Service minis have recently returned from their travels, fresh from securing victories in both Scotland and Madrid!
The P4 & P5 group made the now familiar journey to Scotland for their end of season tour. The P4s split into two teams – Hawks and Sharks – and were to prove proud ambassadors for our club. The Hawks won the tournament overall while the Sharks came a close third, two superb performances that the boys can be immensely proud of. What was even more impressive however was the bonding which took place, and the spirit in which the boys approached the entire trip. The time together, from the boat, to the coaches to the hotel was invaluable, and had a huge impact in their overall success. Also to be noted was how the boys conducted themselves throughout, a thorough credit to themselves, their parents and our club. On the field the boys played hard but fair, and listened to the advice of the coaches on the sidelines. The medals duly earned were presented by players from Glasgow Warriors, a fitting reward for the efforts on the pitch.
On the way home there was a stop off for the now traditional game of Dads v Lads, which again everyone hugely enjoyed. The cherry on top was the fish and chips afterwards.
The P6s ventured a little further – the Spanish capital Madrid! The event was organised by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Complutense University of Madrid) and Fundación Rugby Cisneros (Club de Rugby Cisneros), a local club based in Madrid.
The tournament was played over 2 days, Saturday and Sunday 22nd & 23rd April, and the boys played 5 matches against teams from both Madrid and Northern Spain. In a fantastic result, the boys won all 5 matches and were crowned winners of their overall age category – a wonderful achievement.
On the Monday afterwards the boys had time to do some sight-seeing in Madrid, and even managed a trip to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid!
All in all, the trip was a huge success. The boys played some fantastic rugby on the field, and had some great times off it. A huge thanks to the tournament hosts for their generous and helpful manner, indeed conversations about a reciprocal tour have already begun. Finally, a massive thank you from all at Service to our shirt sponsors for the tour, Exide Technologies and MKB Medical, whose generous support ensured the boy’s kits were as impressive as their performance proved to be.
As another mini season falls to a close, we offer a huge thank you to our coaches, volunteers, parents and everyone who puts their time and dedication into ensuring our kids are able to learn the game of rugby, but more importantly have fun in an active environment. It really wouldn’t be possible without these unseen heroes. Mini rugby will return in September when we hope to be bigger and better than ever.
Check out some photos from the tours here