The match was played in blustery conditions but with warm sunshine on a well grassed pitch, ideal for running rugby which the boys duly performed in the first half, uphill, against the wind. The forwards won lots of ball and set up the backs for some flowing moves and tries. Despite several rolling subs the momentum was never lost nor the game pattern affected.

The second half was marred by a nasty injury to one of the Melton lads after only 1 minute of play when he was accidently squashed by a falling Derby player resulting in a very painful thigh injury, a long hold up in play and the services of the Leicestershire Ambulance Service. This seemed to galvanise Melton and they began to hold their own in midfield and make some fast flowing moves along their back line as well. However, they didn't really threaten the Derby line and 3 more tries were run in whilst some experimentation in playing positions took place while we had the opportunity.

Overall it was a good performance following on from last week's defeat at Hinckley and hopefully that is now out of our system.

Many congratulations to the Chief of Police for his excellent refereering and to our many supporters for making the journey.

Best wishes to Darren Dallimore for a speedy recovery in QMC.

Tries: T Memmory, S Tresidder, C Watson 2, J Wigglesworth 3, M Zammit-Maempel, S Allkins, J Pearson

Cons: O Walton 3

Next training--Wednesday 29th March  7pm A & B squads

Tickets still on sale for the Elvis night March 31st at 7.45pm.

Well, it had to happen at some point and there is no better team or club to lose to than our friends at Hinckley . A titanic clash was fought between 2 teams who did not want to give an inch but on the day the better team won.

The first half went to Derby with our forwards having an excellent game despite the bigger opposition pack. Territorially we had the advantage but unfortunately couldn't put more tries on the board other than an excellent Scott Allkins effort. On several occasions we were near their line but either lost the ball or didn't make the correct decisions preventing tries from being scored. It wasn't all one way though and only some stout defending at times kept Hinckley out.

After the break, however, it was a different game. Hinckley came at us like a house on fire with their fast backs and slick handling causing us major problems resulting in three  separate errors and hence three tries. The boys appeared to be disturbed by this unusual position of being behind but after a few further moments of indecision they quickly got hold of themselves and took the game to Hinckley with Sam Tresidder running in an excellent try. The boys tried hard to level or take the lead with some more thrusts at Hinckley but unfortunately we ran out of time as they tackled hard.

All in all it was a tremendous game and exhibition of U13's rugby played in the most sporting of manners. Although the better team on the day won the boys can be very encouraged by the way in which they fought back and by the fact it was 3 errors on our part which lead to tries, though we were pressurised into making the mistakes.

Many thanks to Hinckley for their tremendous hospitality and after match service ! We look forward to resuming matters next season.

Also many thanks to our parents and spectators for making the journey and their tremendous support.

Tries: S Allkins, S Tresidder

Con: O Walton

Derby came out on top in a typical semi-final despite only playing well for the final 15 minutes of the first half. During the opening 10 minutes their game was full of tension due to the occasion causing some sloppy play and handling errors. However, once Tom Memmory forced himself over the lads settled and following this played some outstanding rugby with the forwards again very dominant. Sam and Callan ran in 2 excellent tries and the lads finished the half on top.

Unfortunately the boys switched off during the interval and possibly affected by 4 substitutions as well, Lincoln started to exert control on the game which culminated in them scoring a deserved try. However, credit to the boys, they bounced back, and following a dynamic run from Shane which split the Lincoln defence wide open, Callan was able to finish off the move with a well taken try. The game petered out after this with both teams making a few runs at the line before the ref blew for time leaving Derby as winners where they will face Kesteven, who beat Sleaford in the other semi-final, on Sunday April 23rd at ??Ilkeston.

WELL DONE LADS !! 

Many thanks to our army of supporters who braved the elements and gave fantastic support.

Tries: T Memmory, S Tresidder, C Watson 2

Cons:

NEXT TRAINING-Wednesday 15th March

NEXT GAMES  - Sunday  19th March--------'A' Team at Hinckley --be there for 10am

                                                              'B' Team home to Rotherham  

This was a thunderous game played on a glorious Sunday morning in front of a large band of Derby supporters and our old friend, Brian Smith, whose lad Jack now plays for Belper. Nice to see you again Brian.

The first half was dominated by Derby playing up the hill with our overall well drilled game proving too much for Belper whose main thrust was via their 2 big forwards. Once the ball was out our backs played some skillful rugby belying the sticky conditions. Belper came back strongly towards the end of the first half and deservedly broke through the Derby defence with another drive at the line.

Belper came out fighting in the second half and had most of the territorial ground for much of the half but the Derby defence held firm without our line being seriously threatened and the lads ran in 4 unopposed tries.

This was an excellent contest for Derby before our match at Stafford next week and then the big cup semi-final against Lincoln at Sleaford in a fortnight's time.

The boys were tremendous today, in at times difficult circumstances. The Try-Machine had a difficult baptism at full-back but still managed to run in 3 tries and could not be contained when in full flight. Tom Marshall at left wing made some good runs and in the second half showed everyone present how to tackle  correctly with a textbook tackle on one of their big forwards which will do his confidence no harm whatsoever. Marauding Max Z-M scored a typical darting try and like last week was unlucky not to have scored more. Predator Purcell scored 2 excellent tries and made several thunderous tackles, making up for the absence of the Tackle-Machine who was ably deputised for by Wiggy, and in the second half , The Boot, with the 2 lads swapping places. Tizzie & Cornie had a half each and making some good runs and setting up some excellent ball. The forwards coped well with the heftier, slightly more aggressive Belper forwards and were well marshalled by Pack Leader 'Bigfoot' who as well as putting in a lot of hard work himself managed to keep control of the team when things became a little ''tasty'' in the second half, probably having his best game since before Xmas. The Reaper put in some good runs and hefty tackles but was perhaps a little quiet for him today. Pigeon-Eyes had a storming game and got around the pitch with blinding speed, time for a try Tim !.  Barnstorming Braddock had an excellent first half and played like we know he can do--keep it going Will.  JP was everywhere with his runs, tackling and closing down and was unlucky to have to come off in the second half. 'Groovy'  Groom showed he had lost non of his appetite following his skiing trip and put himself about well in the second half. The front row held their own with 'Hatchet ' Allkins and 'Mad' Mikey Markham having powerful games. Finally the hookers had a half each with their own contest being even though 'Macca' McNeilly set up a tremendous run in the first half when he found himself at centre and spun out a fantastic pass along the back-line.

The lads all deserved a mention today for their tremendous display. Many thanks to Gareth for running most of the coaching and to Tim for his experience and words of encouragement. Our supporters were magnificent again and it was great to have the vocal support of Dave 'Crimewatch' Markham back today; at least the rest of us could rest our tonsils a little! Many thanks to Belper for their hospitality and excellent new facilities. 

Tries: S Purcell 2, M Zammit-Maempel, C Watson 3, J Wigglesworth 2

Cons: O Walton 4

Next training: Wednesday 1st March  7pm

Next game: Sunday 5th March - Stafford away - be there for 10am please - map on the website.

Match Report by Adrian Summerscales

U13s Development Team report: Derby 15 - 29 Boston

Due to the no show of the the NLD ref, Derby 's Bill Tredeninick kindly agreed to referee the game.

Good scrummaging and very good play from David Boddy kept the ball moving and in possession leading to the three tries with

The second half saw the Derby side run out of steam in the muddy conditions,leaving a still strong Boston to break through time after time to gain four tries and two conversions. All round a good hard fought match for both sides.

Tries from Max,Sam and James

Derby Man of the match David Boddy.

This game re-emphasised the need to have 2 separate matches for our  'A'  and 'B' squads as reflected by analysing the score and  each boy having only half a game due to our large travelling squad.  

The match was played over 3 twenty minute periods; the 'A' squad played the first period and the opening 10 minutes of the 3rd period whilst the ' B' lads played the second period and last 10 minutes of the 3rd period ( I can feel a headache coming on !!).  

The 'A' team dominated the opening 20 minutes barely allowing York into our half and scoring 12 unopposed points from tries by the Try and Tackle Machines with a conversion coming from the boot of Predator Purcell, deputising for the 'Boot' himself who was away on skiing duties along with Tizzie. This allowed a new half back pairing of Cornie and Dicko who relished the opportunity with Cornie in particular making some excellent darting runs from the base of the scrum. Only some tremendous York tackling kept Max Z-M from scoring with 3 great wing runs whilst Bigfoot, despite claiming everything from plague to pestulence on the way to the ground, used his power and strength to enable our forwards to dominate the rucks and mauls.  

York then scored 17 unopposed points in the second period against the Dev Squad, though, to be fair, the lads played extremely well with the forwards matching York all the way, especially during the middle of the period when they could have scored a couple of tries themselves. Once again weak tackling and some lack of size and mobility allowed the opposition to score tries and end up dominating the period. 'New Max' had an excellent half along with 'Bonzo' Borondy who appears to be relishing his role in the second row. Skipper Liam Darby was his usual powerful driving self whilst Lewis Wright had, I thought, his best game I have seen him play this season in the front row and seems to be growing in confidence.  

The best move of the game then allowed Max Z-M to score at the beginning of the third period with a well taken try in the corner rounding off a flowing move. Unfortunately, a nasty injury to one of the York players following a Predator Purcell tackle, necessitated an ambulance being brought to the ground which disrupted the last period. Fortunately,  the injury is not as bad as was initially feared and when I rang his dad on Sunday night the lad was home from hospital with a bruised thigh but nothing else. All credit to York, who didn't allow the event to unsettle them and came back strongly at the A team. Another switch brought the B team back on for the latter half of the 3rd period and the rejuvenated York lads ran in 2 more tries which they deserved though the B lads didn't deserve to be on the end of it !  

All in all it was a good days rugby, played in a competitive but excellent spirit between 2 tremendous sets of boys. The game was well refereed by Neil, the York coach, who allowed the game to flow. Many thanks to York for their great hospitality and we hope to meet up with them again next season and for years to come. Our supporters were fantastic as usual though a little quiet without the vocal cords of Dave 'Crimewatch' Markham.

T

Cons: S Purcell

Next training Wednesday 22nd Feb.

Next games: Sunday 26th Feb - 'A ' Team away at Belper and 'B'  Team home to Boston .

Derby travelled to a wet and windy Sleaford for this friendly fixture. Missing 'Bigfoot' and 'Marauding Max' who were away on the piste and 'Dicko' who seems to be lost somewhere on the African continent, Derby had to make one or two positional changes. Sleaford were out to avenge their heavy defeat earlier in the year and started strongly, not letting our forwards settle into any rhythm. Good quality ball was lacking and we were not aggressive enough around the rucks. However after five minutes the ball was moved well down the line for the 'Try Machine' to score at a canter. 'The Boot' missed the conversion, but Derby were on their way.  

Handling was difficult with the ball resembling a bar of soap. On eleven minutes, Derby attacked again and this resulted in Sam Tresidder bursting through the middle and leaving defenders clutching at thin air as he sprinted away to score under the posts. 'The Boot' added the two to make the score 12-0. Sleaford then had their only meaningful visit of the game into Derby 's 22, but came away empty handed as the defence held firm. The game was a little scrappy due to the conditions and there were no further scores before half time.

Derby turned around knowing they needed to up their game and try and get the ball out wide. Sleaford were playing into our hands by kicking away most of their possession. After five minutes Derby were awarded a penalty which they decided to run. Shane Purcell burst through several tackles before making a strong run to the corner to score. This was unconverted - 17-0. Good quality ball was still proving difficult, not helped by the Sleaford back row breaking far too early from the scrum and the scrum half being allowed to put Josh Tizard under pressure at the base.   

Derby were being encouraged by their supporters to run the ball at every opportunity but Sleaford were proving awkward to break down. However, Sam Tresidder finished off a backs move to score another try to make it 22-0. Eventually we clicked up a gear which saw an excellent team try with linking between forwards and backs and the ball going through numerous pairs of hands. Again Sam was on hand to complete his hat-trick under the posts and 'The Boot' added the two. 29-0. 

Straight from the re-start, the ball was secured and moved out wide to the left for the 'Try Machine' to set off on a strong run. A combination of strength and poor Sleaford tackling saw him score under the posts for the final score of the game with 'The Boot' adding the two. Final score 36-0.

Thanks to Sleaford for their hospitality and the 'Barmy Army' for their support. Not one of our best displays of the season, but we were solid defensively. Conditions were not good and did not make for a strong running game.

Try Scorers: Sam Tresidder (3)  Callan Watson (2)  Shane Purcell

Conv. Ollie Walton (3)

Kesteven 07 - 21 Derby A Team

This was a tremendous game between 2 excellent teams with slightly contrasting styles of rugby giving both sets of coaches plenty to think about should the 2 sides come up against each other again this season.The match was played over three 20 minute periods and all the lads had plenty of rugby

Derby dominated the opening 15 minutes down the slope and played some excellent rugby scoring 2 converted tries in the process with 'The Boot' Walton finally finding his kicking boots. A lapse in concentration allowed Kesteven to score just before the break and their confidence grew in the second half with some 3 or so excellent runs requiring the 'Try Machine' to be on his guard in defence. Sam Tresidder found a big gap in the home defence right at the end of the half and  'The Boot' converted.

The third period saw Derby on the attack down the slope again though Kesteven again made some excellent runs through their very fast backs. No further points were added to the tally and it was obvious both sets of boys were very tired with injuries beginning to creep in.

Overall this was a sound performance, especially the opening 15 minutes when the forwards were dominant, despite missing ' Dicko ' on holiday whilst ' Bigfoot '  had to come off due to the effects of flu with ' Battler'  Braddock and 'Reaper' also affected by coughs. ' Pigeon-Eyes' was tremendous throughout and the ' Boot' had his best game for some time. However, the Derby Man of The Match has to be Callan for his tremendous tackling,runs,covering,getting across the pitch, lineout works and finally his breaks and drive from Number 8 in the last period. Perhaps next week we could try him at scrum half and hooker !!!.

The game was tremendously refereed and we would like to thank Jerry and his club for their great hospitality. 

Many thanks to our supporters who made the trek from Derby and hope  that they use it as good practise for getting to Sleaford next week.

Tries: T Memmory, S Purcell, S Tresidder

Cons: O Walton 3

One last extremely BIG thankyou to Simon Groom for providing each boy with a new coat for match days courtesy of Loctite - Thankyou Simon.

Next training--Wednesday 8th Feb 7.00pm--A & B teams please.

Match Report by

Nottingham 05 - 24 Derby Dev Team

Our friends at Nottingham were surprised to see us as they thought that the fixture had been cancelled. This did not stop them making us most welcome and the boys having over an hour of rugby.  As usual the game was played in the best of spirits excellently refereed by one of the Nottingham coaches.

Derby started well and soon were leading 7-0 from a fine individual try by George Sutherland.  Notts struck back following some good handling in the backs followed by a try from their outside centre.  This player caused trouble whenever he got the ball but on the whole the Derby tackling is at last improving so he was dealt with. 

Derby went 12-5 ahead when James Barber broke through with a typical run.  The Derby forwards eventually got on top and showed that when they have brains switched on and play as a unit they can be very effective.  The set scrums were great and the mauling is improving, the props must understand that they are not on the pitch to play scrum half ! 

As the game progressed Derby scored twice more from James and George again.  The final score was 24-5, Jake Farquarharson providing two conversions. This flattered the Derby side a little but so often we have seen them give everything for no reward so it was nice to see the luck coming our way for once.  Finally mention must be made of Steve Byrondi finding out at last he is a 2nd row and Conner and Max who played as flankers.  The latter pair played out of their skins and terrorised the opposition around the fringes, well done lads!

The Derby U13 development squad represented the club for a first ever visit to Boston RFC.  Unfortunately a combination of weather assumptions and illness meant that Derby arrived with only 12 fit players.  Our hosts generously loaned us three players to make up the 15 and these were sportingly selected including the Boston coaches' son.  By 11am the pitch was in great condition as the sun got rid of the frost and the Boston team started by pinning Derby back and within 10 minutes two tries had been conceded.  This was disappointing as the tries were the result of strong running through weak Derby tackling.  However these days the Dev squad are made of sterner stuff and by half time they had contained Boston , heads no longer go down and the pack will fight to the end.  

The second half started with some concerted Derby pressure and finally after several 5 metre scrums Jake Farquarharson scored a fine "No 8 try " picking up from the back of the scrum.  With the score at 10-5 derby took the game to Boston built eventually ran out of steam and conceded another try yet again when tackles really should have been made.  However the game was well balanced and the final score of 15-5 a fitting result.

The game was played in great spirit by both sides and the Society ref was superb with many of the lads appreciating his performance.  A special mention should be made of Liam Darby who hooked and threw in brilliantly throughout the game and was a great example of determination and sportsmanship for all. I should thank every one who did make the journey especially Ben and Sunni who came although they were not fit.  Boston are a friendly and hospitable club and the Cornish Pasties were superb !

The match provided the difficult task of trying to get 35 boys to play in one game for Derby !!. 

Doncaster were reluctant to play 2 games due to lack of numbers so 3 periods of 20 minutes were contrived to allow 3 permutations to be played against Doncaster's smaller squad.

Period 1 was played against Derby's ' A' team missing 3 forwards and Max Zammit-Maempel on the wing with prop Scott Allkins having to play at flanker. Despite this the boys were tremendous, with, in particular ,our forwards dominating much bigger opponents and providing good ball for the backs, especially from loose play, though Doncaster won much of the lineout. There were many driving runs from our 2 centres but unfortunately the lads could not break down a resolute Doncaster defence and when on the one occasion we did the try was dissallowed due to the ball being grounded short as a result of confusing pitch markings with all players and the referee initially thinking a try had been scored. The boys were basically camped in the Doncaster half for the whole of the first period with Doncaster only managing to get into the Derby half on 3 occasions, one of those being from the kick off !!

However, credit to Doncaster who tackled ferociously. There is plenty for us to look at in training as no doubt we will come against more opposition like this in the future.

Period 2 was played between the Derby ' B' / Development Squad and the same Doncaster team who in the end were too exprienced and powerful in their runs allowing the to run in 5 unopposed tries. After an initial early score it looked like the Dev' Squad would force a try of their own and spent 5 minutes or so near the Doncaster line but unfortunately their lack of experience and guile allowed Doncaster to keep them out. Mainly again, however, it was poor tackling which allowed Doncaster through on each occasion to score. Dev' Squad Skipper, Liam Darby, battled away and rallied his troops whilst the team morale was fantastic at all times and shows just how much they have come on over the past few weeks.

Period 3 provided an opportunity to mix and match players and give match time to the remaining 5 boys who had made the trip though as 4 wanted to play on the wing it meant 10 minutes each was all they got !. Interestingly we managed to breach the Doncaster defence on 2 occasions with solo tries from our centres. The rugby remained of a high standard and allowed  the less experienced players to gain some confidence from their contribution. I think 30 of the lads played in the final period so it was a bit chaotic to say the least.

The game was played in generally good spirit and was extremely well refereed by the Doncaster official.

Due to lack of game time for a lot of boys an impromtu game was then played over half an hour between the Derby boys themselves to make sure everyone had been on the pitch long enough for their own contentment. Well refereed Hereward !.

Thanks to Doncaster for their hospitality and facilities. We look forward to playing them again next season. Many thanks too to our legion of supporters who made the journey from Derby .

Tries: S Tresidder, S Purcell

Next training---'A' Team Wednesday 25th Jan 7.00pm and Sunday 29th Jan at Derby 10am

Burton Rhinos 00 - 71 Derby 'A' XV 

This was a very one sided match against very willing but inferior opposition which allowed us to have some much needed running and passing practise without any pressure. We were able to rotate players around and indeed, in the second half, try players in unaccustomed positions with Josh Tizard at full back and Shane Purcell having a run on the wing and at prop forward ! whilst allowing Tom Cornfield more game time at scrum half and Max Zammit-Maempel  a run at centre. It also allowed us to give ' Try Machine' Watson and ' Destroyer ' Dallimore a rest in the second half following their exertions last week. To their credit Burton never gave up and played better in the second half as the changes to the Derby side altered the pattern of play.

Well done lads. You played some good rugby and gave an excellent demonstration of flowing rugby to our supporters, observers and Burton ! Many thanks to our supporters who made the trip.

Tries: M Zammit-Maempel 2, J Wigglesworth, J Groom, C Watson 3, T Summerscales 3, J Pearson, S Purcell, S Tresidder

Cons: O Walton 3

Next training--Wednesday 18th Jan---B team / Development Squad

Next Game--Sunday  22nd January  A and B teams both at Doncaster 

Match Report by Adrian Summerscales

Derby 'B' XV 17 - 25 Melbourne 'Dev' XV

The Derby U13 Development Squad entertained a Melbourne Development squad at Haslams, fresh from last week's success the Derby side went into an early 07 - 00 lead, the try was scored by James Barber and converted by Jake Farquarharson.

The heavier Melbourne pack threatened to take control and only strong defence from Derby kept Melbourne out with three "tries" being held up.  There is no doubt that the Dev squad is gaining much more ability in defence!  Melbourne scored eventually and then the teams traded tries to give a half time score of 12 - 15.  Marcus MS scored the Derby try in the corner, this was unconverted. Marcus injured his foot in scoring and Josh Harris-Wood came on at scrum half and played very well. 

Derby went to sleep a bit in the early part of the second half and Melbourne punished this with two tries and seemed to be cruising at 12 - 25.  However this Derby team is getting more experienced and struck back late in the game to run out losers at 17 - 25.  After a period of Derby pressure Melbourne managed to kick clear only for Charlie to score in the corner with a fine run from deep on the wing. 

All the coaches are pleased with the progress that the boys have made so far this year.  The Melbourne side contained a few of their first team players and were strong opposition, early in the season the Derby team would have buckled but now they are made of sterner stuff.  All players tackled as needed which is a big improvement and the pack was outstanding in the face of heavier and bigger opponents.  The game was well refereed by the Melbourne coach who allowed the game to flow.  We are grateful for Melbourne agreeing to the fixture at short notice and the excellent spirit in which the game was played.  All in all a great morning's rugby  which was enjoyed by the players and the spectators alike.

Oadby Wigstonian 10 - 55 Derby 'A' XV

In perfect conditions for rugby the boys comprehensively outscored a good Oadby Wigs team in a game played over 3 thirds to enable everyone to play at least 40 minutes without breaking up the game too much. Once again the boys didn't play to their full ability and one wonders what will happen when they 'click' properly.

For much of the first third the lads did play some slick passing rugby and spent much of the period in the Oadby half of the pitch though their lads came back towards the end and managed to keep the score down to 17 nil. Whether influenced by interval team changes or too much Xmas pudding we played our worst rugby of the season in the second period and allowed Oadby to come back at us strongly when they played some fast driving rugby and demonstrated good handling skills to run in 2 unconverted tries though these did arise from some sloppy defensive mistakes on our part. Further changes were made at the next interval and normal service was renewed in the third period when we scored 4 more tries.

Overall the game was a credit to both sides and in particular Oadby never gave up despite the score. Our front row were magnificent and played all of the game due to lack of replacements; 'Destroyer' Dallimore in particular looked like he had given everything. 'Marauding' Max Zammit-Maempel was extremely solid in attack and defence whilst ' Try-Machine' Watson was unstoppable on the left wing.

The game was an excellent test after the Xmas break and hopefully our fitness levels will return quickly now that we are back in action.

Many thanks to Oadby who refereed the game splendidly, for their great hospitality and for agreeing to play us at short  notice, we look forward to playing them again hopefully at the end of this season and in years to come. Also lots of thanks to our magnificent supporters who made the trip. Thankyou.

Tries: J Wigglesworth 2, C Watson 4, S Purcell 2, M Zammit-Maempel

Cons: O Walton 5

Next game--Derby U13 A Team away Sunday 15th Jan at Burton Rhinos

Match Report by Adrian Summerscales

Nottingham 14 - 15 Derby 'B' Development XV

We continue to run two 20 man squads at U13 level, whilst the A team were off to Oadby the Dev squad were hosted by our near neighbours at Nottingham RFC.  Our hosts suggested three 20 minute sessions and we agreed so that all players would get as much pitch time as possible.  The boys were in determined mood and remembered the close encounter earlier in the season when they lost narrowly.  Nottingham made a lively start and moved quickly into a 14-0 lead.  At this point the Derby side dug in ( woke up ?)  and the forwards began to take the game to the home side, although Nottingham still looked dangerous, the Derby team had identified the danger men and  with some positional changed started to plug the gaps and to move up field.  Just before the end of the first 20 minute session George Sutherland collected the ball during a period of broken play and scored a fine individual try.  At the first break the score was 14-5 to Nottingham .  The second 20 minutes was a ding dong battle with Derby matching the hosts' efforts, during one of the periods of Derby pressure Jake Barker forced his way over the line, with no further score in this session Derby entered the third session 14-10 in arrears.  Both sides seemed to sense that the game was for the taking and only some last ditch defending by Nottingham stopped Derby scoring from a 5 metre penalty. Finally George Sutherland scored again to make the score 15-14 to Derby .  For the last 5 minutes Nottingham tried to get back on terms but Derby held on and were glad to hear the final whistle.

The Derby lads have tried their all in games this season and still lost, so it was good seeing them have a little luck and running out winners. The teams are so evenly matched that we look forward to our next game with Notts in a few weeks time.  The Dev Squad pack played very well today and although not the heaviest pack around they work hard together.  The backs' defence progressively improved through the game with James Barber making a real difference and we now look forward to Newark next Sunday to see if this improvement can be sustained.

Derby 'B' Development Squad  00 - 36 Melbourne

This may appear on paper to have been a very one sided game and indeed was in the first half with our Develpment Squad facing what appeared to be the full Melbourne Squad. The lads held their own during the first 10 minutes or so but the superior Melbourne skills and experience began to take over and by half time had run in 4 tries down the slope with some good moves although our tackling did leave a lot to be desired at times.

The second half brought a turnaround in fortunes and Derby came more and more into the game as confidence grew with Melbourne only managing 2 further tries.

For us the result was immaterial against a strong Melbourne side. What was fantastic was the never say die attitude of the boys who tried to play rugby and never once let their heads drop whilst at the same time showing that they are developing well as individuals and as a team.

TOUR FUNDRAISING------ many thanks today for everyone who contributed to the cake stall supplies and purchases and bought raffle tickets. Sarah would like to give a big thankyou to Louise McNeilly for her help with sales, to Sue Rankin for her help also in sales and for providing the Xmas Raffle cake and to Martyn Wright and family for providing and purchasing cakes in bulk ! Thanks also to the young ladies and gents for raffle sales.

Today we managed to raise £ 231.11 towards the tour funds.

Please read John McNeilly's note given out today r/e fundraising---we do need everyone to help in some way. Please see me or John if you want to help in any way possible. In particular try and sell as many tickets as possible for the gig on Dec 27th at Haslams and support the event as much as you can.

We can also announce that some pantomime tickets are to be auctioned on E-Bay for a performance in Birmingham on Jan 3rd so please search E-Bay and make a bid or tell others to do so.

In spite of missing the newly injured ' Destroyer' Dallimore and the ill 'Barnstorming ' Braddock on top of ' Predator Purcell's ' cracked hand the boys turned in a fabulous display of, at times, flowing rugby in sticky conditions to end Sleaford's unbeaten record in a comprehensive manner.

Initially, playing downhill, Sleaford held their own with some good rucking and mauling by their forwards and it seemed that we were in for a good tussle. However, once the ball went out wide it became clear that  tries were there for the taking and we quickly ran in 4 tries with the Sleaford lads increasingly becoming downhearted.

After the break the boys  continued their domination and scored 5 more tries with increasing ease down the slope leading to the match being brought to a premature end with the score extending beyond 50 points with the mutual consent of the coaches.

Overall the lads played some good rugby and overcame the pre-match loss of players and the nasty facial injury to Ollie Walton who tackled someone's knee with his nose ! ; fortunately apart from some spilt ' claret ' and bruised pride he seems ok and is no longer as white as a sheet.

'Dicko' Dixon had a fantastic game at flanker and seems to have found his true position whilst Tom ' Mophead' Marshall is growing evermore into the fullback role and scored a much deserved try as well as 'winning' the  Tank-Top of the Week award yet !

Well done boys. Many thanks to parents, families and supporters again and many thanks to Sleaford for taking part in a good, sporting match. Also we would like to thank Colin Cornfield for an excellent display of refereeing. 

Tries: C Watson 2, S Tresidder 2, J Wigglesworth 2, Tom Marshall, T Summerscales, M Zammit-Maempel

Cons: O Walton 4

Despite missing the 'Predator' and 'Try-Machine' and having only a half fit 'Bigfoot', the boys again proved far too strong against a willing Matlock team who for a good part of the first half looked like they could provide stiff opposition and almost ran in a couple of tries. Their kicking provided us with several problems at times with some intelligent kicks over the top.

However, the Derby forwards began to dominate winning most of the lineouts and getting first to the rucks and mauls though Matlock held their own in the scrums until the second half.

The tries were a mixture of individual and team brilliance and were typical for each individual scorer.

Sam Tresidder led by example with another tremendous display producing excellent runs and some thunderous bone crunching tackles. Josh Tizard had a solid game at scrum half whilst the whole pack including replacements were outstanding.

The only blemish on the day was the loss of our run of not conceding a point when in a moment of desperation and with nothing else on a Matlock back produced a stunning drop kick from 30 metres out to the right of the posts worthy of gracing Twickenham itself--fantastic !

Well done lads. Another fantastic display and here's to the semi-final in March 06.

Tries: J Wigglesworth, S Tresidder 2, J Pearson, T Memmory 2, M Markham 2

Cons: O Walton 3 

In atrocious conditions and on a small pitch akin to a mudbath the U13's showed that they can dig in and battle as well as display silky running rugby. After the initial opening frenzy when the lads looked slightly off the pace they gradually gained control despite playing into the wind and rain and scored 2 well earned tries through Shane Purcell and Josh Tizard with a single Ollie Walton conversion. Some resolute Melbourne defending kept several drives and wing-runs out and for once 'Try-Machine' Watson could not get over the line. Melbourne, themselves, made a few inroads into the Derby defence and only a couple of knock ons and and a magnificent last ditch tackle from the magnificent Sam ' Tackle Machine'  Tresidder kept them from scoring.

Melbourne had more of the game in the second half and only a couple of over-rushed moves which were spoilt again prevented them from scoring. Hovever, Derby were probably a bit quicker, aggressive and more skilful all-round and drove over 3 tries from 'Captain Marvel' Purcell, 'Bigfoot' Tom Summerscales and  Reece 'Dynamo' Dallimore with a further 2 conversions from Ollie 'The Boot' Walton. The forwards continued to dominate the line out against taller opposition and took control of the rucks and mauls though were only equal in the scrums. The backs made several runs but tight defence from Melbourne and a few knock-ons kept us from scoring more points.

The game was played in excellent spirit and the scoreline was probably a bit flattering in the end to Derby though I suspect our wingers would have done much more damage on a bigger pitch. Everyone worked their socks off in the conditions whilst The Chief and myself felt that Tom ' The Reaper' Memmory was outstanding.

However, we were a bit slack at times getting caught out off-side on several occasions at the quick penalty and turning our backs on the game a few times--plenty to work on before Sunday's Cup-Match with Paviors who will be out for revenge and will give us a very hard game.

Well-done everyone. Many thanks to our 'Supporters Club' for their vociferous support in such conditions. It is greatly appreciated. 

Tries- S Purcell 2, J Tizard, T Summerscales, R Dallimore

Cons- O Walton 3

The score did not reflect a hard fought game between 2 fairly evenly matched sides with Paviors probably edging the overall forward play whilst the Derby backs were superior to their opposites. Perhaps we are being slightly too critical but the boys didn't quite match their usual high standards and the game was a little bitty and dysfunctional at times with no great flowing moves, though it has to be said that the opposition probably didn't allow them to show off their skills too much.

Downhill during the first half it looked like the boys might at one stage run away with the game but credit to Paviors they dug in and only some robust tackling managed to keep their big hard running centres at bay. Try-machine Watson ran in a couple of typical long distance tries with a further one each coming from Jim Wigglesworth and Josh Tizard whilst Ollie Walton found his kicking boots with 3 conversions to make the score 26 -- nil at half time.

Changes were made at half-time with Sam Tresidder returning from injury and putting in a sterling performance at centre whilst Tom Cornfield was excellent at scrum half. Uphill, the boys looked even stronger though it needed Callan to put in some excellent tackles on the left wing to keep Paviors at bay. Callan added one more to his tally of tries whilst Shane Purcell crossed to score with a nicely timed pass from Tom Summerscales who was immense at Number 8 throughout the game along, I thought, with Reece Dallimore at prop and then hooker, and in the second half, Tom Memmory.

We will have to play an awful lot more cohesively if we are to beat Paviors in the NLD Cup match in 3 weeks time. Unfortunately, at times today, we looked like a team of individuals rather than an individual team and we need to get back to that flowing team play that we can produce when on song. We need to not let the result get to our heads and think about how we can improve on today's show.

However, WELL DONE BOYS. It is always difficult to get a good result from Paviors and you should be immensley proud of today's achievements. Many thanks to our friends and supporters for making the journey and their support today.

Tries: C Watson 3, J Wigglesworth, J Tizard, S Purcell

Cons: O Walton 4

Derby 'B' 00 - 41 Syston 

Great credit for never giving up  must be given to an overall very inexperienced  B-team  against a well organised Syston  who had powerful forwards and some fast passing, running backs. Apart from a couple of breakaway kicks the boys were never really in the game and couldn't get past the Syston game-line due their fast pressing-up whenever we had the ball.

The  more experienced George Sutherland, Liam Darby and Jake Farquaharson  worked their socks off to keep the boys in the game but the Syston pressure told in the end against a depleted Derby B side who were taking knocks and didn't have substitute resources to come on and allow changes to be made on top of missing stalwarts such as Lewis Wright and James Barbour from the start.

However, the boys should take great heart from this performance and will hopefully use it as a great learning exercise and move on before their next game. Well done boys.

Derby moment of the game----Ben's fantastic try saving tackle in the corner.

Well done to everyone for getting there on time for such an early start--the game was a late addition and it was the only way to really accommodate the match.

Derby  'A' 44 - 00 Matlock

Reality returned to this fixture with the A team putting in their usually impressive team performance, though lacking Sam Tresidder and suffering a couple of injuries to key players during the game who were brought off as a precaution ahead of next week's NLD cup match against Paviors. Matlock, who as well were missing a few individuals, found the match a completely different experience to last season's corresponding fixture when they came up against the B Team whilst the A Squad were at the York Festival.

The boys were up for the game right from the start and quickly scored from an individual Shane Purcell try. The traffic was generally then all one way with the forwards quite dominant settling up good ball for the backs who could possibly have made better use and put more points on the board though that might be a bit nit - picky.

A few enforced changes at half-time seemed to disrupt the flow of play a little allowing Matlock more territorial advantage (compared to the first half ) but without really troubling Tom Marshall at full back who didn't really have a tackle to make.

Ollie Walton coped well with some difficult touchline conversion attempts and should be pleased with his attempts which would not have disgraced the First Team--1 more extra  shredded-wheat needed Ollie. The team coped well with the absence of Shane in the second half and Tim Marshall achieved his lifetime ambition of playing at centre in a competetive game. Callan 'Try-Machine' Watson again justified his switch to the wing whilst Josh Tizard dictated the set plays. Liam McNeilly showed that he has made a full recovery from his injuries of the last couple of seasons with some powerful hooking and storming first half runs whilst Tom Cornfield injected some pace onto the Right wing after Max came off with a pulled hamstring. Everyone else was equally fabulous and once more played the match in a tremendous spirit, just watch the high tackles lads !.

However, as the saying goes, we've won nowt yet, and certainly there is much room for improvement before next week's cup clash which we can work on during Wednesday night's training session.

Many thanks to our vocal supporters again whose participation is very much appreciated by the boys.

Tries: S Purcell 3, C Watson 4, T Cornfield

Cons: O Walton 2

Against a generally bigger team and pack in particular, the Derby boys ran away as comfortable winners, again without playing particularly well, especially in the backs. Josh Tizard set the scene straight from the kick-off when he caught the drop-kick from start of play and ran the length of the Doncaster half unopposed to touch down. After  spending all of the first period camped in the Doncaster half  the boys ran in 3 more tries with some typical resilient forward play from Liam and Scott and a good run from Max into the corner.

In the second half Doncaster were initially much stronger using more of their forward presence to good effect though after Michael Markham demonstrated how not to tackle a brick wall the boys made some good hits, putting Doncaster out of their stride and allowing Callan to make 2 break away tries. The final try was a fitting tribute to Michael Markham's  'moling' efforts and power play with a fantastic props's try to seal a comfortable win.

Tries: J Tizard, S Allkins, M Zammit-Maempel, L McNeilly, C Watson 2, M Markham

Cons: O Walton 2

Derby 'B'  05 - 32 Doncaster

The 'B' team  can look back at this performance with great pride as it wasn't until the middle of the second half when Doncaster introduced some of their bigger guns that the score ran away from them. The score is immaterial boys; what we were interested in was the overall performance and again you showed how you have come on as a side, developing both individually and as a team, over the past couple of weeks. I thought some of the tackling was outstanding and in particular Josh Murray made some excellent hits on the wing. The more experienced players in the shape of Liam Darby, George Sutherland, Jake Farquharson and Tom Cornfield led from the front showing that they are quite capable of putting pressure on the encumbents in the 'A' team, being easily capable of stepping into shoes if injuries or loss of form arise.

Try: Sam Thompson

Many thanks to all our supporters, friends and families again and we look forward to our next encounter.

This ' B-team ' game turned into a non-event when the 'A team' , who were there to train, were , as far as I know, invited to play 20 minutes in a game made into 3 - thirds.

Overall the ' B' team gave an excellent account of themselves and only the useful Burton number 8 made any real difference between the 2 teams especially towards the end of the first third. The Derby backs had taken onboard the training session after the Syston game and played some much better rugby supporting the forwards and making good inroads into the Burton team. In the last 10 minutes Derby were quite dominant though some of the Burton steam had been taken out of them by the roasting they had been given by the Derby A team in the middle third. James Barber had an excellent game at centre and showed just how much he has developed from towards the end of last season. Only some basic awareness defending the attacking scrum near the try line allowed dampened the B Team performance.

Hopefully, our good relationship with our corresponding Burton age group has not been soured by what appears to have been unintended miscommunication on the day.

Tries: G Sutherland, S Purcell 2, C Watson, J Wigglesworth 2, T Summerscales, M Zammit-Maempel

Cons: O Walton 10

The game was divided up into 3 periods of 2 twenty minute spells and a shorter 10 minute third at the end. It was intended to try and get everyone some game practice and as it turned out we managed to create 2 complete '15's' which is a great credit to all parents and boys for getting there at fairly short notice on a Wednesday night, apart from the ' Chief of Police ' of course who got as far as Chellaston before his car turbo blew up--can he claim that on the Club Insurance we wonder???.

The 'A' team produced some thrilling rugby at times without really playing well whilst some sloppy play allowed Syston to score towards the end of the ' third'. Well done to Tom ' Mophead' Marshall for an excellent try on the wing running in a good try and beating a few men on the way which the opposition felt was a ''good rugby try''.

The 'Development' or 'B' team then took their turn and held their own until the latter stages of their Third when the experience, speed and power of the opposition took its toll enabling Syston to run in 3 tries. The 'B' team should be congratulated for their efforts against a good Leicestershire side, in particular the forwards, who won all their scrums and drove over fiercely into rucks.

At this point with the scores even and the gloom gathering in ( miners' lamp time) the Syston coach/ref decided we would have another 10 minutes. The 'B' team being completely knackered meant we had to send the A team back on and resulted in a very skewed finish to the game as they managed to run in 5 tries in 10 minutes. 

Despite the end result it was an excellent exercise for both teams and gave everyone some extra game time at '15 a-side' as well as providing lots of tips to improve in all areas.

Well done again for the excellent turnout.

Period 1:  Derby 24 - 05 Syston                                    

Tries: J Tizard, C Watson, S Purcell, Tom Marshall

Cons: O Walton 2

Period 2: Derby 00 - 19 Syston

Period 3: Derby 31 - 00 Syston

Tries: J Wigglesworth, T Memmory, C Watson, S Purcell, J Pearson

Cons: O Walton 2, J Tizard 1

In front of a large crowd of over 100 spectators <