Although the pitches at Enfiled Playing Fields were not playable due to all the recent rain , there was still plenty of rugby for much of the Youth Section.

Under 7s
Well done all those who turned up (and played!) at Barnet today. It was muddy and somewhat fresh… Coach Stuart was only getting the feeling back in his fingers late on Sunday! How coach Jim ran out in shorts is beyond him.. he must have guiness running through his veins! The kids were awesome- it was their first real run out since the cold snap before Christmas. They pulled together as a team and worked hard on both their defence and attack. Some really impressive shouts for the defensive line and some super tries from many of the players. Special well done to Felix and Finley for players of the week (as well as Rory for bravery! I hope his nose is not too sore). Very proud coaches and parents- well done !

Under 8s
We had a welcome start to the new year yesterday's sunny Sunday morning, with an away fixture to Barnet U8s. This was originally planned to be played at home but because of inclement weather, our pitches are waterlogged so Barnet graciously hosted us.

We had a good turnout this week and put out two teams: i) Fred, Logan, Buddy, Noah, Reece, Dylan and Will ii) James, Joe, Liam, Ryan, Jan and Harrison against Barnet who also fielded two teams.

It was great to see the U8s picking up where they left off at the end of last year with some excellent play. The talking points of this match were:
Good link-up play.
Both teams moved the ball well. They were making three passes quickly from the off so the carrier could then make a run for the try line.
Playing passes without being tagged.
The players are starting to realise that if they cannot make it to the try line it would be advantageous to pass the ball to players in better positions to score.
Communication.
We are hearing a lot more communication on the field. The players are talking to each other and calling for the ball.
Tagging and defence.
The increase in communication is making it easier to set up defensively. Rather than single players running off to get tags, they are moving together to block off routes for the opposition to make runs. This is enabling them to get more tags.
Following the ball carrier.
I saw many instances when we were running with the ball, of players following behind to be available for a pass if the carrier was tagged.
All of these points are encouraging to see. It shows us that the players are thinking more on their feet and have a raised awareness of the game.

A special mention today goes to James. He displayed all of the above skills today and more. It is because of this that he was awarded Milo. A great performance today young man, well deserved.

As usual, we continue to push the ethos of T.R.E.D.S.:
Teamwork
Respect
Enjoyment
Discipline
Sportsmanship

A big thank you to all the parents today for braving the cold. Looking forward to next weekend's fixture.

Under 9s
This could have been the junior version of "The School Of Hard Knocks" for the two Enfield Ignatians Under 9s found themselves against two hard running and hard tackling Barnet teams: whereas before Christmas the Blue and Golds were a match for the opposition.

And so it was that on a cold but bright Sunday morning, with cold hands and managing mild bumps to the shins, toes, elbows.... the little warriors had to dig deep to ensure the scoreboard did not run away. It is to the credit that each and every one worked really hard
both in defence and attack. As the morning developed and the games progressed there was distinct progress in looking to pass the ball before the tackle and finding gaps in the Barnet defence.

The "Star of The Week" awards went to Rian for his twinkle toes running and to Joey for his resolute defence and tackling. However, special mention must also go to Imogen: getting stuck in on her first game of rugby ever!!

Under 10s
In our first game of the new year, Enfield Ignatians U10s travelled to Barnet who fielded two strong, well-drilled sides. And, despite some confusion as to whether the match could go ahead, caused by the persistent rain, the Blue & Gold also had enough players to put out two teams.

Even though it was their first match since the start of December, it was good to see that our players had remembered the lessons the coaches have been trying to instil in them since the start of the season. (When we played Barnet at home, they outgunned the U10s in the maul but the same didn't happen today.) And whilst all elements of the breakdown were tightly contested neither team could claim to have total superiority. Week by week, more players are committing to the tackle!

In both games the will to get the upper hand was ferocious, but fair, and resulted in a number of bumps and bruises for some Enfield players. This didn't stop them and they showed real resilience, competing to the end. There were strong performances across the board and it was great to see Isla, Megan & Sienna coming to the fore with ball in hand. It was also good to see how a couple of the newer players, Freddie H & Joseph T, are developing. Ultimately, however, it was the all-round game play of Ryley and the dogged tackling of Noah that saw them being awarded Players of the Week. Congratulations.

The team is developing well and were cheered on by their families who, as always, travelled in numbers providing great support.

Well done everyone and thanks to Barnet being great hosts.

Players:
Anthony, Eddie, Elliott, Freddie H, Geroge C, Isla, Jonny, Joseph T, Joe, Kiaro, Megan, Noah, Ollie, Rayyan, Ryley & Sienna

Under 12s
So the U12’s finally got the nod late on Saturday afternoon that the game against Barnet could go ahead. And we’re glad it did…

Enfield played uphill 1st half but still managed to get off to a strong start with some very strong runs from Harry and Archie. Ben calling the shots at 10 was working very well and despite the slope we managed to play mostly in Barnet's half.

As halftime drew close sadly we lost Felik to a stomach injury and not long in to the 2nd half after an amazing run and assist to Harry Ben also had to come off injured. After a reshuffle the boys got straight back to the task in hand.

Enfield continued to run in try’s, scores from Romeo and both Ollie H and Ollie C led to a nice lead.

Barnet continued to fight hard and the game was played in great spirit by both sides. So much so the Barnet ref / coach even commented on that to our team at the break.

As the end of the game approached a lovely run down the wing by Archie led to a nice try for Sam.

Man of the match was without doubt Harry. His bustling runs and solid tackling made this an easy award to give. Overall the team played very well in some tough conditions and were a pleasure to watch.

Under 13s
A high-octane, high scoring match enthralled the crowd at Cheshunt RFC yesterday afternoon. With all of the recent rain we were grateful that Cheshunt have an AGP pitch which allowed the merit table match to go ahead.

After a fairly even start Cheshunt took the lead following some missed tackles in the Enfield 22. Ignatians hit back quickly with a trademark break and try from Donie. Tries were then exchanged for a while before Enfield built a slight lead going into halftime.

With a few players picking up knocks and with fewer substitutes than usual it was sometimes a case of who was least tired remaining on the pitch. Enfield managed to score a few more tries in the second half following some better decisions when ball was in hand and some direct running from deep.

Sammy, making a rare and timely appearance for the boys in gold and blue ran in two tries, Patrick mazed his way through, Cameron dotted down, Ollie S earned a try following some good support work and Hayden put in a lung bursting run from his own half to also cross the whitewash.

Enfield never had the game sewn up though and Cheshunt finished strongly with a couple of tries, however Enfield managed to hold on for the win.

Good performances all round today, with plenty of players tackling themselves into exhaustion, none more so that Ollie G who fully deserved the MOTM award as decided by the Cheshunt players in the clubhouse after the match. Congratulations to George from Cheshunt who was Enfield’s MOTM.

Thanks go to Cheshunt for a fantastic match and for being great hosts.

Tries from: Donie (2), Sammy (2), Ollie G (3), Ollie S, Cameron, Patrick and Hayden.