great heart and and a lot of skill for thier age.

Camberley edged the win by one try but the Bognor Bulls showed great sportmanship and took heart from the many spectators and coaches who said it was the best game of the tournament.

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With two wins from three games the team played in the plate final against the hosts.

They struggled to keep pace but showed great courage and team spirit, surprising the opposition with a fantastic defensive effort before going down 10-5. Each member of the team was presented with a special Harlequins medal and certificate and enjoyed a pitchside question and answer session with Charlie Matthews and Joe Marler, both current Quins players.

Bognor under-11s can be proud of themselves for their great performance and their attitude, discipline and sportsmanship.

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