The Furys eventually losing 4-2 in semi-final to Sevenoaks

Folkestone RFC U10s
Medway Festival Sunday 4th October

Report from Roger Smith

The U10 squad from Folkestone Rugby Club attended the first festival of the new season at Medway on Sunday. With an increased number of players compared to last year they were able to enter 2 teams – The Folkestone Furys & the Folkestone Fireflys
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In the Fireflys there were 5 players who were new to rugby this season and after only 4 weeks of coaching they all put in fantastic performances in their first ever competitive games. The first game saw George Edwards & Jake Langford score trys to hold Cranbrook to a 2-2 draw.
George got his second try against Maidstone with a strong run through their defence, with Maidstone finally winning 2-1.
As legs tired in the unseasonably warm weather, the more experienced players (Charlie Akers, Kai Gurr, Jake Langford & Daniel Lundie) helped the team defend strongly and put in some lovely periods of play before the team lost out to Gravesend & then Dartford.
Newcomers Hugh Evans & Riley Gordon scored for the Fireflys and Jake added another try to his tally for the day. Joe Bruce provided some excellent support play whilst the quantity & quality of the tackling by Max Whitehead throughout the four matches was admired by everyone playing & watching.

The Furys opened their festival with a match against Gravesend - a very close game with long periods of possession by both sides, and solid defending. Eventually Gravesend made the breakthrough leaving the Furys trailing 1-0 at half time. In the second half the Furys had several periods of fluid open play resulting in a superb try after a long, winding run by Johnny Schermuly. Result 1-1.
The second match for the Furys was an extremely physical contest against Medway, a side with a couple of formidable players who demanded the best out of the Folkestone defence, notably Harry Challis who made many superb tackles. Injuries to Kian Lambert and Ella Preston-Chambers were a high price to pay on top of a bruising 4-0 defeat.
Soon after, the team were out again against Edenbridge, and the players all showed determination & resolve beyond their years to take a fast-moving game to the opposition. Solid performances from Lian Buss, Callum Howes, Max Pickering and James Uden helped to set up trys for Johnny Schermuly, Zachary Davenport, William Smith & Harry Challis in a match filled with great examples of rucking, support play & excellent handling. The 4-0 victory was a fine way to end the pool matches.
Second place in the group was an excellent result for the Furys in such a tough group and led to a semi-final against Sevenoaks. After a slow start the Furys found themselves 3-0 down until a well worked move led to a try from the captain Alex Cordell. The second half was much more evenly matched, with Johnny Shermuly completing his hat-trick for the day, and the Furys eventually losing 4-2.
This completed a great day’s rugby in which the skill and enthusiasm shown by our young players is sure to lead to an exciting and enjoyable season.