U9 Ilkeston Festival

Mansfield U9's turned up at the penulimate fixture of the season at Ilkeston with high hopes based on the progress they had made throughout the season. Having won silverware at this tournament the previous year, they were determined to replicate this and finish the season on a high. Support for the squad was huge, as it has been throughout the season, with parents, siblings, grandparents all stretching the touchlines and acting as the extra man in each of the games.

Mansfield Bulldogs and Mansfield Warriors played in seperate pools, with some stiff opposition in each to contend with. Due to a no-show by Mosborough, the pool that the Bulldogs were drawn in went down to just 4 teams. A brilliant first game against Ashfield notched up their first win, and a more nervy performance against Bakewell saw them only secure a 'slim' win (thankfully they all count) , however, the key match was against Paviors to decide pool winners. A great games of rugby then ensued between the two sides, with a 2-1 scoreline in Pavs favour at half-time. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to claw this back and another nervy 2nd half performance meant a 4-1 defeat, however, still securing a place in the Plate final. Who would they meet????

Warriors played 4 games in their pool, winning 2, drawing 1 and losing 1. The two key matches here were against Derby and Matlock. Derby, like Paviors came to the tournament with 1 team, obviously handpicked to win. Their 4-1 win flattered them slightly, with Mansfield Warriors giving them a hard game, but were unable to penetrate their strong defence enough. This meant that the Warriors needed a win against Matlock in their last game to secure 2nd place in the pool and a place in the Plate Final. Even though the pressure was on them to perform, they played much more relaxed rugby and the ball moved with ease up and down the line to create the opportunities to score. Matlock, determined in their play, were unable to penetrate the Mansfield defence at all, resulting in a 3-0 win to the Warriors.

This meant a match up of Mansfield Bulldogs against Mansfield Warriors in the Plate Final. A tense affair to say the least, no less so on the side lines amongst the supporters, however, the lads were keen to play and give their all, and that's exactly what they did. These teams have been playing together for the past 6 months and picked to be evenly matched, and this showed in this game. A quick try from the Bulldogs seemed to hush the confident Warriors supporters, however, normal service was soon resumed by an excellent try from the Warriors. This was how the game played out over the whole match - the Bulldogs taking the lead and the Warriors pulling it back. The game ended in the most fitting way possible with the final whistle being blown at 3 tries each, which meant that both captains lifted the Plate trophy, won and deservedly so, by the whole Mansfield U9 squad. A great day and the perfect result at the end of end of a superb season.

Well done lads. Nothing short of what you deserve.