Match reports

ABERTILLERY 10 v 12 Newport

NHSOB started the season with a hard earned victory against Gwent Champions Abertillery at Abertillery Park. In fine sunny conditions both sides were keen to impress. However Newport held the upper hand in the first half and following a number of forward drives prop Jordan The Power Brown forced his way over for the first try .to give Newport a deserved lead.

This was extended later when left wing Jordan Billy Whiz Griffiths following a neat backs move showed the Abertillery defence a clean pair of heels to go over near the posts. With Joshua Jones converting this gave the Newport side a 12 point lead.

With half time looming back came Abertillery to reduce the arrears with a try of their own which went unconverted.

The second half was a hard battle for both sides but overall belonged to Abertillery. They had dominated the line out and rucks but Newport held out and on a rare excursion to the Abertillery half , had a try disallowed. With minutes remaining and Newport tiring Abertillery managed to score a further try which was well deserved but unfortunately the conversion went wide to give Newport a slender 12-10 win.

An excellent result for Newport beating the Gwent Champions but they will need to play as a team to have a successful year

Newport 62 v 0 Cross Keys

NHSOB Hornets Under 12's opened their home fixtures with a comprehensive win over Cross Keys by 62-0.

Newport opened the scoring following a passing move along the backs which resulted in wing Jordan ' Billy Whiz's' Griffiths crossing in the corner. This was well converted by Mitchel Williams. Before long NHSOB were well in command and further tries came from Jordan Griffiths again, Oliver 'Terminator' Jones, Joshua 'The Bulldozer' Broome twice with a further conversion by Mitchell Williams to give a half time score of 27-0.

Newport did not relax in the second half and went further ahead with a fine Joshua Jones try which he converted. Within minutes James Richardson had crossed under the posts, converted by Mitchel Williams.

Newport were now rampant and The Terminator Oliver Jones ran another score in, again converted by Mitchell Williams.

In the closing minutes further tries were scored by Matthew 'Chico' Harvey followed by Sonny Wall's two yard burst for his first try for the Hornets. Mitchel Williams kicking one of the conversions.Coach Tyrone Keyse was happy in the unselfish way the team played.

All in all a satisfactory performance against a Cross Keys side which will improve as the season progresses.

Newport 7 v 27 Nelson

NHSOB Under 12's entertained Nelson and despite trying very hard were well beaten in the end by 24-7. This was a game where NHSOB contributed to their own downfall.

Nelson started well and had the territorial advantage in the opening exchanges. Following a period of pressure deep in the NHSOB half two unfortunate mistakes allowed Nelson to score unconverted tries to put them 10-0 ahead.

NHSOB at last began showing some form with the pack now obtaining good ball for the backs.This put them well into Nelson's half and from another forwards move Captain Matthew Sullivan burst through from the 22 to crash over near the posts. With Mitchel Williams converting NHSOB were back in the game, 7-10.

The second half started as the first ended with NHSOB on top. Only brave defence was stopping NHSOB scoring and when they did cross the try line they were unlucky not to ground the ball and take the lead.

This spell seemed to give Nelson renewed confidence and they started to turn the game around. In the final minutes the brave NHSOB side again committed errors with poor passes which resulted in Nelson intercepting and crossing the line twice. Both these were converted to give the final score 24-7 to Nelson.

NHSOB can learn from this defeat. Nelson won the game by continuing to harass and pressurise when NHSOB had the ball. This pressure forced the errors which resulted in all of Nelson's tries.If NHSOB can follow Nelson's commitment they will be soon back to winning ways.

St Peters 0 v 56 Newport

NHSOB Under 12s visited Cardiff to play St Peters and ran away convincing winners by 56-0

From the start NHSOB were in a determined mood and it was no surprise when following pressure deep in the St Peters half, Outside half Mitchell Williams darted over for an unconverted try. Shortly after full back Joshua Jones, who had a fine game, entered the line at pace to score a try which he also converted.

The Newport forwards were now in control and with an abundance of ball the backs were able to move the ball along the line at will. The ball was being passed between forwards and backs unselfishly with the passing made before contact.

Centre James Richardson was the next to cross the line, straightening a backs move and scoring near to the posts. This was followed by winger Jake Thomas who crossed following a strong run. Joshua Jones converted.

Before half time we were entertained with further tries from Centre James Miller and Joshua Jones, both players jinking their way passed mesmerized defenders.

This put NHSOB out of sight 34-0 ahead.

The second half was a much closer affair with St Peters having a lot of the territory. In fact, if it was a surprise when new signing Forward Joshua Broome increased NHSOBs lead, with a piercing run of more than half the length of the field to score a lovely try under the posts. This was converted by Joshua Jones.

The St Peters forwards having borrowed NHSOBs Jordan Brown, who was outstanding, continued to try hard to get back in the game and were unfortunate to score being held up over Newports line on a couple of occasions. But as the half progressed NHSOB again took control and finished the game with excellent tries. First Joshua Jones completed his hat trick with a beautiful break and then two further tries by James Miller, completing his hat trick, brought the game to a close.

This was a much better performance from NHSOB especially with the forthcoming cup match next week. A number of players are at last coming into the form they showed last year so there will be competition for places and selection problems for the Coach's

Cleve 7 V 14 Newport (Game 1)

Cleve 5 V 22 Newport (Game 2)

NHSOB Under 12s visited Cleve and played two matches against the hosts winning both matches 14-7 and 22-5.

In the first game Cleve went ahead within the first five minutes with a try under the posts following some weak tackling. This try was converted. To be fair to NHSOB they regrouped and although playing against a strong wind had the better of the first half mainly due to the sterling work of their forwards. Unfortunately they reached half time still behind despite having a try of their own disallowed.

With wind advantage in the second half NHSOBs forwards continued to give their backs a good platform to work from and they deserved to bring the scores level when following a number of phases Lock Dan Heard crashed over near the posts. Mitchel Williams converted to bring NHSOB level.

Newport continued to control territory and possession with their determined pack more than matching their much bigger opponents. A further attack took Newport deep into the Cleve half and with the supporting forwards crossing the gain line the ball was moved smartly to Centre Joshua Broome who crossed to give Newport a deserved lead. With Mitchel Williams converting Newport closed the game out to win 14-7.

The second game played shortly after was a more open match as the Newport forwards completely dominated both the tight and open play. They went ahead when Winger Jake Thomas was up in support to score a try in the right corner and this was closely followed by a determined run and finish by Flanker Mathew Vaughan who touched down near the posts. Both tries were unconverted.

Before half time Joshua Broome extended the lead finishing off a neat move to cross on the left. This was also unconverted.

Newport continued to dominate in the second half and full back Joshua Jones continued his good form by scoring a try which was converted by Mathew Harvey. Cleve managed a late consolation at the end to leave NHSOB winners by 22-7.

Both wins came on the back of the play of the outstanding NHSOB forwards, notably Hooker Bo Hammett who was always prominent.

Newport 0 v 10 Cwmbran

NHSOB Under 12s entertained Cwmbran in a 13 a side game due to Cwmbran being unable to field a full side. The game was played in a good spirit and was dominated by an enthusiastic and hard working Cwmbran outfit. NHSOB were unable to obtain sufficient possession throughout the match to trouble Cwmbran whose handling at forward and back was impressive.

NHSOB had their tackling to thank to keep the score at 0-0 in the first half, apart from one nice break by Owain Tanner which nearly resulted in a try. It was no surprise however in the second half when Cwmbran crossed in the corner with an unconverted try to take the lead. Despite a period mid in the second half when NHSOB were in their opponents 22 and looking like they would score Cwmbran maintained their discipline to stem the attacks. Cwmbran were then able to control possession and scored a further unconverted try before the end.

A bad day at the office for the NHSOB boys who are looking forward to the return fixture later in the season. MOM for his tackling M Williams.

Newport 0 v 12 Ebbw Vale

NHSOB Under 12s Rugby Team played RTB Ebbw Vale in what was an enthralling contest. The game in the end went to the Ebbw side by 12-0 and was well deserved.

The first half was scoreless but the supporters saw end to end play with both sides running the ball at every opportunity. The bigger Ebbw forwards did not have everything their own way as Newport gave as good as they got. However as much as they tried Newport were unable to break down an impressive Ebbw defense.

The second half continued in the same vain and it became obvious that the first team to score would go on and win the game. This eventually went to Ebbw when they were able to pick up the ball in open play after their initial mistake to run left and stretch the Newport defence. This resulted in their outside half breaking the line and moving the ball out to the left winger who showed excellent pace to score. This was converted to move Ebbw 7-0 in front.

Newport tried to get back in the game but was thwarted by a controversial decision by the referee who allowed a quick tap penalty to be taken when he had already stopped the game. To Ebbws delight they were able to take advantage of this situation and their outside half, who was the outstanding back on the field crossed in the corner to win the game.

Newport was unable to convert chances into points but they never gave up trying, notably Matthew Keyse who has a storming game in the pack.

Cefn Coed 5 V 40 Newport

NHSOB Under 12s Rugby team visited Merthyr Tydfil to play Cefn Coed and came away comfortable winners by 40-5.

The Newport side once again had to lend players to have a 15 a side game but it was not long before they stamped their authority on the game. A fine run by James Miller saw the supporting Owain Tanner cross for the first try. .An aggressive Joshua Broom the Newport centre scored the next when he robbed the Cefn Coed player and ran strongly over to score. Next following a lovely move when the ball passed through all the backs winger Jake Thomas was on hand to score in the corner.

As half time approached, Newport increased their lead through their jet propelled hooker Bo Hammett, who ran straight through the Cefn Coed pack to power over.

The second half continued in the same vein with the Newport forwards controlling possession. It was nice to see the ball being passed through many numbers of hands with the forwards especially taking a very unselfish role in the attacks.

Cefn Coed was wilting under the pressure and Captain Matthew Sullivan was the next to cross following a scrum near to the Cefn line. This was a cleverly disguised move in that the Cefn players thought Matthew was taking the ball on the blindside only to find him powering over through their open side defense.

Next to score was debutant back Matthew Thomas who broke the gain line and outpaced the Cefn players and this was followed by full back Joshua Jones getting the 7^th try as Cefn failed to cope with the Newport attacks.

Cefn did in fact score a consolation try late on but the last points were to Newport when Chico Harvey ran through unopposed to bring NHSOBs score to 40.Fortunately for Cefn no conversions were taken which kept the final score at 40-5.

New Panteg 24 Newport HSOB 17

Despite injuries and unavailability and having a bear 15 players Nhsob visited New Panteg and gave an excellant account of themselves before going down 17-24 to the undefeated hosts.

This was an impressive perforance in heavy conditions and all players can be proud of their performances. New Panteg really won the game through two breakaway tries as the Hornets controlled territory. Tries were scored by Oliver Jones, Joshua Jones and Matthew Sullivan. Mitchel Williams converting one of the tries.

Cwmbran 0 NHSOB 0

NHSOB Under 12s after weeks of inactivity visited Cwmbran and after a pulsating game in which both sides played well the match ended 0-0.

Playing up the slope in the first half in difficult muddy conditions NHSOB were forced to defend for long periods but most of the time Cwmbran were unable to break in to the NHSOB 22. Both packs were working hard, being fully committed in the tackle and backs trying to run the ball at all opportunities. Matthew Keyse was prominent for Newport driving the mauls forward.

In the second half with the slope NHSOB started to put pressure on and it was to Cwmbrans credit that they were unable to score. Rory Walmsley nearly broke clear after a fine run and following a break by Mathew Vaughan the supporting players were unable to keep the ball in hands when a try looked on the cards. As the half progressed Cwmbran had a couple of penalties close to the NHSOB 22 but fine tackling kept them out.

At the end the score was a fair result.

Abergavenny 0 Newport HSOB 5 8/2/2004

NHSOB Under 12s visited Abergavenny in a Gwent cup tie and after an enthralling match came away with a deserved 5-0 win.

On a sticky pitch against a full strength Abergavenny side Newport produced a fine performance in a compelling game between two committed sides. The Newport forwards

worked hard throughout the match and were able to gain the upper hand which had a major bearing on the result.

The first half was won in possession and territory by Newport but poor handling at times let them down. However a break form the halfway line by Joshua Broom nearly opened the scoring but he was brought down by fine Abergavenny tackling just short of the line. Both sides had opportunities but the half finished without a score.

Newport although missing players through school activities took the game to Abergavenny in the second half and with the strong Ryan Davies surging forward and making good ground Newport were always on the front foot.

The Newport forwards were now gaining momentum and their drives were making excellent yardage into the Abergavenny half. After being held up over the line on one occasion Newport were not to be denied when following a scrum and a planned move skipper Matthew Sullivan powered over in the corner to score. This was a well deserved try. Although this was the end to the scoring Newport were never in danger of losing their lead and the final whistle was met with an elated Newport cheer.

Flanker Mathew Vaughan was given the coaches Man of the Match award as he was always prominent in attack and defense supporting his fellow players.

Croesyceiliog 7 Newport HSOB 39 15/2/2004

Newport HSOB Under 12's visited Croesyceiliog and after an outstanding performance came away with a superb 39-7 victory. This was a true team performance. Hooker Bo Hammett with 3 strikes against the head had a powerful game in the tight and loose. The back row of Captain Matthew Sullivan, Ollie Jones and Mathew Vaughan were everywhere in defence and attack. The backs had a much better game with James Richardson always a handful for the Croesy defence.

Newport were 10 points ahead within minutes with both tries following forward drives. First No 8 Matthew Sullivan stormed over and then flanker Mathew Vaughan powered over shortly after although both tries were unconverted.

Before half time with Newport now rampant centre James Richardson crossed following intense pressure. Newport finished the half 15-0 ahead.

The second half started in the same vain with the Newport forwards competing for every ball. With this control the backs had a abundance of possession and outside half Mitchel Williams was next to get on the score sheet with another unconverted try. This was quickly followed by a deserved try for flanker Oliver Jones which was converted by Mitchel Williams.

Newport went further ahead when prop Harley Brown was tackled close to the line and Matthew Sullivan was up in support to crash over for his second try.

To be fair to the Croesyceiliog team, they never gave up and their big aggressive forwards continued to work hard. Croesy had their reward when Nathan Treadgold intercepted deep in the Newport 22 to score a consolation try.

However Newport had the last word when scrum half Matthew Harvey completed the rout scoring under the posts which was converted by Joshua Jones.

Lock Sonny Wall was the coaches man of the match working well in the tight and being difficult to stop when in possession. His comittment was mirrored by all the players

Newport HSOB 5 Caldicot 7

NHSOB Under 12s in very difficult windy conditions entertained Caldicot at the Glebelands and the visitors came away with a deserved 7-5 victory.

Although Newport had the wind to their advantage in the first half they did not use the conditions to their benefit. Having worked hard to obtain good ball they tried to move the ball at all opportunities but due to the conditions were unable to keep ball in hand.

Jake Thomas and James Richardson tried hard to make the breakthrough but to no avail. However when they reverted to a closer forward game, they did progress with good yardage.

Both sides were very committed especially at forward and this made for an intriguing encounter.

Newport began to dominate the game in the conditions and with control of the territory it was no surprise following a period of good pressure that the outstanding Flanker Mathew Vaughan crossed to give Newport a deserved half time lead.

Before Newport could organize themselves at the start of the second half Caldicot produced the winning move when following a scrum their strong running centre ran through some weak Newport tackling to score under the posts. This was easily converted to give Caldicot the lead.

The second half was dominated by the Caldicot forwards who controlled territory and it was disappointing that the Newport forwards who have been in such good form recently could not produce the performance that was required.

Flanker Mathew Vaughan tackled everything and Matthew Keyse was always in the thick of things together with Bodean Hammett who as hooker again took two strikes against the head. With his courageous play in the tight and loose Bo was given the Man of the Match award.

Rhiwbina 47 Newport HSOB 0

The wheels came off the track well and truly when Newport visited a Rhiwbina side that had not lost for over 2 1/2 years.

The first half performance saw Newport give a try away from the first Rhiwbina move to then dominate preceedings for 15 minutes staying well inside the hosts 22. In this period Newport had a Harley Brown try disallowed incorrectly by their view and other opportunities went begging. Against the run of play Rhiwbina broke away with a clearance kick and poor concentration by Newport saw them give a try away. Rhiwbina scored again before the interval to lead 21-0 which at the time flattered them.

Although Newport tried hard in the second half Rhiwbina became rampant scoring a further 4 tries in the closing stages as the Newport pack tired. Newport although in the end were well beaten but had given their all against a much bigger side who were skillful throughout their team.

Despite this heavy defeat many Newport players can be pleased with their performance. The pack until they tired were more than a match for Rhiwbina with everyone shining especially the tackling of Captain Matthew Sullivan, Flanker Oliver Jones,Hooker Bo Hammett and the committment of Sunny Wall, Tom Gittoes, Harley and Jordan Brown.Unfortunately the backs without 3 regular players missed far to many tackles which resulted in a number of the tries being scored.

However with hard work on the training pitch Newport can bounce back next week.

March 27^th 2004 RICHMOND TOURNAMENT

NHSOB Under 12s were unlucky to not qualify for the final stages of the Richmond tournament in London.

After drawing 0-0 with London Scottish they defeated Dursley of Gloucestershire 21-5 with tries from Joshua Jones, Matthew Thomas and Oliver Jones. All three tries were converted by Mitchel Williams.

Next up were the hosts Richmond and after a tight match Newport were unlucky to lose by one try 12-7. Bodean Hammett was the try scorer, converted by Mitchell Williams. Unfortunately, despite trying very hard they were unable to defeat Rosslyn Park in their final pool game going down 14-0.

Although disappointed they can be proud of their performances especially the hard working forwards and with playing different rules they were penalized far to often by inconsistent officials interpretation of the rules.

4th April NHSOB 27 St Josephs 0

NHSOB entertained local rivals St Josephs and won 27-0 scoring 5 tries. The first try came straight after the kick off when a Jordan Brown burst was finished off in the corner by Matthew Sullivan. This went unconverted but Mitchel Williams was more successful converting the next try scored by Jordan Griffiths as the Old Boys went into the interval 12-0 ahead.

St Josephs rarely threatened and a strong run and try by Joshua Broom early in the second half broke their resistance. Further tries came from the impressive Oliver Jones playing for the first time in the centre rather than at openside and then Man of the Match outside half Mitch Williams completed the scoring following a nice break inside the St Josephs 22.

This was a low key performance by the NHSOB who need to play a lot better as the forthcoming fixtures show strong opposition in the coming weeks.

18TH APRIL CLEVE TOURNAMENT

NHSOB under 12s traveled across the Severn Bridge to Cleve and had a very successful day in winning the Cleve Tournament in convincing style. Seven sides entered on a Group basis with each team playing each other. NHSOB finished undefeated with 4 wins and 2 draws. With matches 12 a side over 7 minutes each way it was important to start well.

First up were the hosts Cleve A who have had a very successful season with NHSOB being one of an elite few to defeat them last October. This was a rousing contest and the superior Newport side was well up to the task. From the off the committed Newport side gained the upper hand and controlled the contest winning 5-0 through a try by skipper Second Row Matthew Sullivan. Next up were Clifton a renowned strong side and this was perhaps Newports worst performance but they still managed to draw 0-0.

Conditions were poor as the rain lashed down making the pitches very wet but the Newport side stayed focused in the bad conditions.

The next game was against a Wootton Bassett side which came with a big pack of forwards. Newport controlled territory and possession and only the conditions stopped them from winning as the slippery ball caused mistakes at vital times. Still although disappointed another 0-0 draw meant that the final three games would decide their destiny.

Llandaff of Cardiff was the next game and they were to this stage had won all their games. The Newport pack roared and following a rolling maul the excellent Prop Jordan Brown crossed. Before half time hard working Second Row Daniel Heard used his strength to cross to put Newport 10-0 up at the interval.

Llandaff had very quick and skillful backs but straight from the start of the second half a superb forward move resulted in the impressive Forward Tom Gittoes scoring in the corner. The game then became more open and Newport let Llandaff into the game. Although they scored a well worked try back came Newport and free scoring Centre Joshua Broom powered through to keep Newport ahead. As the final seconds ticked away Llandaff scored again but Newport deserved their 20-15 victory.

With Cleve A drawing with Clifton Newport knew that if they won their final two pool games they would be winners. They took to the field against Maidenhead last year winners determined and defeated them up front. Second row Sonny Wall crossed twice followed by outside half Mitchel Williams, Scrum half Matthew Harvey and finally two tries by winger Jordan Griffths to give Newport an impressive 30-0 victory.

In the final game against Cleve B the confidence of NHSOB showed with tries by the outstanding Centre Oliver Jones, Two tries by Mitchel Williams whose confidence grew as the Tournament progressed, a further two tries by Sonny Wall and lastly as the final whistle beckoned by Forward Matthew Keyse who having been brought down short of the line on a number of occasions this year finally open his try account.

At times Newport was awesome with forwards Bo Hammett, Jordan Brown, Matthew Sullivan, Tom Gittoes, Dan Heard, and Matthew Keyse all outstanding. The backs with seconded forwards Oliver Jones Mathew Vaughan together with regular backs Jordan Griffiths, Joshua Jones, Matthew Harvey, Owain Tanner ,Mitchell Williams all produced quality form which they should be proud of.

However there was one forward who this Tournament signaled his arrival as a quality forward. This was Sonny Wall being no doubt not only NHSOB Player of the Tournament but if fact arguably Player of the Tournament.

CROESYCEILIOG 12 NHSOB 7 25^TH APRIL 2004

This was a disappointing performance by Newport against a side they had comprehensively beaten earlier in the season. Having been kept waiting for over an hour the Newport side were very slow to start and gave away an early try to the hosts following bad ball retention and feeble tackling.

This seemed to wake up the side and they took the game to Croesyceiliog. As the half progressed Newport took control of possession and territory and following a strong attack by the forwards and a number of phases prop Harley Brown crossed for a well deserved try. This was converted by outside half Mitchel Williams to give NHSOB a narrow half time lead.

You would have thought that Newport would have gone on from here to win the game but a competitive home team was determined to erase the previous result. Newport were unable to take any control with the ball spurned, dropped and tackles missed on far too many occasions. Unfortunately in the closing moments they gave the game away when another misdirected pass went loose in the Newport 22 and Croesyceiliog were more alert to pick up the ball and cross for the winning score which was converted.

The referee immediately blew his whistle to end the game and put the Hornets out of their misery. This was the last fixture of the season with only the NHSOB Tournament and Tour left and really mirrored the performances we have seen in a number of games. Until the boys believe in the work ethic and that a game is not won until the final whistle we will continue to see potential but no progress.

Man of the Match was Captain Matthew Sullivan who played well above the standard of many of his teammates.

ABERYSTWYTH TOUR APRIL 30^TH/ MAY 3^RD

Newport HSOB under 12s traveled to Aberystwyth for their annual tour and played a mixed under 12/13 Aberystwyth side. After an entertaining game Newport won 30-15 in a match where 9 tries were scored, all unconverted.

The Newport side was outstanding and produced one of their best performances of the season. The first try was scored by Second Row Sonny Wall who finished off a fine move to score wide out and this was followed by winger Matthew Thomas who intercepted deep in the Aberystwyth half to cross. All the players were positive in their approach to the game with the skill and commitment and team ethic the coaches have been looking for.

Scrum half Matthew Harvey was next to cross darting around the blindside from a scrum to go over to extend Newports lead. Newport needed to remain focused as within minutes Aberystwyth scored themselves to open their account.

The strong Newport forwards were in control against bigger opponents and used the driving maul on a number of occasions to good effect. From one of these which seemed to last for the length of the field flanker Mathew Vaughan broke clear to score.

Next on the score sheet was winger Joshua Broom who used his strength to score to put Newport 25-5 ahead. This gave the opportunity for the coaches to give all tour members a game and although the hosts crossed for two further scores Newport had the last say when centre James Richardson scored. Mitchel Williams was unlucky with the conversions.

With a party of over 50 players and family the match was a highlight of an enjoyable weekend.

NHSOB TOURNAMENT 9^TH MAY 2004

NHSOB Under 12s finished a successful season being runners up in their home club tournament. In a very competitive group all the games were close with only two clear victories in the six games with the remaining four games being tied.

Newport started with a 5-5 draw against a strong Cwmbran side and after going behind was rewarded in the closing minutes with a try by flanker Mathew Vaughan. They followed this with a 10-10 draw against Abertillery who were out for revenge following Newports victory against them earlier in the season. Again Newport had to come back from behind to draw with tries from hooker Bo Hammett and centre Oliver Jones. In their final match they held the overall winners Llandaff to a 5-5 draw thanks to a try from winger Matthew Thomas.

Although Newport did not perform to their usual high standards there was some comfort in that they were undefeated despite playing poorly. The players have now a deserved rest in the close season before starting training again later in the summer.

BRIDGEND ATHLETIC 51 NHSOB 5 HOME 5^TH SEPTEMBER 2004

The season started badly for the Hornets being comprehensively beaten by a fine Bridgend outfit. With the Hornets already 31-0 down at half time only pride was at stake and an improved performance in the second half was rewarded with a try for Hooker Bo Hammett.

The referee gave the Man of the Match award to forward Daniel Heard who never stopped trying.

BATH 7 NHSOB 7 HOME 12^TH SEPTEMBER 2004

What a difference a week makes with the Hornets more than matching there strong English counterparts.

A fine overall performance saw the NHSOB side held up over the Bath line on no fewer than 5 occasion’s .Matthew Sullivan who had a fine game scored the home try converted by Mitchel Williams. The game finished with Bath holding on for a draw.

ABERGAVENNY 19 NHSOB 5 HOME 19^TH SEPTEMBER 2004

The Hornets fell to another defeat losing by 3 tries and 2 conversions to a try in a game where even a neutral spectator would have thought the Hornets won convincingly.

How they reached half time 7-5 down was amazing as they had pummeled the Aber line for the best part of the half following Aber taking the lead in the first minute.

Jordan Brown the powerful prop was the Hornets try scorer but full credit must be given to the Aber defence who weathered the storm.

In the second half despite further NHSOB pressure Aber broke away to score 2 further tries to finish winners, but although deserving their win in the end the score flattered them.

LLANDAFF 10 NHSOB 10 AWAY 26^TH SEPTEMBER 2004

The Hornets traveled to Cardiff to meet the strong Llandaff side and came away with a deserved draw. Try scorers were Matthew Chico Harvey playing his first game at Full Back and Captain and prop Harley Brown.

A Coaches special mention must be made for Hooker Keiron Pugsley who was outstanding taking balls against the head and for his round the field work.

BLACKWOOD 12 NHSOB 46 HOME 3^RD OCTOBER 2004

An outstanding team performance saw the NHSOB convincingly beat Blackwood.

Straight from the start the NHSOB side played with a confidence not seen so far this season and spread the ball wide at every opportunity. With the forwards winning quality ball from the much bigger Blackwood pack, Scrum Half Josh Jones was able to dictate the play. Tries in the first half came from the speedy wing Owain Tanner (2) and powerful prop Jordan Brown. James Richardson converted 2 of the tries. This gave the home team a comfortable 19-0 half time lead.

Blackwood came back well and scored a try early in the second half but again the strong Newport forwards took control. This gave Newport the freedom to play fine open rugby and this resulted in Captain and Prop Harley Brown scoring an excellent second half hat trick of tries. Further scores came from powerful centre James Richardson and a darting blindside run from Josh Jones. James Richardson converted one of the tries.

Blackwood never gave up and were rewarded with a try and conversion just before full time.

For Newport whilst all the team played well there were outstanding performances from James Richardson, Outside Half Mitchell Williams, Harley Brown, Matthew Keyse, Keiron Pugsley and Josh Jones.

Final Score NHSOB 46 Blackwood 12

RTB EBBW VALE 55 NHSOB 12 AWAY 10^TH OCTOBER 2004

NHSOB were well defeated by a strong and fast running Ebbw Vale side. Unfortunately the Newport side allowed Ebbw to run at them and were destroyed by the pace in the Ebbw side.

Newports tries were scored by Jordan Brown and Owain Tanner with Joshua Jones converting Owains try.

In a funny way the Newport side held Ebbw at bay for long intervals with their strong forwards working hard. However lessons must be learned in that you cannot allow the fast runners space to move. This meant that tackles were missed on regular occasions.

CALDICOT 12 NHSOB 19 19^TH OCTOBER 2004

NHSOB U13 entertained Caldicot and won 19 -12 scoring 3 tries and with Caldicot being unbeaten so far this season Newport knew it was going to be tough. The Newport side was outstanding and produced one of their best performances of the season so far. The first try was scored by Matthew Sullivan and converted by James Richardson.The second half continued in the same vein with the Newport forwards controlling possession. The second try was scored by Daniel Heard and converted by Josh Jones. The Caldicot boys never gave up and then scored their first try. Newport then raised their game again and a further try was scored by Thomas Gittoes. Caldicot then scored a try with only seconds remaining of the game.

This was a very good team effort with some impressive individual performances by Josh Jones, Matthew Sullivan, Joshua Broom and an excellent debut performance by Sam West.

NEW PANTEG 12 NHSOB 10 CUP MATCH 31^ST OCTOBER 2004

In a very close encounter NHSOB only had themselves to blame in not winning this Gwent Cup encounter. Straight from the first whistle the Newport forwards drove into New Panteg and within minutes were ahead when strong prop Jordan Brown crashed over after much pressure in the Panteg 22 to give the Hornets 1 5-0 lead.

However to Pantegs credit they shaded the half as their forwards took control. An equalizing try came midway through the half and then a clean break by their NO 8 who crossed under the posts gave Panteg the lead. This try was converted and Panteg took a 12-5 half time lead.

The second half was a thrilling encounter. Newport could not put their phases together and were guilty of giving away a large number of penalties. In addition the ball was spilled on many occasions. A further disruption was the vast number of Panteg injuries in the half which meant Newport was unable to get any continuity in their play.

Still despite this they tried relentlessly and following another break by Jordan Brown, flanker Mathew Vaughan was on hand to cross for another converted try.

Although Newport had lost this game, credit to Panteg who worked hard throughout the game. When the final whistle was blown the Panteg players jumped with glee. This in itself confirmed how close the game was.

HARTRIDGE 5 NHSOB 29 NOVEMBER 7^TH 2004

NHSOB visited Hartridge and comfortably won 29-5. Unfortunately the game was spoilt by Hartridge wanting to fight rather than play rugby. Newports tries were scored by Sam West 2, Bodean Hammett, Matthew Sullivan and Jordan Brown. Josh Jones kicked 2 conversions.

RISCA 0 NHSOB 24 14^TH NOVEMBER 2004

NHSOB visited Risca and came away with a deserved victory by 4 tries to nil. The first half was very competitive with the Risca boys challenging for every ball and Newport knew they were in for a tough match. As the half progressed the Newport forwards began to impose their authority and the deadlock was broken when the excellent Jordan Brown crossed under the posts after a fine move. Mitch Williams converted. Risca continued to defend well and managed to contain Newport from scoring for the rest of the half.

Newport started the second half well and although Risca were sharing the possession they could not get out of their own half. Inevitably Newport scored again with Sam West crossing after a fine run. Mitchell Williams converted. Newport were now well on top and scored two further tries before the end of the game, both by prop Jordan Brown to give him a hat trick and eight for the season.. This gave Newport a 24-0 victory and a creditable performance all round.

NHSOB 5 DOUGLAS RFC 14 20^TH NOVEMBER 2004

NHSOB played hosts to the touring Douglas RFC from the Isle of Man. Although an Under 13 fixture Douglas included some over age boys. The game was an entertaining affair with Newport overall unlucky as they matched there opponents in all departments.

Douglas opened the scoring early in the game with their right winger, their match winner, crossed for the first of his two tries. This was a strong run but against some weak Newport tackling. This was converted and they increased there lead midway through the first half when the same player after an excellent run crossed over. This was again converted to give the visitors a 14-0 lead.

Newport without a number of regular players did not lie down and quickly responded with centre Sam West scoring a fine try from broken play.

Newport were unfortunate to lose players through injury but despite great effort were not able to score again to leave the visitors winners in a hard fought encounter.

ABERGAVENNY 5 NHSOB 50 28^TH NOVEMBER 2004

Newport visited Abergavenny hoping for revenge after losing to Abergavenny earlier in the season. The home side was without their Gwent players and without these players was soundly beaten by a rampant Newport side.

The Newport pack dominated from the start and by half time had a lead of 19-0 through tries by Harley Brown, a bulldozing Sonny Wall and Joshua Broom. Mitchel Williams converting two of the tries.

Although playing in fits and starts the Newport side seemed to score at will and in the second half further tries acme from Harley Brown and Joshua Broom again, Mathew Vaughan and Sam West. Oliver Jones converting three of the tries.

Newport leaked a score right at the end of the match to give Abergavenny a little consolation. Newport easily winning 50-5.

CROESYCEILIOG 0 NHSOB 31 GWENT CUP 5^TH DECEMBER 2004

NHSOB Under 13’s produced their best performance of the season to date to defeat a game Croesyceiliog side by 31-0.

Newport began the game in tremendous fashion with both forwards and backs combining and supporting all over the field. Against a bigger pack Newport refused to be held and took the game to the home side at every opportunity. The first Newport score came after a prolonged phase of attack resulting in the speedy centre Sam West scoring. Within minutes the Newport side produced another fine try with flanker Mathew Vaughan crossing following some fine interplay. Both tries were converted by Mitchel Williams to give Newport a 14-0 half time lead.

The second half started in spectacular fashion with Mitchel Williams catching the kick off and running the length of the field to score wide out. This totally stunned the home team. As the half progressed Newport continued to dominate and fast movement of the ball through a number of hands allowed Mathew Vaughan to break through and cross under the posts which was converted by Mitchel Williams.

The final score came following a break by blindside Tom Gittoes who fed No 8 Matthew Sullivan to run over unopposed in the corner.

The Coaching Team will be looking for performances such as this in future matches.

RUMNEY CARDIFF 17 NHSOB 21 12^TH DECEMBER 2004

Newport HSOB Under 13’s entertained Rumney Cardiff who had only been beaten once this season and held out for a fine 21-17 victory.

The Newport side played very well first half and led 14-0 through two tries by the fast improving Sam West both which were converted by James Richardson. Newport fully deserved their lead having controlled the territory and possession and both tries came from fine team attacks.

The second half started with Sam West completing his first hat trick of tries which Mitchel Williams converted. To give all the squad match time 8 changes were made which affected the continuity of the Newport game. Rumney to their credit fought back and scored three tries of their own one of which was converted and Newport had to hold out desperately in the final minutes to secure the victory. There were fine individual performances notably by wingers Owain Tanner and Grant Williams who both were dangerous when they received the ball and Josh Jones controlled the game at scrum half when he was on the field.

RTB EBBW VALE 53 NHSOB 0 AWAY CUP MATCH 9^TH JANUARY 2005

This was a disaster with Newport lacking fitness and commitment being humiliated by an excellent Ebbw Vale outfit. Credit to Ebbw Vale who produced a clinical display to destroy a Newport side who were at full strength

This must be taken as a bench mark for our season as our side is much better than the performance shown in this game. Perhaps players think they are better than they are.

The main learning point is that they must prepare for games and not expect victories without firstly competing at their best. The side must believe that they will not be a competitive team without each and everyone working hard in all areas of the game. RTB gave us a level to achieve as they are unbeaten in 2 years.

CWMBRAN 5 NHSOB 29 16^TH JANUARY 2005

What a fantastic riposte as NHSOB having had a nightmare at Ebbw Vale beat Cwmbran at their home for the first time in 2 seasons. Having managed a draw at Cwmbran last year the forwards performed very well in providing the base for the victory. Having said that, the backs produced a fine performance with defense and attack. Tries were scored by the Rocket Sam West (2), Owain Tanner, James Richardson and Josh Jones. Mitch Williams managed 2 conversions. Let’s hope we can go on from here.

NHSOB 5 ST JOSEPHS 35 23^RD JANUARY 2005

NHSOB just did not turn up for this fixture against a fine St Josephs side who dominated all aspects of play. This was a one sided affair with the NHSOB boys beaten before they started.

The only consolation was a Sam West try early in the second half when they finally achieved getting into their opponents half. All in all a poor performance. And the boys must show a greater appetite and attitude if they want to develop.

CRUMLIN 19 NHSOB 26 30^TH JANUARY 2005

NHSOB visited Crumlin for the first time and came away at the end with a somewhat fortunate result. The Newport side dominated for much of the game with tries by the prolific Sam West (3) and Jordan Griffiths with his first try of the season. Mitchel Williams kicked well in getting 3 conversions.

However in the second half Newport allowed Crumlin back in the game and hung on in the end for the victory.

LLANDAFF 7 NHSOB 20 20^TH FEBRUARY 2005

NHSOB visited Llandaff for the second time this season having drawn 10-10 on their earlier visit. A determined performance by the Newport side gave them a deserved victory only marred when dissent by the Newport players allowed Llandaff back in the game in the second half. Hope fully they will learn from this as until they became involved in questioning every decision they had controlled the game.

First half tries by Matthew Sullivan, Josh Broom and Mitchel Williams had given Newport a healthy 15-0 lead and they were indebted to another Josh Broom try in the second half to secure victory.

CROESYCEILIOG 24 NHSOB 33 27^TH FEBRUARY 2005

NHSOB again defeated Croesyceiliog in a good entertaining game with two well matched sides.NHSOB scored 5 tries through Mitch Williams, Matthew Sullivan, Sam West and 2 by the coaches son Matthew Keyse. This was really pleasing for Matthew on a ground where he had previously broken his collarbone. Mitchell Williams added 4 conversions.

Coach Tyrone Keyse commented: - ‘There were good performances by Matthew Sullivan, Jordan Brown, Daniel Heard, Matthew Keyse, Mitchell Williams, Oliver Jones and Joshua Broom’

NHSOB 15 CALDICOT 21 CUP MATCH 6^TH MARCH 2005

A superb game by two very committed sides was seen at Caerleon and it was difficult to pick a winner right up to the final whistle. Caldicot deserved gaining revenge over Newport for an earlier defeat at Caldicot if only for scoring 3 tries to 2.

Despite fielding a weakened team through injuries and unavailability Newport’s replacements and regulars gave everything.

A Sam West try his 21^st of the season gave Newport a great start which Mitchel Williams converted but Caldicot equalized through a strong run by their inside centre who ran through weak Newport tackling.

Before half time Mitchel Williams put Newport back in front with a penalty kick.

Unfortunately Caldicot came out strong in the second half scoring after some fine forward play and again this was converted. Newport never gave up and following extensive pressure for some minutes within the Caldicot 22 flanker Mathew Vaughan crossed wide out to put Newport back in front 15-14.

A win was not to be however as Caldicot clawed the win through a try and conversion again where Newport let themselves down through poor tackling.

The final minutes were played out at some pace with both sides trying their best to add to the scores and the final whistle went on a very entertaining game. Credit to both sides whose players gave their all in a hard but fair game.

NHSOB 29 CAERPHILLY 15 20TH MARCH 2005

NHSOB Under 13’s entertained Caerphilly at Caerleon and won an excellent game by 29-15.

Caerphilly started the game well and scored an unconverted try early on as they threatened to overrun the Newport side. There appeared to be some doubt in the Newport ranks that they could compete with this Caerphilly outfit but when flanker Mathew Vaughan powered his way over to equalize the score Newport knew that they were in a game they could win. All the side suddenly gained in confidence and following fine team play 2^nd Row Matthew Keyse crossed to give Newport the lead. This was well converted by Mitchel Williams.

To their credit Caerphilly were competing well and were rewarded with a second try which again was unconverted. Newport were not outdone and top try scorer winger Sam West increased Newport’s lead just before half time showing great strength and determination as he crossed with a number of Caerphilly forwards trying to stop him.

Newport’s half time lead was cut when a further Caerphilly try reduced the deficit but to their credit Newport produced one of their best displays and finished with tries from the excellent forward Dan Heard who crossed and finally Caerphilly’s defence was breached again by Sam West’s second try which was converted by Mitchel Williams.

In summary when the side believed in themselves the backs played with a confidence not seen recently and the forwards paved the way for victory but credit to a great effort with fine displays from Matthew Harvey, Matthew Sullivan, Mathew Vaughan and the ever improving Dan Heard

NEWPORT HSOB 35 CROESYCEILIOG 5 17^TH APRIL 2005

NHSOB Under 13’s played their first game in 4 weeks and outplayed a Croesyceiliog side at Caerleon.

Newport were 21 points to the good at half time through tries from the prominent James Richardson, a spectacular try from deep in his own half by Sam West and a well deserved try by Scrum Half Matthew Harvey who finished off a fine move started by the strong Jordan Brown. These were all well converted by Mitchel Williams.

In the second half Newport made a number of substitutions but went further ahead with a second James Richardson try, again converted by Mitchel Williams. Back came Croesyceiliog and they fully deserved their consolation try which was unconverted.

Newport sealed their victory when flanker Mathew Vaughan stormed over in the corner. This again was well converted by Mitchel Williams to keep his 5 from 5 100% kicking record for the day.

Sadly the game was ended early due to an injury to a Croesyceiliog forward that needed hospital attention. All the NHSOB players and parents wish him well for a full recovery.

Newport overall performed well and there were notable performances from Matthew Sullivan, Jordan Brown, Tom Gittoes in the forwards and Matthew Chico Harvey at scrum half and Oliver Jones in the centre.

NEWPORT HSOB 22 CWMBRAN 17 24^TH APRIL 2005

NHSOB finished their home matches with a pulsating 22-17 win over a tenacious Cwmbran side.

For the first 15 minutes NHSOB having scored a try through Jordan Brown dictated the game but slowly but surely Cwmbran came back into the match and by half time had fully deserved a 10-5 lead through two tries of their own.

NHSOB with a squad of 25 players continued to allow all of their squad some match time and this effected their continuity and with Cwmbran again scoring a converted try early in the second half Newport were 17-5 down and heading for a defeat.

However the Newport forwards for much of the time second best upped their game and began to win more ball. This period was vital and following a number of plays Matthew Sullivan crossed in the corner for an unconverted try to put Newport back in the game.

This gave the Newport side confidence and shortly after with Cwmbran defending their own line Tom Gittoes pounced on a loose ball to score another unconverted try to put Newport within two points.

With less than minutes to play Newport deservedly won the game when top try scorer Sam West sprinted away from desperate Cwmbran tacklers to cross under the posts with James Richardson adding the conversion.

NHSOB now head off next weekend for their end of year tour in West Wales having won their last three matches.

NHSOB 40 WHITLAND 5 AWAY 30^TH APRIL 2005

Harley Brown finished his year as captain leading NHSOB Under 13’s to a comprehensive victory on tour in West Wales against Whitland.

Newport took the lead within the first minute when flanker broke through and raced over half the length of the field to cross over under the posts. With Mitchel Williams converting Newport were ahead 7-0. Mitchel himself increased the lead with a lovely break to cross and again convert to put Newport into a 14 point lead.

With the forwards dominating it was hardly a surprise to see hard working second row Dan Heard cross late in the half and with Mitchel again converting Newport had a healthy 21-0 lead at half time.

Whitland did have some hope when they crossed early in the second half but back came Newport with a second Mitchel Williams try after good support followed by a Matthew Keyse try which Mitch converted.

Top try scorer Sam West scored the last try after a strong burst and Mitchel Williams converted to bring his personal points haul to 20 and give Newport a convincing 40-5 win to end their season.

The Tour party consisted of 21 players. Harley Brown, Bodean Hammett, Keiron Pugsley, Jordan Brown, Sonny Wall, Daniel Heard, Matthew Keyse, Matthew Sullivan, Tom Gittoes, Mathew Vaughan, Jake Thomas, forwards with Josh Jones, Mitchell Williams, James Richardson, Joshua Chapman, Jordan Griffiths, Sam West, Matthew Harvey, Joshua Broom, Owain Tanner and finally poor Oliver Jones who finished the tour with a chipped elbow and a Helicopter ride to hospital!

Final thanks to coach Tyrone Keyse who has decided to finish. Tyrone has been with the boys for a number of seasons and has been an exceptional coach and mentor for the boys. Ty enjoy your retirement.

11 September

NHSOB U14' (10) v Croesyceiliog (17)

The Old Boys faced difficult opposition for their first fixture of the season against a tough Croesy team. The players were well matched and neither took a backward step. Croesy took an early lead by moving the ball quickly out wide stretching the Old Boys defence touching the ball down under the posts making the conversion a formality. The Old Boys responded after some great forward pressure earning a 5 yard scrum. Sonny Wall picked the ball up from the base of the scrum and powered over the line for a well worked try. Mitchell Williams was unlucky with the conversion from wide out.

Jake Thomas won some excellent ball in the lineout and Mitchell Williams was unlucky not to score in the corner but was adjudged to have just put a stud in touch. The Old Boys forwards turned possession into another try by stealing the lineout ball and drove the ball into the corner with Jordan brown touching down.

Croesy responded positively and managed to cross the line for two further tries following some clean ruck ball and good handling

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18 September 2005

NHSOB U14's 24 RISCA 10

The game started at a frantic pace with the Old Boys penning Risca in their own half for long periods. Had it not been for some excellent Risca defence NHSOB would have crossed earlier. The first try came from a powerful drive by the impressive Sonny Wall clearly enjoying his new position at No.8. This was converted well by Mitchell Williams. The second try was scored by Daniel Heard as a result of his dogged persistence chasing down a lose ball over the line. This was again ably converted by Mitchell Williams. Risca then enjoyed a period of possession just before half time and scored themselves but the conversion was just wide.

The Old Boys third try was created from a quick penalty and spun wide with a fantastic pass from Jordan Brown to Harley Brown. The prop converted to a winger crossed well in the corner. James Richardson just missed the conversion from the touch line. NHSOB were unlucky not to score after another good move from the backs but Oliver Jones was held up over the line but Mitchell Williams made excellent use of the blind side from the following scum to score a well deserved try. Risca rounded the game off with a good try of their own scoring from deep through broken play.

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25 September 2005

Crumlin 7 NHSOB U14's 22

Crumlin put pressure on NHSOB from the start and opening the scoring with a neat pick and go from the No.8 who off loaded to the winger, Dan Evans, to score in the corner. Matthew Tilley converted. This woke up the Old Boys and Daniel Heard scored from a line out. This was followed by a strong run by Sam West who off loaded in the tackle just short of the line to Harley Brown only for the pass to be just forward. From the scrum NHSOB charged down the kick and James Richardson scored under the posts with Mitchell Williams converting. A typical bullocking run from James Richardson set up a good drive. With Crumlin going backwards Daniel Heard picked up the ball and passed it wide to Harley brown to score. Another good conversion by Mitchell Williams followed by a penalty to close out the game.

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2nd October 2005

New Panteg 79 NHSOB 5

A tough day for the boys and their heads really weren't on it. New Panteg were an excellent team peppered with Welsh capped rugby league players. They had an excellent big mobile No 8 who they used to great effect and we simply couldn't stop him. A day best forgotten. No lessons to be learned here. We move on!

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9th October

Bath 32 NHSOB 0

Another tough fixture. The boys were very much more competative this week and the backs pressed and defended well with some excellent tackling. Sam West and James Richardson managed a couple of strong runs but we were starved of the ball. Not being able to lift in the line outs hindered us badly and we found it difficult to win ball in the scrums. We again fell foul of a very good No.8 that scored most of their tries from picking up from 5M scrums. We probably stopped him more often than not but the tries were notched up. Josh Sansom made a good debut at prop.

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16th October

NHSOB 12 Blackwood 15

A disapointing second half performance by NHSOB saw them ending up with a disappointing loss against Blackwood. A good first half performance gave them boys a 12-0 half time which they thoruoghly deserved. Rugby is a game of 2 halves and this match being the perfect example, when it seemed as if the Old Boys thought they had it in the bag. With Blackwood now starting to frustrate some of NHSOB's players they started their comeback with three tries in quite quick succession to give Blackwood a 15-12 lead. Despite a late NHSOB attack on the Blackwood line they could not regain the lead, giving Blackwood a 15-12 victory. Tries by Sam West and James Richardson, conversion by Mitchell Williams.

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6 November

Croesyceiliog 5 v NHSOB U14's 12

This Cup match began with Croesy throwing the kitchen sink at the Old Boys and for the first 10 minutes we couldn't get out of our 22. We defended very well and eventually started to get some field position. The forwards won some excellent ruck ball against a much larger pack.

The first try, scored by Sam West, resulted from us pressuring their centres and Sam picked up a loose ball and ran under the posts from the half way line. Mitchell Williams converted.

Josh Jones showed excellent skills with his tactical kicking and this gave us field position close to the Croesy line. From the following scrum and a clever blind side move saw Jordan Brown hammering through Croesyceiliog players and offloading to Bodean Hamett for Bo to go over in the corner. The second half continued in the same vain. Possession and field position was fairly even until Croesy hacked on a loose ball in mid field and the drive near our line saw them go over in the corner. The Old Boys pressed hard then for a further score. Our forwards were starting to dominate the bigger Croesy pack in the loose and we managed to keep them penned back into their 22 to close out the game. It was an excellent game of rugby from a neutrals perspective and played in the right manner.

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19th November

Tour match

NHSOB 12 Canada 48

A hard match for the boys against a much bigger touring Canadian team. In the first half the boys seamed to be intimidated by their bigger opponents and were 34 points down at half time. A much improved second half performance by the boys when they decided to stand up to their opponents and a great result for the half with their opponents only outscoring them by 2 points. A good performance by NHSOB with alot to be able to take out of the game. Tries by Jordan Brown and Sam West, converted by Mitchel Williams.

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27 November

Caldicott 26 NHSOB 12

A good performance by the boys against a Caldicot team doing well this season saw them losing undeservedly 26-12. Caldicot scored their first try right from the off when an NHSOB mistake from the kick off led to the Caldicot scrum half picking from a ruck to make a break and score. NHSOB made a quick reply and scored a try of their own soon afterwards. All of NHSOB's pressure could not result in tries and Caldicot's quick runners scoring some break away tries gave Caldicot a what has to be said undeserved 4 tries to 1 lead but NHSOB got thier just rewards in the end with James Richardson's 2nd try of the match making the final score 26-12 to Caldicot. Tries by James Richardson (2) conv Mitchell Williams

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11 December

St Albans 19 NHSOB 30

A quite dissapointing performance but nothing to bad from the Old Boys gave them a hard worked 30-19 victory over St Albans. A decent first half performance gave the Old Boys 20-0 half time lead. A St Albans come back brought the score back to 20-19 with some of the Old Boys players on the St Albans team wondering what to do but luckily saving them any more attacks of conscience the Old Boys scored 2 more tries to make the final score 30-19. (Thomas Gittoes gets a special note for scoring for the opposition!) Tries by Dane Price (2) Mitchell Williams, Jordan Brown (2), Sam West

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18 December

Caldicot 60 NHSOB 17

A bad day at the office for NHSOB especially after their great preformance against Caldicot two weeks earlier. The only good aspects to be taken from this game is an improved second half performance in which some good picking and hitting started and a brilliant try by James Richardson from inside his own 22. A match best forgotten.

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8 January 2006

NHSOB U14 43 v Blackwood U14 15

The Old Boys got off to a great start with Dane Price scoring from a switched 22 drop out. Owain Tanner was next to score with a great dummy pass to the winger creating enough space to make a break to the line. A few minutes later he scored again with almost the same move. These were Owains first scores of the season so well done. Blackwood came back strongly with a try of their own. Jordan Brown and Dane Price were to score again before half time with conversions from James Richardson and Mitch Williams. With a good lead the Old Boys relaxed at the beginning of the second half and Blackwood took full advantage with an early try. Sam West responded with a powerful run crossing the line with two one his back and then scored a gain shortly after. Both converted by Mitch Williams. The Old Boys had to defend strongly in the final stages of the game with Sam West showing real determination and commitment with a brilliant try saving tackle. Blackwood managed to score again at moment before full time.

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15 January

St Josephs 43 v NHSOB U14 3

The game started brightly despite the Old Boys only having 14 players and the oposition insisting on fielding 15. We managed to contain St Jo's fairly comfortably for the first 25 minutes with some inspirational tackling from Jordan Brown. Eventually St Jo's found some gaps with their constant overlap and scored three tries and a conversion before half time.

For periods during the game the Old Boys were down to 13 men with injuries and the tiredness really kicked in during the second half. The final score was 3 - 43. Some good forward play one us a penalty towards the end of the game which Mitch Williams slotted. The boys battled to the end and showed great team spirit and good sportmanship. Not a quality enjoyed by the oposition.

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22 January

NHSOB U14's 7 v Crumlin 10

A very tightly contested game on a heavy pitch. The home team scored first through some great individual skill by scrum half Mitchel Williams to score under the posts. He also converted it. Half time saw the score unchanged.

Crumlin came out stronly in the second half scoring early on to make it 7-5 and continued to attack. Some excellent defence kept the out for long periods thanks to some great tackling in the backs. Josh Chapman requires a special mention for protecting the right wing with a number of try saving tackles. Crumlin got over eventually at the death making the final score 7-10.

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29 January

St Peter 52 v NHSOB U14's 5

Our much depleted team struck down by fle put up a good effort and the forwards competed very well. Unfortunatly St Peters three quarters punched holes through our midfield at will primarily from their Welsh 100M hurdle champion! Owain Tanner scored a very well worked try at the end to show they battled to the final whistle.

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19th February

Risca 12 v NHSOB U14's 15

This was very much a makeshift team with a number of boys on holiday and ill. We were able to recall Matthew Vaughn and Josh Broom from their schools and both made excellent contributions with Broomy scoring a hatrick of tries. The game was marred by some eccentric refereeing the Old Boys allowed their concentration and discipline to slip. A hard fought game and the new boys Tom Brown and Louis McDonagh had excellent debuts.

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March 5th

Cwmbran 10 NHSOB 0

A good performance by the NHSOB saw them lose a tight game 10-0 to Cwmbran. The first quarter of the game saw a lot of Cwmbran pressure but good NHSOB defence managed to keep them out until Cwmbran finally manaaged to get the ball over the try line. After that spell of Cwmbran pressure NHSOB finally seemed to be getting back in to the match with possesion and territory starting to even out with the ball seeming to be locked to the middle of the pitch. Just as you thought NHSOB could start to grab the upper hand in the match a mistake by the Old Boys allowed Cwmbran to hack the ball on and score there second try of the match. A half time sub saw Lewis Mcdonagh go on for returning second row Jake Thomas and an injured Thomas Gittoes was replaced by returning captain Bodean Hammett. An improved second half performance saw the Old Boys camped in the Cwmbran half with Cwmbran only breaking out twice. Unfortuanately none of these attacks led to points for the Old Boys and then for the rest of the half the game seeemed to balance out again and with not much more action besides a Jordan Brown injury causing Jake Thomas to take to the pitch again the game eneded with the score 10-0 to Cwmbran.

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March 19th

NHSOB 17 New Panteg 27

One of NHSOB's best performances this season saw them lose a very close game 27-17 to a strong New Panteg team. New Panteg scored the openening try quite early on after they knocked the ball on but this was unseen by the New Panteg ref who was actually ment to be neutral and they went on to score the opening try with their big No.8 in the corner. The try went unconverted. New Panteg quickly doubled their lead with another try in the corner which also went unconverted. It looked as if it might have become a similar story to last time the 2 teams met with the New Panteg scrum half scoring from a pick and go and as this happened a clash of heads between Mitchell Williams and James Richardson ended James' match with a broken nose. NHSOB finally managed to get on the scoreboard after a bit of pressure in side the New Panteg half Mitchell Williams took a quick tap and passed it to Sam West who was able to get over the white wash. Mitchell was unlucky with the conversion. New Panteg increased their lead with another dodgy try by their scrum half who while the ball was in the scrum came in to an offside position between our 9 & 10 caught the ball and scored. Besides the New Panteg player getting over the try line none of this was spotted by the ref. NHSOB scored the last try of the half with a very similar try to the last one they scored with Mitch Williams taking a quick tap passing it to Sam and Sam managing to burrow his way through the defence and over the line. Half time score of 22-12. The 2nd half started with a lot of New Panteg pressure and only defence of the highest order from NHSOB manged to keep New Panteg out. NHSOB nearly manged to score a break away try when a Matthew Vaughan kick was fumbled by the New Panteg wing and the ball was taken all the way up to the New Pantag try line and if Sam West had manged to keep hold of an awkward bounce he would have been over or his hatrick. A stint of NHSOB pressure saw Sam West this time manage to keep hold of the ball and make a great run to go over in the corner to get his hatrick. The try went unconverted. NHSOB had clawed themselves back in tp the game from being 17-0 down early in the match but New Panteg managed to seal the victory with another from their big No.8 who moved in to the centre and managed to get the ball after a break and get over the line. Besides a few more chances for NHSOB to get some more points on the board there was not much more action and the game ended New Panteg 27 NHSOB 17. A great preformance by the boys and if it wasn't for a few dodgy decisions the game could have swung the other way.

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26th March

Caldicot 29 NHSOB 5

For the 2nd week in a row NHSOB played a team that earlier in the season had beaten them easily, this week it was Caldicot. An early bit of NHSOB pressure saw Josh Broom nearly go over for an early try from a kick through. A few minutes later Caldicot nearly did and only desperate NHSOB defence kept them out on the wing. After this Caldicot managed to score with an overlap from a tap penalty and the try was well converted. The match started to even out after this until a run by Sam West took NHSOB in to the Caldicot 22 and it seemed as if the Old Boys were there to stay with chance after chance after chance going to waste with a little help from some good Caldicot defence. For the last few minutes of the half the game evened out and the half time score was 7-0 to Caldicot. The 2nd half started badly for Caldicot with their kick off barley going 2 metres but a few minutes after this they nearly scored from a break and only great defence from Matthew Vaughan and Mitchell Williams stopped them from increasing their lead. Unfortunately this break did lead to a try from a tap penalty. The try was unconverted. Caldicot managed to get another try in when their outside half made a break, hacked the ball on and had the pace to finish it off. He had an easy kick to convert his own try. After this Caldicot scored another two tries using the overlap and after such a good first half performance it really seemed as if things may fall apart for NHSOB. Luckily our fears didn't come true and the game evened out and after a bit of pressure Josh Broom took a tap penalty and managed to get a well deserved conselation try for NHSOB. The ball seemed to stay in the middle of the park for the rest of the game and besides a Caldicot break and hack on where they would have scored if it weren't for the ball just rolling dead and the match finished 29-5 to Caldicot who deserved there win but the scoreline didn't seem to do NHSOB justice.

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9th April

NHSOB 39 St Peters 0

A great performance by NHSOB saw them beat St Peters 39-0 in their bigest win of the season and this was an extra special result because earlier in the season St peters had torn the Old Boys to pieces 52-5 in Cardiff. A great start from the Old Boys saw James Richardson go over towards the corner within the first 5 minutes for an unconverted try to give the Old Boys an early 5-0 lead. A few minutes after this from a St Peters tap and go the big St Peters second row took the ball in and set up the ruck the ball shot out of the ruck and rolled along the floor and as the St Peters player went to pick the ball up Jordan Brown dived for the ball and just as the St peters player planted his foot in to the ground Jordans shoulder crashed into the St Peters players knee cap and ended this players game as he had to taken from the ground in an ambulence. Best wishes to the injured play with his recovery. The game was starting to be played around the St Peters 10m and 22m lines and the Old Boys were unlucky to gain anything from a good kick by James Richarson which was well followed up by nearly the whole back line. Mitchell Williams was unlucky to score from a scrum as he was just taken down in the corner. Some good defence in the same corner including a big hit by Bodean Hammett saw the Old Boys gain a tap penalty in the corner from which Matthew Vaughan was very unluky not to score from a strong run to get under the posts only to knock the ball on. NHSOB managed to keep the pressure on and from a turnover Sam West managed to get over the line and Mitchell Williams was unlucky with the conversion. An NHSOB mistake from the kick off saw a minute or 2 of pressure from St peters but NHSOB came through this and managed to bring the game back into the St Peters half. A great tackle from Josh Broom saw a turnover for NHSOB and from a following scrum Sam West managed to make a great run to go over in the corner for his 2nd try of the match. Mitchell Williams was once again unlucky with the conversion. The St Peters kick off fell to Josh Jones and he kicked it back to St Peters and as they St Peters went for another kick back to the Old Boys Jordan Brown went for a charge down and somehow managed to catch the ball and make a run into the corner for NHSOB's 4 th try of the half. The conversion was missed by James Richardson and this was the last action of the first half. A big drive from the strong St Peters pack was turned over by the smaller but just as powerful NHSOB pack and this lead to a penalty for the old boys because for a St Peters high tackle. A big kick into the corner by James Richardson saw the old boys deep into the St Peters half, and NHSOB were then unlucky to score from a kick through over the line. A mistake by the St Peters outside half kicking the ball straight out from a drop 22 lead to a scrum on the 22 for NHSOB but a penalty for holding on gave St Peters a chance to relieve the pressure which they took and brought the game up to the halfway line. NHSOB managed to get the ball back straight away from a turnover at a St Peters lineout. A strong run by James Richardson was then followed up by a strong run from Sam West which put him over for his hatrick. NHSOB now started to gain a bit of pressure in the St Peters half and some strong running and forward work from the Old Boys saw them deeper into the St Peters half but a St Peters turn over gave them the chance to clear their lines which they gladly took. Some strong running from the St Peters backs saw them into the NHSOB half but a St Peters knock on saw a kick which lead to the ball going straight back into the St Peters half again and some strong St Peters defence seemed to have Newport pinned in the same position until a penlaty gave Newport the chance to boot the ball deep into the St Peters half. Some strong defence kept St Peters in their own half and then a penalty allowed NHSOB to venture deeper into the St Peters half yet again. A good individual run from a St Peters player relieved the pressure but some good running by NHSOB backs put it right back on. Mitch Williams made a good run off a St Peters scrum and then manged to convert his own try. A turnover for Nhsob gave Matthew Vaughan tha chance to clear the ball into a very familiar site for the Old Boys, the St Peters half. A big run from one of St Peters bigger players brought the game into NHSOB's half but this run was stopped by a good tackle by Mitch Williams. The game was then brought back in to the St Peters half, for about 5 seconds in which Sam West made a great run to score his 4th try of them match and this try was followed by a good conversion by James Richardson. 2 good runs by Dan Heard and James Richardson put a bit of pressure onto St Peters and Matthew Vaughan was very unlucky not to score from his own chip through. This was the last action of NHSOB's best performance and biggest win of the season.

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Spain Tour 2006 - NHSOB 19 Granada University 19 / NHSOB 26 Motril 19

NHSOB flew off to sunny Spain for their U14s tour with rugby not being the only thing on the agenda for the week. A restful first night and first 2 days to adapt to the new climate and settle in lead to the first match on Sunday when the Old Boys faced Granada University, an inexperienced team like most Spanish teams but a very talented team all the same. NHSOB started the game well in the first of 3 twenty minute thirds with a lot of pressure on their bigger Spanish opponents who didn’t seem to have a full understanding of the rules similarly to the ref but that didn’t stop Sam West going over to give NHSOB a 1 try to nil half time lead at the end of the half. During the first break a lot of changes seemed to disrupt the Old Boys rhythm especially up front and Granada started to use their bigger pack to good effect and a better half for the Spanish team saw them go in at the 2^nd break as leaders by a try. During the last 3^rd both teams started to play some good rugby and levelled the scores 12-12 with another Sam West try. Unfortunately for The Old Boys Granada managed to get a 3^rd try in and a 19-12 lead but with the strength in depth of the NHSOB touring squad finally coming through they put a lot of pressure on Granada and Sam West went under the posts for his 3^rd try of the match and this levelled the score 19 all with the conversion and this was the last score of the badly tempered match but all aggro that went on during the game stayed on the pitch with the 2 teams in good spirits afterwards.

NHSOB played their second and last game of the tour on Tuesday after spending Monday skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Old Boys opponents were Motril, another big team but not quite as big as Granada. The game was once again played in 3 thirds and at the end of the first third NHSOB had a 19-5 lead with 2 tries from Sam West including a great from a nice chip through from inside the Old Boys own half and 1 try from Jordan Brown. In the second third Motril managed to pull 1 try back with their second break away try of the game and reduce the score to 19-12 to the Old Boys. In the final third NHSOB sealed the match with a great individual effort from Matthew Harvey as he drove his way to the line single handed against a bunch of bigger boys between him and the try line and then yet another great conversion from James Richardson gave the Old Boys a 26-12 lead. The match was continued in good spirits and a try for Motril at the end of the match made the score 26-19 and that was how the match ended. Some friendly banter between the 2 teams at the end of the match and a presentation for both teams ended a great day down at the coast. The tour ended with an activities day on Wednesday which included Horse riding, archery, abseiling and swimming and a relaxing day on Thursday before travelling home. A great tour for the boys which was also a great end to the season which has really started to see a lot of improvement by the boys in the last couple of months.

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Saturday 6th May "Antonio Leo" Cardiff Rome Friendship Cup

On Saturday 6^th May NHSOB U14s took part in The “Antonio Leo” Cardiff-Rome Friendship Cup. In the Old Boys first match they took on St Josephs Cardiff and the match seemed to start off quite evenly until St Joes scored their first try and then the rest of the half seemed to be played on the halfway line. In the 2^nd half the ball didn’t seem to move out of the old Boys half but some very strong defence only let 2 tries in from NHSOB’s much bigger opponents and the game ended 19-0 to St Joes. In the Old Boys 2^nd game they faced St Peters and within a few minutes the Old Boys had taken a 5-0 lead with Josh Chapman going over in the corner with the Old Boys taking advantage of an overlap. Towards the end of the Half St peters went under the posts to take a half time 7-5 lead. When St Peters scored at the beginning of the 2nd half to give them a 14-5 lead the game seemed to be out of the Old Boys grasp until they scored driving Sam West over from a tap penalty to reduce the deficit to 14-12 but the Old Boys just ran out of time as they were chasing the winning try and the game ended 14-12 to St Peters. NHSOB’s last game was played against Dinas Powys and with to much pace Dinas Powys ran in 7 tries winning the game 41-0 but a respectable 2^nd half performance saw the Old Boys only let in 2 tries. (Nothing shall be said of the first!) With New Panteg dropping out of the tournament NHSOB automatically qualified for the plate semi-finals and unfortunately they drew Canton. The Old Boys tried their hardest but they couldn’t stop their huge opponents and lost 39-0. A nice day for the Old Boys to finish their season with some good performances against St Peters and St Joes but in the other 2 games they were simply outplayed. Finally Congratulations to Serge on making the Spanish rugby squad for the world cup qualifiers.