Last Sunday the Under 10s travelled away to Newmarket RFC to defend the Prima Cup as won by last year’s Heath Under 10s. The competition is run by Leicester Tigers and begins with 8 Qualifying Festivals of rugby in the surrounding regions of Leicester culminating in a final which is played on the Leicester Tigers 1st team pitch just prior to a Leicester home match in late March. With a large squad of two teams travelling to play, this was the perfect opportunity for the Under 10s to dust off the overnight bags and introduce a ‘Dads & Lads’ one night tour. Having settled into the hotel, the best possible preparation for the matchday ahead was for the Under 10s to watch the England game followed by their first rugby curry! Suitably watered and fed the boys put their Dads to bed for some much needed rest!

The Under 10s were up early and ready for match day knowing that in the Heath A team draw were four sides the Club had never met before, so it was going to be a good test against new opposition. Even after a night of exuberance and over indulgence, the boys did not disappoint taking to the pitch and laying a marker down to all in the first minute of the game with a perfectly executed move resulting in the ball being moved down the line for a well-deserved try in the corner. Throughout the morning the rugby flowed with Heath getting better and better with each game. Heath won all their group games beating Newmarket 6 Tries to Nil, Braintree 2 Tries to Nil, Stowmarket 5 tries to Nil and Shelford 6 Tries to Nil. With the Under 10 ‘B’ team performing strongly in the other side of the draw, where they won 2, drew 1 and lost just 1 match with some exceptional tackling and all-pitch play on show from the whole squad against A team opposition, they were unlucky not to meet the Under 10 A’s in the final having narrowly lost to North Walsham by 2 Tries to 1.

So the Under 10s were all set for a tough contest in the final with North Walsham. The Heath boys took the game straight to the opposition from the kick off scoring through the middle with some very direct running. Heath did not take a step back in defence and drove the opposition back with some crunching tackles from all involved. With Heath’s passing game proving far too strong for Walsham, Heath ran out winners of the Festival with an excellent 6 Tries to Nil win. The Heath Under 10 A squad now go through to the semi-final at Leicester Tigers in late February. With this side having scored in excess of 130 Tries this season with only 2 tries against, they go into the rest of the season with great confidence. With the whole of the Heath Under 10s squad going from strength to strength the future looks bright for this age group this season and there are likely to be some selection headaches ahead for the coaches!