An excited group of U11 boys set off on their Rugby Tour on Sat 6th November. Our first stop was at Belhaven where we enjoyed a very even and competitive match. The game was exciting to watch as both teams tried their best to play good rugby and pass the ball around. Our tackling was good on the whole but they had one particularly quick player who was hard to pin down. With the game evenly poised at 8-8, both sets of supporters were relieved to end the game a draw, which was a fair reflection of the energy and passion both teams had put in. We were treated to hot pies and soup afterwards!
Before I had finished wiping the crumbs from my lapels, the boys were in the bus, ready to head south. A smooth trip down the A1 led us to Newcastle where we checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The boys were thrilled with their enormous and luxurious rooms! We met an equally excited and fun group of parents for evening drinks and enjoyed a delicious meal at the hotel.
On Sunday, following the most enormous breakfast buffet, we made the short journey to Mowden Hall. It was a good match, although it took us a while to get used to the English rules allowing the players to target the ball in the tackle. A number of times we went into contact and the ball was ripped from our hands. We found our groove in the second half and ran in some great tries. There was a sense of frustration that we hadn’t played such good rugby but we recovered with a hot lunch with our new friends at Mowden Hall. In the afternoon we had a swim at the hotel, enjoyed a game of ten-pin bowling, watched Scotland beat Australia and had a walk about the city centre of Newcastle. In the evening, we had a huge and fun meal out at a restaurant called The Fat Hippo – a fair reflection of the portion size.
Monday morning started with another massive breakfast buffet before we made a quick hop over to Newcastle Prep School. Before the rugby match we played a chess tournament, which was great. The match was an even contest with some great, open running rugby. We had a better game, perhaps more used to the targeting of the ball, and scored some great tries. After the game, we had a mixed quiz game with the children form Year 6 at Newcastle Prep School. After a delicious hot lunch, we made our way home, happy and exhausted after a fun and exciting tour.
There were many highlights including outstanding performances on the field, excellent examples of sportsmanship but one particular thought will stay with me. On Saturday evening, amidst the revelry of a busy bar and restaurant, a member of the public stopped me to complement me on the way our boys behaved – they had shared a lift down to the lobby where they had made polite conversation and held back the door to let them through first. Small gestures that make a big difference. Before we left, I challenged the boys to be fine ambassadors of Cargilfield and they certainly did that. Well done boys!
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