SATURDAY 23 OCTOBER 2021
1XV
Didsbury Toc H 33-22 Eccles
2XV
Crewe and Nantwich v Eccles
Only 24 men were available for selection to play on Saturday. Once the 1XV team sheet was filled, the 2XV were left with only four players and with regret and apologies the fixture with Crewe and Nantwhich had to be cancelled. Very frustrating for the 2s who made a good start to their season in the Halbro Div 2 South, with a pair of wins, now having a concede marked against them.
SUNDAY 24 OCTOBER 2021
SENIOR COLTS
Eccles 16 - 53 Littleborough
Awaiting Match Report
U13s
Eccles v Southport
After last week's heavy defeat at the hands of a strong Ashton team, Eccles were looking to restore some confidence and form against Southport, who very kindly travelled to us, despite our reduced squad size. Not having played Southport before, but aware they had a potential squad of 28 players, we didn't know what to expect other than a physically demanding match with the prospect of no substitutes!
First impressions from Eccles when they saw 19 Southport players arriving was 'look at the size of them!'. Admittedly they had some mature players, big in stature but they kindly lent these players to us for the first half, making for a fairer start to the game and setting the tone for a game with lots of respect and fair play.
Having played the first 20mins with only one try separating the teams (4-3 to Southport), the second half was moved onto a larger pitch to accommodate the large number of players Southport had brought and this made for an exciting second half, albeit with some more running for our resident team Referee (thanks as ever to Kris).
Having realised that we were an equal match for Southport in terms of ability and arguably quicker in pace with the likes of Josh, Andrej and debutant Freddie, Coach Stevenson encouraged more kicking of the ball from George to send the three said whippets on attacking runs.
With Harrison, (Little) Ethan and Charlie making storming runs through the centre and the whippets causing chaos on the wings, Eccles were back in the game and Eccles parents rose to the challenge of cheering as loud as the Southport fans, despite being outnumbered three to one.
With Archie and Cian defending bravely, (Big) Ethan and Rylan also played their part in the centre, foraging and feeding the ball from the rucks. Further tries from Josh, beginning to find his pace again, kept us in the game and the match finished a respectable 9-6 to Southport.
Recognition went to Andrej as player of the match for his much-improved tackling and high work rate - keep it up Andrej!
A solid performance from Freddie too, returning to the club from Rugby League -he made a big impact and inspired his team mates.
The Southport parents were very complimentary about our team and all enjoyed post-match food back in the clubhouse (Thanks Marie & Team). We have been asked by Southport if we are ever available, for a round robin match at their club, which speaks volumes about the impression we made on their coaches.
Post match analysis of the game from the Coaches was very positive and all agreed that we are improving and worked much better as a team this week and our squad numbers are slowly building - well done U13's!
Report Dan Appleby
U12s
Southport v Eccles
The U12's really are getting into a stride now that we're back into the swing of things. It was a long drive to Southport but this didn't affect the lad's spirits.
The game started and ended a very close competition. Each player had a stand out moment more than once during the game, Kenzie fighting through the Southport defence, Jamie B taking down their biggest players single handed, Monty and Edward with their brilliant support allowing perfect passes and ultimately more tries. Bill fought off pretty much the whole team to fight for a try which was unfortunately not counted as he dropped it as he went to put it down, never the less it was a brilliant effort from his own half. Jamie F won the players player award for his efforts, man handling the Southport attacking players into touch and scoring two well earned tries. Harry took a few knocks but carried on regardless, knowing we didn't have any subs, he knew his team needed him. Harrison had some good runs and made the most of his supporting players.
All in all it was a great game. The score (although not kept by either side) was very close and decided by the coaches was a draw. Well done boys.
Report Paul Ogden.
U8s
Southport v Eccles
Eccles U/8s travelled to Southport on Sunday taking a much depleted squad of 11 ,this was due to a mixture of things from sickness to half term. That said it didn't dampen the performance of the squad. Southport had similar numbers and this allowed us to have 2 games going at the same time .
Both teams were about to show great skill throughout the games with lots of attacking play from both sides. The Eccles boys set off at a pace scoring quickly and catching Southport cold; it took 3 scores before they woke up and started to make a comeback. Both teams had some good strong runners with lots of pace and as tags were ripped off and passes exchanged quickly, the game flowed from end to end .
What was evident to all spectators was how much the boys were enjoying the game with all our little band of warriors getting plenty of ball and I'm sure that over both games everyone of them got on the score sheet. Southport got a little frustrated at the efficiency of the Eccles tag taking and in the end Eccles just had the edge taking the win in both games . The Southport club made us very welcome and we had a really great morning's rugby. Well done boys, even grumpy old Benty was impressed.
Report Alan Bent
