Clackmannanshire Colts Win International Title
Published on:
19
May 2008
Clackmannanshire Colts U14 Rugby team have returned victorious from France having won a title at the Tournoi des Trente international rugby tournament.
The team of S1 and S2 pupils from Alloa, Alva and Lornshill Academies were awarded with a quaich after winning on points difference.
24 players and their coaches travelled to Brittany for the event, where teams from across Europe, Russia and South Africa competed in different age groups. They were led by Head Coach Grant Bonar, the driving force behind the team's recent success.
The Colts 1st and 2nd teams played four games each on the morning of the tournament, with mixed results. Team 2 got the all important 8th position to secure a quarter final place against Stade Française in which they lost to a bigger faster team. There was some spirited tackling from Gregor Ramsay and Duncan Arthur and good hard running from Jack Dowie. Jordan Wright controlled the team throughout from stand off.
Team 1 won all their section games scoring an impressive amount of tries - their pace and tackling ability was very impressive. All of the team played for each other and there was good balance of power and pace, which created lots of problems for the opposition teams. Team 1 didn't concede a try in all of their pool games and this seeded them 1st in the tournament.
The final was played in front of 2000 people and local television cameras. The Colts scored with their first touch of the ball through Ben Forster, but the local team then equalised through a penalty. The Colts were determined to win the games, as they had not had any tries scored against them all day; this was not to be as the referee then sent off a Colts player. The final result, 1-1, meant the game was won by the team with the highest number of tries scored throughout the competition - Clackmannanshire Colts with 17 scored and only 1 conceded.
Grant Bonar, U14 Colts Coach said: "This was one of the most rewarding trips I have ever been on. We left Alloa with 24 kids and returned with 24 young men who were a credit to themselves, their parents, their schools and the Clackmannanshire Rugby community. All the adults on this trip also played their part and the bus drivers were outstanding. Well done and thank you to all who made this trip possible.
"This time last year we could hardly get 13 players together for a team, now we have almost 40 registered players in the under 14 age grade."
The Colts are members of both Hillfoot RFC and Alloa RFC and along with their coaches and families they worked hard to raise funds for the trip. While supported by Clackmannanshire Council, the tour was organised by the Colts and their coaches.
Councillor Bobby McGill, spokesman for Leisure, said: "This is a huge achievement for Clackmannanshire Colts and shows how much young rugby talent there is here. This is testament to the Council's investment in rugby and I am delighted to see that the Colts are benefiting from their Wednesday night training at Tulligarth. But none of this would have been possible without the outstanding commitment and hard work of Grant Bonar. This has been a wonderful experience for the team, helping them to become stronger players as well as the opportunity to enjoy some French culture."
Squads
Team 1 - Coach Grant Bonar
1. Craig Wilson
2. Ross Shand
3. Lee Cairney
4. Liam Drummond
5. Neil Alexander
6. Martin McKenzie
7. Logan Bonar
8. Martin Hall
9. Ben Forster
10. Andrew Stewart
11. Gregor Burney
12. Gregor Ramsay
Team 2 - Coach Wullie Duncan
1. Lewis Hall
2. Callum McEwan
3. Fraser Snaddon
4. Jack Dowie
5. Lewis Rowland
6. Duncan Arthur
7. Jordan Wright
8. Mathew Duncan
9. Connor Robertson
10. Shaun Morrison
11. Harry Haston Dongan
12. Gregor Ramsay