Tense U16 Cup Win Restores Bablake Pride

Tries from Nat Booth and Grant Wattis, both calmly converted by Jordan Motlib, ensured Bablake's U16s won the 2016 Robert Askill Memorial Trophy at Coventry RFC last night by a single point.

The team's 14-13 win over local rivals King Henry VIII, ensured they remained city champions for the fourth year running, however the outcome of the match was in question right up to the final whistle. So much so that only an heroic try-saving tackle by Jordan Motlib deep into our 22 in the final play of the match denied a King Henry VIII last gasp win. 

With much of the play in the opposition 22 in the first half, a narrow 7-3 lead at half time had looked vulnerable especially when forward pressure from KHVIII brought a try early in the second half. Despite giving too many penalties away, Bablake's defence stood firm and when Duncan Wattis broke free under the posts for our second try, a win was within our sights.

Dogged determination however brought a deserved second try for KHVIII in the corner and ultimately the missed touchline conversion attempt let Bablake off the hook. Captain Dan Smith was a threat throughout the game with his darting runs from scrum half, Andrew Wong carried cleverly and James Judge added calm encouragement with his team talks.

After the 12-0 defeat for our 1st XV against the same opponents earlier this month, last night's win restored our senior players' confidence for next season. Matches between the schools on key occasions are always a close call and this game was certainly an enthralling encounter, with defences on both sides deserving high praise.