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SEVENS SILVER ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH

Friday, May 9, 2008
Sport/Rugby
PLATE victory in the Lytchet Minster sevens tournament has provided a fitting end to what has been a fantastic season for the Vectis under-14s rugby team.
Despite illness, injury and starting the season with seven new faces, the under-14s have grown and developed into a formidable squad, at times pushing each other for that all important starting-15 place.
The final points table reads, played 27, won 17, lost 9, drawn one, for 625, against 226 and of those points against only ten were conceded at home.
The side finished third in Hampshire League Division 2, came second in the international rugby tournament held near Paris and nine team members enjoyed Hampshire trials with four making the final county squad.
The side hosted a triangular tournament between themselves, Farnham Common and US Portsmouth towards the end of the season, and won. Then, they won the plate competition at Lytchet Minster, their first sevens tournament.
And on the same day, seven Vectis boys were playing for Sandown High School in the Emerging Schools Final at Twickenham.
Vectis under-16s travelled to the Lytchet Minster tournament having little experience in this form of the game.
In their first match, against North Dorset, they withstood early pressure to manage a draw, Sandy Wilson and Gavin Bodrell scoring brilliant tries.
In their second match, Vectis were far more confident and although they played really well, taking the lead with tries from Wilson, Bodrell and Ali Gates, they narrowly lost after conceding two scores late in the game.
After losing two players to injury, Vectis played their best game of the tournament and progressed to the quarter finals when they came from behind against Ellingham with tries from David Morgan, Joe Goodall and Sam Tyson. But in their final match, Tom White, Matt Vann and Sam Sheppard all came close to scoring as Vectis were knocked out of the tournament.