• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Youth and speed overcame experience at the final of Sunday’s Sunshine Sevens at East Grinstead RFC.

Marauders Academy awash with their talented young pretenders taught the Wooden Spoon a lesson in a largely one-sided final, walking away with the Lady Astor of Hever Trophy and the £1000 prizemoney.

The winners, a development side for the original White Hart Marauders, included players developing their trades within Premiership clubs and looked untroubled for the majority of the day.

In the afternoon’s finale an early Chris Rose try highlighted the all-angle threat that the Marauders possessed. Leo Savage, fresh from Warlingham’s Surrey Sevens win, was a constant nuisance and scored a second try to extend the youngster’s lead.

It proved a fascinating duel at half-back with Wooden Spoon’s ultra-experienced Chad Shepherd up against bright young spark Jack Walsh, who conducted proceedings with aplomb.

Although the Spoon enjoyed plenty of possession, the Marauders were ousting them at their own games using disciplined and aggressive defence before catching their opponents cold on the counter-attack.

Millfield schoolboy Miles Mantella continued his imperious sevens form with two scintillating breaks either side of half-time to take the Marauders out to 26-0.

Just as impressive as Mantella (who will join Harlequins’ Academy next season) was tireless forward Jake Henry whose tackle count and work rate won him the Player of the Tournament award by the organisers. 

A late consolation try for the Spoon (26-7) was scant consolation with this being their second consecutive loss in the final in Sussex. 

Tactics key to win

“We played to our strengths, we weren’t the biggest side on the park but we had a lot of pace and skill and we used that to our advantage,” said Marauder Academy Player/Manager Henry Pinto.

Pinto just returning from an ACL injury dislocated his shoulder in the group stages but was nonetheless hugely satisfied of his squad’s achievement’s.

“I’m so proud of the boys as they really put their bodies on the line, especially Jake who had a blinder in that final."

Wooden Spoon’s coach Paul Dunckley was philosophical in defeat but praised his side who hadn’t played together before.

“It is a little bit gutting we were definitely taught a lesson by those youngsters. I’m pretty happy with the boys though especially as they were thrown together last minute and gelled well apart form that last game,” said Dunckley.

Apache’s Sunshine Sevens drought continued frustrated by the Spoon in a 19-5 loss despite the best efforts of Richard Briggs and Sam Edgerley. Kamikaze who had enjoyed a bye into the semi-finals did their best to unlock the Marauders but they were ultimately undone 26-7.

Hosts East Grinstead got the crowd on their feet in seesaw quarter-final against Apache missing a late conversion to miss out 26-24, with Edgerley blazing in for a hat-trick. Flu-ridden Olaf Axes were out muscled by the Wooden Spoon (35-6) with Marauders clinical against Esher in the first quarter-final (35-8).

Elsewhere it was the Pelicans who thwarted a pace-fuelled Hove 31-14 to grab the Plate with Old Colfeians taking the Bowl in defeating Sevenoaks.

Apache out to break Sunshine Sevens Duck