Deal & Betteshanger U12s vs Ashford U12s
Lions Create a Storm, in a Storm!
Deal & Betteshanger under 12s headed for Ashford on Sunday for a fixtured friendly. The weather had not looked favourable due to Storm Bert, but after a confirmatory check with the Ashford coaches early Sunday morning, it was decided to go ahead and play the match. Upon arriving at a damp Ashford, we found conditions slightly better than forecasted; a dry, warmish morning with winds gusting 30-40mph lay ahead, a good chance to test and adjust our game accordingly.
Warm up complete, and game on! We had been tracking Ashford’s recent results and expected them to put a shift in and be hungry for the win, the boys were pumped and eager to show their dominance from the first whistle, and they did! We won the toss and chose to kick to them. A lofty kick that hung in the wind, was collected neatly by the Deal & Bettes side, found Cas Weaver and he charged over for his first in minute 1. Ashford were not able to steady themselves against the young Lions who pressed their advantage putting three more over by the fifth minute. Deal were quick to each breakdown, and successively recycled clean ball, winding up the phase counter and able to find quick and secure hands in the backs to run darting lines that cut the Ashford defence apart, leaving them in chaos. Ashford did manage the occasional counter, but the black defence was organised, strong and robust, extinguishing any Ashford challenge almost immediately. More points followed as the scores flowed. Our bench got early minutes, and we cruised into half time easily ahead.
It was clear that the victory would be ours so long as we kept the pressure on, so this was a great opportunity for some of our newer players to get their spot and impress the sidelines. Objectives going into period two was to defend well and in unison, recognise, then attack the advantage, and protect the clean sheet, a hefty challenge for our players with less caps, but one they relished!
The second half started, and the Lions pressed forward, instantly dominating the contact, the break down and enjoyed the Lion’s share of possession. Scoring was inevitable and it was Ryan Long that steamed over early for another and D&B’s first of the second period. Stylish, structured, flowing rugby continued on display, and after a blustery forty minutes of match time, the game ended with Deal & Betteshanger the victors, and their clean sheet intact.
Ashford were fantastic hosts, and we wish them all the very best for the remainder of their season
Try Scorers;
Cas Weaver 3, Jonjo Walkin 4, Stanley Preston, Harley Smith, Ronnie Victory, Ryan Long 3, Rod Deschamps, Mason Clements-Mills
Ashford elected 2 of our lads as their player voted Man of the Match; Well done to Ryan Long and Cas Weaver, extremely deserved!
An unfamiliar break in fixtures now, with our next clash being against Whitstable in our final match of our current pool on Sunday 8th December.

Our Under 12s are always looking for new players to join our family. Please reach out direct if you are interested in you or someone you know having a try 07590282663 (Matt)
A huge thank you as ever to our loyal supporters and generous sponsors
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