Rugby Union: Littleborough Under 9s and Under 11s

Lewis Bracegirdle attacking Manchester U9s

Double Trouble saw Boro Down Manchester

In the first piece of action at a damp and cold Grove Park in Cheadle Hulme, two Littleborough Under 9s teams took on a good Manchester Under 9s squad and put in a complete performance.

Both visiting Littleborough teams set their stalls out early scoring plenty of tries at will due to their fantastic passing which Manchester couldn't live with.

Littleborough's great tackling on both pitches always kept Manchester at bay and it is not often that Manchester find themselves reduced to only a handful of tries in a game.

The matches were a real testament to what a good teams Manchester have and how well Littleborough played, particularly away from home. It was their best performance to date. The Boro coaches said they were proud of each and every one of the players.

With the vast majority finding the whitewash all 15 players deserved a mention today as they were all on fire.

After scratching his head, trying to decide on the moments that played an integral part of the game, Adam Bracegirdle awarded Elliot Wells tackler of the match as he was relentless and solid in the defensive part of his game and someone who put in some crunching tackles all day long. While Harry Tweddle was the grateful recipient of the highlight of the match for finishing a fine team try.

Faced with the same dilemma as his coaching partner, Neil Makinson was left purring at Noah Phillips' work rate in defence. The highlight of the match in the other game came from the excellent Jack Ashworth for scoring a great try after some good link up play.

Manchester U11s 4 - 15 Littleborough U11s

Achieving the same kind of success, Littleborough's Under 11s dismantled their Manchester counterparts in a very satisfactory manner, taking victory 15 tries to 4.

In Sunday's game we saw a team driven by passion, sheer power and determination, as well as having a hunger of the ball. The Under 11s certainly satisfied their cravings.

The first try scored by Ellis Johnson on the back of his appearance as a mascot for Sale Sharks on Saturday, within the first two minutes of the game set the precedent for a very entertaining game of rugby.

The ball was continually moving forward, because it was doing all the work for them. The players were looking at each other, looking at the space they could use, and boy did it pay off!

Whenever the ball was lost, they were quick to take possession back and panic set in for Manchester as Boro's drives forward had continual threat. It was not long until the threats turned into tries.

Littleborough not only showed up but every single player put in a performance, including a impressive first game for Josh Leach, who scored twice on his debut for his new team.

By the second quarter of the game the score was a narrow 3-2 lead to Littleborough after Callum Sharrocks scored a brace.

The start of the second half saw Littleborough catapult themselves to new heights with four tries in a mezmerising spell of attacking rugby. Tries for Josh, a hat trick for Johnson, Charlie Slade and Timon Warburton with great set ups from Harrison Dickinson, Olivia Stafford, Billie Eastwood, Max Rawlinson and Scarlett Crossley.

For the final 2 quarters the tries just kept on coming like clockwork as Ellis Beau, Charlie Slade, Leach, Taylor Ward, Rawlinson score and the superb Callum Sharrocks completed his hat-trick. The energetic Grace O'Keefe was a catalyst for a number of tries on what turned out to be a perfect winter afternoon.