Wigan U9's Away at Ashton-on-Mersey

Having been denied games for the last two weeks (due to heavy rain and poor pitch conditions), Wigan’s U9’s were feeling the need to let of some steam. Going into the fixture with their unbeaten record intact, the players, parents and spectator travelled to Ashton-on-Mersey with air of confidence.

Having managed to contain their enthusiasm during the warm up, the players lined up to listen intently to the referee as he refreshed their memory with an overview of the rules prior to kick off, a good idea given the two week break. As the clock struck 11am the teams lined up, keen to get underway.

With a healthy squad of 14 players, the coaches adopted a substitute rotation strategy akin to American Football. With 8 playing and 6 subs, the decision was to rotate players in groups of 3. Great for the first two rotations, however it soon became apparent that 3 doesn’t go into 8. Reverting back to their usual buddy approach (two players at a time), order was restored and the coaches breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite having not played for a few weeks there were no cobwebs to dust off and no stuttering start. The players lined up, having been offered the start with ball in hand as the away team, and as the whistle blow took control of the game to cross the line within a heartbeat. Having set the stage, the attacking prowess never relinquished throughout the mornings games.

Despite the one sided nature of the game, it was pleasing to see that the Ashton players never gave up. However whenever tested the Wigan defensive line stepped up the pressure, forcing the handover on several occasions with strong tackling. The strength of the line ensured a clean sheet, which given the openness of the U9’s game was a great achievement.

Watching on the side lines, both coaches discussed technique and encouraged the players to ‘use the ball’ and ‘the pass’ wherever possible. Despite some early individual rugby, the players realising the benefits of expansive rugby, soon started to show structured play involving some delightful passing moves which created space. This was clearly evidenced when Luke, having rounded the defence and with the line clearly in his sights, passed the ball to Harrison (his winger) who cantered over the line unopposed. Much to the delight of the coaches and watching spectators – and clearly worth a mention in the match write-up! The players continued to entertain with ball in hand, combining direct running with sublime passing to create space and maintain possession, predominately in the opposition half for much of the game. With the final whistle blown, parents and spectators from both teams showed their appreciation with a round of applause. A worthy gesture to the players for their entertaining performance.

After the game all the players gathered in the club house, with sausage sandwiches in hand and ketchup across faces, for the usual presentation of Parent’s and Coach’s awards.

With many candidates to choose from (everyone!), it was agreed that the Coach’s award would go to the player who had continually lead from the front in defence. Having adopted a text book tackling technique - tackling everything that ran near him - Rhys had proved worthy of the accolade.

With the parent’s votes counted, there was a clear favourite. Having also impressed the coaches with is organisational approach throughout the games and supportive play, Ollie was rewarded for his efforts having gained the most parent votes.

Having watched the players both coaches were very pleased with the whole team performance and more than happy with how the team is continuing to develop as a unit.

Well done everyone!!!