For the final fixture of the season the entire squad descended on Matlock and came away with two excellent wins.  

Derby A 25 – 0 Matlock  

In the first match, Derby fielded a full strength team and proved too strong for their opponents.  The forwards had to work hard to secure quality possession against a hard-working and determine Matlock pack who competed for everything, often supplemented by a couple of backs.  

Whenever they had the ball, Derby looked to move it wide and the first try came following an excellent insertion into the line by full back Nick Rigg which created the space for Marcus Axelson to score.  

The backs continued to look threatening with Harry Young, George Castledine and Joseph Wright all going close before David Eades was held up close to the line and Will Skeates thundered over to score.  

The second half became the forwards’ show as they dominated possession and made huge territory gains with their excellent driving.  From a line-out James Brentnall took quick ball and drove at the Matlock scrum half, supported by Reece Harrison before George Groom ripped the ball clear and charged over.  

The fourth try was a copy of the third except this time Alex Tomlinson was on hand to apply the finishing touch.  

The final try came from a short penalty.  Scrum half Myles Costello fed James Brentnall who proved unstoppable from three metres out.  

Derby Side: Will Skeates, Alex Tomlinson, Reece Harrison, James Brentnall, George Groom, Myles Costello, David Eades, Marcus Axelson (Alex Barbour), George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Harry Young and Nick Rigg.  

Derby B 15 – 5 Matlock  

In the second game, a largely development squad took on the same Matlock side and put in an excellent performance, noisily cheered on by the A team.  

Driven on by captain Barnaby Parkes the development lads set about the task with huge determination and dominated the first half.  From the first scrum of the game, Matthew Rowley hooked the ball back for Marcus Axelson, playing scrum half for the first time, to pick up and set off on a trade mark thunderous run to score in the corner.  

The backs looked to move the ball wide with Alex Ham, Joseph Booth, Dominic Murray and full back Alex Barbour all making good ground and with Andrew Parker always in support.  

From a tap penalty close to the Matlock line, Alex Ham was held up but Thomas Doyle was on hand to recycle and bulldoze over.  

Matlock then came back and it took good defence by Max Cook and Harvey Baines and an enormous tackle by Jack ‘man mountain’ Drayton to halt their advances.  

In the second half Matlock had a spell of good possession and put pressure on the Derby line and came close to scoring but the Derby defence held firm, including a shuddering cover tackle from Alex Ham when the Matlock centre looked certain to score.  

Derby fought their way up the pitch and made the game safe when Matthew Rowley took a scrum against the head and Axelson did the rest.  

Matlock again laid siege to the Derby line and Barnaby Parkes, Harvey Baines, Ian temple and Cameron MacPherson all played their part in keeping the host side out.  Eventually the pressure paid and Matlock scored a well worked and well deserved try.  

Derby side: Thomas Doyle, Matthew Rowley, Harvey Baines, Barnaby Parkes (captain), Max Cook (Ian Temple), Marcus Axelson, Alex Ham, Dominic Murray, Joseph Booth, Andrew Parker (Cameron MacPherson), Jack Drayton, Alex Barbour.  

OVERALL  

An excellent day, two good matches and real evidence of the progress everyone gas made this year.  All bodes well for next season.  

Once again thanks to all the parents for their commitment and hard work, supporting the players and coaches come rain or shine (or hail, or snow, or freezing gales).  The players’ success and enjoyment is a testament to your support and commitment.  Thank you.

With several players away, a mixed squad made the short journey to Stoke and put in some excellent performances.  Jack Drayton, Max Cook, Thomas Doyle and Nick Rankin were all promoted from the development squad and fitted seamlessly into the team, demonstrating the strength in depth that is developing.  

Derby 15 - 0 Winnington Park  

Adopting their usual game plan, Derby spent the entire game in their opponents half and should have scored more than the three tries they managed.  However with several changes to positions and personal they took a while to settle.  

The forwards dominated possession and were twice held up over the Winnington Park line before George Castledine, filling in at scrum half, burst over to score.  

The lead was doubled early in the second half when Marcus Axelson once again proved unstoppable and following a concerted drive, Castledine crossed for his second and the team’s third try.  

Derby 25 – 0 Newcastle-under-Lyme  

In the second game, the team really clicked and played some exciting expansive rugby building on an excellent forward platform.  

Axelson was first to score, charging over from a tap penalty.  Fly half Tom Kent then added an excellent individual try after the forwards had won a scrum against the head.  Just before half time David Eades made a storming break and the ball was quickly recycled for James Brentnall to score.  

Straight from the start of the second half Derby scored their fourth try.  A pinpoint kick-off by Tom Kent fell into the arms of Harry Young who scampered over.  The final try came following a good drive with George Castledine emerging with the ball.  

The team finished top of the group and as the highest try scorers, setting up a semi-final with the host club.  

Derby 0-0 Stoke  

As expected the semi-final was a harder contest than the pool games with Derby having to absorb considerable pressure which wasn’t helped by a penalty count of 15 conceded.  This made it hard for the boys to clear their lines.  

Nevertheless the defence was once again outstanding and Derby came closest to scoring through George Castledine.  However the game ended scoreless, leading to 5 minutes golden time.  

Neither side could find a way through the opposition defences so the game was decided on a toss of a coin.  This week the call went against us and we missed out on another final.  It was a pity the result was decided this way particularly as in the pool stages the Derby team had outscored Stoke and kept two clean sheets.  

Overall some positives.  Eight tries scored and three clean sheets is no mean and puts pressure on the regular members of the festival squad.

Squad members: James Brentnall (captain), Harvey Baines, Max Cook, Thomas Doyle, Reece Harrison, Will Skeates, Barnaby Parkes, George Castledine, Tom Kent, Marcus Axelson, David Eades, Joseph Wright, Harry Young, Jack Drayton and Nick Rankin.

Fresh from their success at NLD, the under 11s went to Ilkeston looking to continue building for the Gullivers Festival.  Having recovered from illness Will Skeates was restored to the squad along with Barnaby Parkes although Alistair Wolff was unavailable along with the still injured Joseph Wright.  Faced with a heavy, stamina-sapping pitch and heavy rain, a larger squad was to prove essential.  The squad was:  

Myles Costello (captain), Tom Kent, George Castledine, George Tresidder, Nick Rigg, Alex Barbour, Harry Young, David Eades, Luke McNeilly, Reece Harrison, Alex Tomlinson, James Brentnall, Harvey Baines, Will Skeates, Barnaby Parkes and George Groom.  

Having been awarded a bye in the preliminary stages, Derby entered the qualifiers in determined mood and proceeded to move through to the final undefeated.  The highlights were a titanic struggle with old foes Paviors and a convincing display of attacking rugby in awful conditions against a gallant but ultimately outclassed Sheffield B team.  

Once again there was little to choose between two evenly matched sides and although Derby had the better of both possession and territory, the Paviors defence held firm while their pack managed to slow the ball down.  Looking to keep the game moving, Derby ran a succession of quick penalties and from one, Tom Kent was unlucky to have a try disallowed and for the second week running the game between the two remained scoreless.  

The match against Sheffield B became an exhibition of running rugby that made light of the worsening conditions.  Derby scored early on when faced with a packed defence, Tom Kent chipped over the top and George Tresidder won the race to touch the ball down.  

Kent and Myles Costello scored tries in quick succession before David Eades beat four defenders to score.  Before half time the forwards got a reward to their efforts when George Groom barged over.  

Straight from the kick-off for the second half, Nick Rigg made a powerful break before putting Tom Kent over for his second try.  And from the restart Luke McNeilly scored a stunning individual try, catching the kick off and running half the length of the pitch, mixing deft footwork with sheer power and determination.  

There was still time for Eades to score a second try and for Alex Tomlinson to bludgeon over to make the score 45-0.  All credit to Sheffield who never gave in and tackled and covered heroically all game.  

Through to the final, Derby were faced by Oakham who they gad beaten back at the Kesteven Festival in October and who were clearly out to get revenge.  Both teams were fully committed and despite a torrential downpour and a mud patch of a pitch played their part in an exciting final.  

Derby scored first through George Tresidder who injured himself in the process and left the ground on crutches.  Hopefully the injury will not prove too serious.  

Oakham came back hard to score a deserved equaliser and from then on the defences were on top and the trophy was shared.

Having swept through the qualifying rounds scoring13 tries and conceding just one, the under 11 squad arrived at Kesteven in confident and determined frame of mind. The squad showed just one change from the qualifying tournament with fit again George Groom replacing the unavailable Barney Parkes.  However Joseph Wright had to withdraw through injury while Will Skeates missed the festival due to illness.  

The squad on the day was: Myles Costello (captain), Tom Kent, George Castledine, George Tresidder, Nick Rigg, Alex Barbour, Harry Young, David Eades, Luke McNeilly, Reece Harrison, Alex Tomlinson, James Brentnall, Harvey Baines, Alistair Wolff and George Groom.  

In the group stages the opponents were Paviors and Grimsby with the winners progressing to the cup semi-finals.  

Derby 0-0 Paviors  

Once again the match with Paviors was a close encounter and although Derby dominated territory for large spells of the game, they were unable to score.  However the crucial thing in the small groups was not to lose and once again the defence held firm.  

Derby 10-0 Grimsby  

In the second match the opponents Grimsby fielded a huge pack which initially caused some problems.  However Derby took the lead through a moment of inspiration and individual brilliance from George Castledine.  

Receiving the ball from a scrum near his own line he spotted space on the blindside, ignored team instructions to go for ground and set off on a determined run the length of the pitch to score.  

From then on Derby controlled the game and Reece Harrison and George Tresidder both had tries disallowed before Tresidder made a determined break and put centre partner David Eades away to score and make the game safe.  

There then followed a nervous wait while Paviors played Grimsby .  If Paviors won by three tries they would go through.  As it was they won 10-0, forcing a penalty shoot-out to decide who went through.  

Winning the toss, Paviors chose to kick first and their full back missed.  George Castledine stepped up to put Derby ahead.  What followed was a demonstration of accurate kicking with no further misses on either side.  George Tresidder, Tom Kent, Luke McNeilly and David Eades slotted the kicks that put Derby through to a semi-final against Nottingham .  

Derby 5-0 Nottingham  

The semi-final was another close encounter with Nottingham giving as good as they got and with the defences generally on top.  Both packs worked hard to get the upper hand and it took a moment of individual quick-thinking to win the game.  

Derby were awarded a penalty 15 metres from the Nottingham line.  George Tresidder took a quick penalty and split the Nottingham defence before passing to Harry Young who squeezed over in the corner.  

NLD FINAL

Derby 10-5 Newark  

In the final the opponents were Newark who had been having an outstanding season with their last defeat being against Derby at the Kesteven Festival.  What followed was a titanic, end-to-end struggle with two teams refusing to concede an inch.  

Both sides settled quickly and signalled their intention to run the ball whenever the forwards could deliver quick ball.  Both packs had periods of dominance but neither pack took control of the game.  

Derby took the lead when Alistair Wolff took a ball against the head.  Myles Costello shipped the ball quickly and a clever loop in midfield gave Tresidder the space to surge past the defence to score.  

Newark came back hard and scored an excellent and well-deserved equaliser.  

The second half was a tense affair and with the score level at full-time the game entered 5 minutes of golden time where the first team to score would win.  

Derby lost the toss and were made to play up the hill but took the game to Newark and were rarely out of the opposition half.  The winner score followed good breaks by Tom Kent and George Castledine and some committed rucking by the pack.  Eventually the ball made its way to Tresidder who drew in three defenders before passing to Harry Young who was moving at top speed and surged over in the corner.  

Overall  

An excellent day!  The depleted squad worked hard and improved with every game.  The challenge was made more difficult when Alex Barbour was injured in the Grimsby game and took no further part in the Festival.  The levels of fitness and commitment were outstanding.  

After last year’s disappointment of losing out on a place in the final on the toss of a coin, the boys more than made up for it today.  

Thanks to all the parents for their vocal support and for Simon Groom for videoing the matches.

After the disappointment of the cancellation of last week’s four way fixture at Stamford , 27 players made their way down the A52 to play in a triangular tournament with Nottingham and Southwell.  Once again every member of the squad gained some valuable match practice and the results of the hard work on the training field were clear to see.  

Match 1: Derby 21 – 00 Nottingham  

In the first game, a strong Derby squad took on their Nottingham counterparts and turned in yet another outstanding display of expansive attacking play.  If only the England backs could show as much creativity and precision!  

From the kick off, Derby took the game to their opponents and having lost possession, fought hard to recover the ball and following some crisp passing, George Tresidder set off on one of his characteristic scything runs to score.  George Castledine added the conversion.  

Nottingham came back hard but were met by a solid defensive wall whether they attacked through their forwards or their backs.  Driven on by scrum half and captain Myles Costello, the Derby pack began to win a steady supply of quick ball which the backs used effectively, moving the ball quickly to Nick Rigg and Joseph Wright on the wings.  

Just before half time, Derby doubled their lead with a well-executed Kiwi move.  The ball was moved rapidly by Tom Kent to Tresidder and when he was held close to the line, David Eades was on his shoulder to take the pass and storm over.  Once again Castledine was successful with the conversion.  

The second half followed a similar pattern with Derby putting huge pressure on Nottingham when they had the ball and the forwards forced numerous turnovers while the backs counterattacked whenever their opponents were forced to kick.  

The scoring was completed when George Tresidder scored his second try and George Castledine completed a hat-trick of successful conversions  

Team:   Alex Tomlinson (Luke McNeilly), Alistair Wolff (James Brentnall). Will Skeates, George Groom, Harvey Baines, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, Joseph Wright, George Tresidder, David Eades, Nick Rigg, George Castledine.  

Match 2: Derby 07 – 21 Southwell  

In the second game, a totally changed Derby line-up was unlucky to lose a fiercely contested match against a strong Southwell side.  Considering the range in experience of the players, this was an outstanding performance.  

Straight from the kick off, the Derby pack took the game to the opposition with Luke McNeilly and James Brentnall punching holes in the opposition defence.  In one drive the pack shoved Southwell 15 metres back up the park.  When the ball was moved wide centres Marcus Axelson and Tyrone took some stopping.  

Derby had a succession of penalties close to the line but were unable to force their way over.  

However Southwell came into the game and it took some determined defence to keep them at bay, including a couple of strong tackles by Marcus Axelson and a monumental hit by Alex Ham.  Playing just his second game, Alex found himself as the last defender facing a rampaging giant of a Southwell forward coming at his at full tilt.  To gasps from all around the pitch, he set himself and flattened his opponent in textbook style.  And to prove it was no fluke he went on to make 5 other outstanding hits. 

Eventually Southwell made their pressure pay and they scored two converted tries in quick succession.  

Derby never gave up and created numerous chances of their own with both centres and skipper Harry Young going close.  The forwards continued to win a good supply of ball with Barney Parkes dominating the lineouts with clean catches and rapid distribution.  

Southwell however managed to get another converted score before Harry Young crashed over for a well-deserved team try.  He also added the conversion.  

Team:   Thomas Doyle, James Brentnall (Alistair Wolff), Luke McNeilly, Barney Parkes, Max Cook, Harry Young, Alex Barbour, Dominic Murray (Andrew Parker), Tyrone, Marcus Axelson, Eliot Poyser-Darby (Cameron McPherson), Alex Ham (Max).  

Overall - Once again an excellent day.  Everyone who turned up got some game time and everyone who put on a Derby shirt played to their best and can be proud of their efforts.  The senior squad has now scored 17 tries in their last 4 games and kept 4 clean sheets which is an exceptional achievement, while we can now field an increasingly competitive second squad.  The strength in depth is a reward for everyone’s hard work at training, and the selection of the NLD squad is going to be a difficult task.  

Thanks again to the parents for their wonderful support.  Hopefully the aims of the coaching policy are clear to see and we can look forward to an even more exciting and rewarding second half of the season.   Roll on NLD!

This was another opportunity to give everyone game time with this away fixture at Lichfield. Once again we opted for two games of ten minutes each way. This would surely prove to be a tougher proposition than last weeks games against a slightly under-strength Paviors, especially in the conditions; driving rain combined with strong winds.  

Game1: Lichfield 05 - 05 Derby  

Once again, from the kick off, the Derby forwards started strongly with several good, driving mauls with notable contributions from Harvey Baines. On reflection it would be fair to say that to begin with Lichfield were the better scrummagers but this did not deter the Derby pack. Joseph Wright, deputising at scrum half, was very much in the thick of the action during most of the first half. As well as making a couple of good breaks he was being called upon to tackle the Lichfield forwards who were peeling off the mauls.  

The only score of the half came from the Lichfield full back who collected a kick off on his own try line and proceeded to run through most of the Derby defenders to touch down. A classy score if ever I saw one!  

In the second half, with a completely new pack of forwards, Derby started taking the game to Lichfield with a combination of driving forward play and some hard running from Marcus Axelsom; one of these runs resulting in a well deserved try. Derby were to be robbed of a winning try after Joseph Wright snatched the ball from the full back’s hands to touch down only to find the referee had disallowed it. Why, we don’t know!  

Team :-

Game 2: Lichfield 00 - 15 Derby

With a new back line, Derby started confidently and didn’t really look like giving much away to a strong Lichfield side. Good scrummaging and rucking were providing plenty of ball for the backs who were handling extremely well in the wet conditions. A try was soon scored following a blind side run from George Tresidder who evaded several players to touchdown in the corner. From the ensuing Lichfield kick off, a good catch and drive from Reece Harrison resulted in a scrum in the oppositions half. Although Lichfield won this scrum, their fly half’s kick was charged down by Tom Kent who then pressurised their full back into spilling the ball. He was only prevented from pouncing on the loose ball and scoring by the player on the ground! Just before half time Derby were awarded a penalty close to Lichfield`s try line, quick thinking and nifty footwork from George Castledine giving Derby their second try.  

The second half was spent almost entirely in the Lichfield half of the pitch. However, only one more try was scored, in no small part due to Lichfield`s strong defence. Following the award of a penalty, George Tresidder, spotting a gap up the blind side, quickly tapped the ball and sped up the wing to touchdown before the Lichfield players had regrouped. Even at this point Lichfield would not lie down and the last two minutes were spent on or near Derby`s tryline with only determined defence keeping them out.  

Team :-

Two more outstanding performances following on from last week, with all the boys playing their part. It is most rewarding to see them putting all our training drills together to come up with such good all round games, especially in the difficult conditions. Well done to you all. A special thank-you to “Skeates Rainwear Supplies”, our sponsors for the day!  

The original intention had been to host a three way fixture with Mansfield and Paviors. However, after the effects of half-term holiday commitments, Mansfield being unable to raise a team, we were left with two Derby v Paviors games of ten minutes each way.  

The games were viewed as an ideal opportunity for valuable match experience for those boys who hadn’t taken part in the earlier festivals.  

Game1: Derby 10 - 00 Paviors

It was evident from the start that the Derby forwards had got the bit between their teeth. Strong scrummaging and hard driving in the rucks and mauls were obviously going to be main aspects of the days play. Despite winning a fair share of the ball, which had been passed around well by the backs, the first half ended scoreless.  

The second half saw Derby starting to control the game, spending more and more time in the opposition’s half. The forwards were being led by Harvey Baines and Alistair Wolfe who were both having the first of two outstanding games. Superior territory and possession soon resulted in a first try. A strong scrum produced good, quick ball which was fed on to Tom Kent who dummied and skipped through several would be tacklers on his way to the tryline. Further attacks came with both Alistair Wolfe and Joseph Wright being stopped short of the line after good runs down the left wing. A second try soon followed with Tom Kent scoring again from closer range this time.  

Throughout the game Derby`s defence had been excellent with some hard tackling from Jim Brentnall, a terrier like performance from Myles Costello and a bone crunching tackle from Tom Kent on his opposite number, the Paviors “danger man”!  

Team :- James Brentnall, Alistair Wolff, Luke McNeilly, Harvey Baines, Max Cook, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, Dominic Murray, Jack Drayton, Nick Rankin, Andrew Parker, George Tresidder.

Game 2: Derby 35 - 00 Paviors

Although the line up had changed for the second game, Derby carried on where they had left off after the first game. Once again the forwards were outstanding with Jim Brentnall, Harvey Baines, George Groom and Alex Tomlinson to the fore. It was no surprise to soon see George Tresidder scoring one of his trademark solo tries followed by Tom Kent providing a repeat of his earlier elusive running to score again.  

The second half eventually became a little one-sided due to the domination of our forwards, our expansive back play and a determination not to allow the opposition back into the game. Further tries were scored by George Tresidder, another long range effort; Tom Kent, after a cheeky interception; George Castledine, following a fine jinking run; Joseph Wright, finishing off a blind side move and Nick Rigg, after the perfect execution of the “Kiwi” move.  

It had been a fine team effort with some outstanding individual performances.  

Team :- James Brentnall, Alistair Wolff, Alex Tomlinson, Harvey Baines, George Groom, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, George Tresidder, Nick Rigg, Dominic Murray, Joseph Wright, George Castledine.

Amongst two strong, all-round team performances, praise must be given to Harvey Baines who was outstanding at second row and Alistair Wolff who has reveled in his switch from the backs to hooker. All the “new” boys who played in the backs performed well, showing a willingness to attack with the ball combined with some dogged defence. Well done! A big thank-you goes to Thomas Doyle who unselfishly volunteered to play for the opposition who were a forward short in numbers. Thanks Tom!  

The squad was Alistair Wolff (Captain), George Groom, Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Reece Harrison, Alex Tomlinson, Barney Parkes, Luke McNeilly, Myles Costello, Harry Young, Nick Rigg, Joseph Wright, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine and George Tresidder.  

Pool matches  

Results  

Pool Matches  

Derby 0-5 Harrogate

Derby 25 – 0 Old Brodleans

Derby 10 – 5 Percy Park

Semi-Final  

Derby 0 – 25 Sandal

This is a squad with tremendous team spirit who play hard for each other and never give up.  It made no difference which 12 players were on the pitch, the quality of performance was the same.  The squad members were Alistair Wolff (Captain), Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Reece Harrison, Alex Tomlinson, Barney Parkes, Luke McNeilly, Myles Costello, Harry Young, Nick Rigg, Joseph Wright, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine and George Tresidder.  They can all be proud of their achievements.  

Pool Stages  

The opening match was against Melton Mowbray who initially made things hard for the Derby players as they got to grips with a more crowded pitch.  However the Derby forwards soon got into their stride and started winning a steady stream of possession from both loose and set plays, allowing all the backs to get a feel of the ball.  As in previous seasons the backs looked to get the ball wide with some precise passing.  

Whenever Melton had the ball they were faced with a black and gold wall which refused to yield, allowing Derby to keep the pressure on their opponents.  The pressure eventually paid when George Tresidder crossed for the only try of the match.  

Newark provided the opposition in the second match and Derby continued in the same vein, winning plenty of possession and were rewarded with two Tresidder tries, the second a marvellous piece of opportunism when he chased up and caught a kick-off before outstripping the defence.  

In the final pool game, Sleaford stood between Derby and the final and put up a gallant fight before going down by a single well executed try.  George Castledine, revelling in the freedom he found at full back, made a typically strong run before offloading the ball superbly to Joseph Wright who surged over.  

Derby qualified as pool winners without conceding a try but now faced a strong Oakham side who had waltzed through their group with a try difference of +10.  

The Final  

The final was a titanic struggle between two totally committed sides, neither of which was prepared to concede an inch of territory.  Both packs stood toe to toe as they fought for possession.  

Eventually Derby took the lead through a Tresidder try but Oakham came straight back and equalised.  

The second half followed a similar pattern with chances few and far between.  However Derby again took the lead when, following a good spell of pressure by the Derby pack, George Castledine broke down the blind side to score in the corner.  

But again Oakham refused to give up and lay siege to the Derby line.  And their efforts were rewarded when one of their forwards crashed over from a short penalty.  

When the final whistle blew everyone assumed the trophy would be shared but a check on the rules showed t