The alarm clock goes off at 8 o'clock on
Sunday morning....it's dark and cold
outside, with rain driving against the
window and your head aches in rhythm to the
sound....why did I have that extra glass of
wine last night? You audibly groan as you
remember that in just over an hour, minis
rugby starts at Dorking, complete with two
visiting teams, bringing the overall number
to in excess of 100 enthusiastic 9 year old
kids who have yet to understand the meaning
of volume control.
'Why do I bother' you say out load to nobody
in particular.
Then on Sunday 20th April 2008 at
approximately 5pm you get your answer....for
that was when the final whistle blew and
Dorking U9's became the first Dorking minis
team for 7 years to win the Surrey A
Festival!
This result should not be under estimated.
24 teams entered and when the first matches
kicked off at 1030am, the trophy was up for
grabs with all the big names present,
Rosslyn Park, Richmond, Cobham, Chobham,
London Irish, Wimbledon, Guildford to name
but a few. This is the biggest festival in
Surrey and the culmination of a long season.
It is the biggest prize and the one that
everyone wants to win.
Dorking started their league matches knowing
they were required to top the group in order
to progress to the semi-finals and everyone
knew that it was imperative to set standards
high in the first game to achieve this goal.
And so it turned out to be. Haslemere, a
strong and determined side, were subdued by
a superb display of ball retention and
rucking, a theme that was to continue
throughout the tournament and lead to the
ultimate success.
Osbourne, the Captain, Kressider-Dunn and
McMillan were totally dominant up front and
recycled the ball time and time again,
allowing Curtis the scrum-half to link well
with his backs. Twice the ball crossed the
line in the first half with Turner being the
grateful recipient on both occasions, the
second time following a perfectly timed pass
from Holder the fly half.
The second half saw a dominant Dorking side
totally control the game but no further
tries were forthcoming following dogged
defence from Haslemere however, players and
coaches alike were pleased with the start
and the quality of play.
The second game saw Dorking beat Warlingham,
again by 2 tries to nil, to record their
second 10-0 victory in succession. A pattern
was also beginning to emerge with good
recycled ball from the forwards being
swiftly transferred to the backs who ran
with purpose and strength into the
oppositions midfield. Dorking's defence was
also called into action as a solid
Warlingham side threw everything into their
bid for victory. Big hits were happening
everywhere, one notable one from Lyons, who
'introduced' himself to his opposite number
whilst the later was concentrating on
catching a pass. Standards were being
maintained and momentum, crucial in winning
tournaments, being generated.
The third match was the toughest match we
have seen all season and at times you forgot
that the players from Dorking and their
admirable opponents, Guildford were only
nine years old. It was ferocious and how
Dorking held on for a nil-nil draw we will
never know. The determination and heart and
shear refusal to allow Guildford to cross
the line was unbelievable. In fact, on one
occasion, Guildford did cross the line to
score but a sharp eyed touch judge pulled
the play back for a foot in touch. This was
a turning point for Dorking and a stroke of
luck. Without it, Guildford would have gone
on to win the league and in my view, won the
festival. Luck plays a part in every
success.
A lacklustre performance against Camberley
followed shortly after but this was
understandable after such an intense match
some twenty minutes earlier. Dorking ended
up 10-5 winners, this being the first points
given up by the determined defence.
Camberley were an accomplished side and it
took an 'all hands on deck' approach to keep
them from winning. Harmon, King and Noon
showing good speed and strength out wide and
a late try from Turner sealed a third win in
four matches.
And so to the last league game against
London Irish, a game that Dorking had to win
to progress. It turned out to be the easiest
match to date and after scoring three first
half tries, it allowed Dorking to rest some
of the now tiring forwards, with their
replacements Reid, Bruml and Husband ably
deputising.
At the beginning of the festival, we had set
ourselves the target of getting into the
semi finals and this had been achieved with
no little skill, guts, determination and
teamwork on display. However. the big 'mo'
seemed to be with Dorking and as the team
strolled onto the pitch to face Old
Reigatians in the semi there was a look of
real focus on the faces of the players. The
first half was somewhat lacklustre with
Dorking taking a 5-0 lead before giving this
up rather softly. At half time, the team
were introduced to the Ferguson-like hair
dryer
treatment....and they never looked back.
Holder went over early on in the second half
to increase the lead to 10-5 and then the
Dorking forwards took over. The control they
displayed over Old Reigations was
outstanding. The defence remained solid and
when the final whistle went, the team were
in the final.
Old Alleynians, the old boys side of Dulwich
School had obviously been in excellent form
themselves, to reach the final against some
very tough opposition, including Wimbledon
who had themselves dispatched one of the
tournament favourites in Chobham. As such,
the final began with both sides looking
tired after 6 bruising encounters.
Dorking were magnificent.....if not better.
The forward control was immense, with
Osbourne, Kressider-Dunn and MacMillan
totally dominating the game from start to
finish. They out-rucked, out-fought,
out-tackled and out-thought the opposition,
they were quicker, more determined, stronger
and smarter. The backs too, were better than
their opponents. They tackled on or behind
the gain-line, they ran harder, out-thought
and out-smarted the Old Alleynians. The
final score was 5-0. It doesn't matter who
scored.
The final whistle went, arms were raised and
the celebrations began. There were
high-fives, back patting, cuddles and
kisses. The team had performed beyond
everyones, including their own,
expectations. We all looked at each other
with disbelief but it really did happen.
The alarm clock went off at 0640am on Monday
morning.....it was light outside but still
raining, the head hurt a little bit but I
didn't care. Bring on September and 100
screaming kids....it is well worth it.
