By Josh Bartholomew, Online Editor
Hampton’s U16 VII beat St. Paul’s School 14-12 in the Worth School 7s Vase final to secure vital silverware heading into the national tournament at Rosslyn Park later this month.
The team began well, beating traditional rivals Dulwich 12-5 thanks to a well-taken double from back Joe Sykes.
Next, the U16 VII came up against a strong Reigate Grammar School side, but flew past them, winning 36-0 with the majority of the team crossing the whitewash.
At this point, it looked as if Hampton were strong contenders for the Cup competition, but a frustrating 0-5 loss to Lord Wandsworth College meant that the team would go into the Vase in the afternoon after finishing second in their group – a strong achievement nonetheless taking into account the calibre of other teams in the U16 team’s pool.
Just two games from silverware, the team revived for the Vase semi-final, beating City of London Freemen’s School 29-0, with Joel Luckman scoring the pick of the tries with a length of the field run.
In the final, the U16s faced St Paul’s. It was a tight affair, but tries from Jack Wells and Joe Sykes, as well as two important conversions from Tim Lamming, were enough to secure a 14-12 victory. Wells’ try was particularly impressive. Taking the ball from kick-off, the winger handed off a defender, before sprinting clear and side-stepping the final man to score.
Captain Luke Greenall said:
“It was an unlucky loss early in the day, we bounced back extremely well to take the second-tier trophy. I’m proud of how everyone responded to the loss and it’s exciting to see how much potential we have as a side.
“Next up is the RGS Guildford tournament and then the national tournament in which we are hoping to get through to the second day and take home some silverware.”