Rockets smash and grab at Carlisle

With rain forecast it was agreed that it would be wise to assemble the newly acquired Rockets “storm shelter” (it is not a gazebo !). So half a dozen fathers set to work on putting said storm shelter together. Instructions were soon cast aside as the men were lucky to have the assistance of a dozen mums to “advise” on how to put it together. Despite all of this the storm shelter worked and our thanks to Proctor and Gamble for paying for it (and Kim for persuading them to give us the money and Fred and Alison for getting it).

The rain only drizzled for a short time and the weather actually turned out to give us a beautiful balmy autumnal day.
A round robin of mixed ability teams was agreed with Carlisle and Novos A kicked off against their counter parts securing a hard fought 4-3 victory. Matt Hayes was prominent with some direct running as was Alfie Fisher. Some good offloading was evident as well by Ben Cuthbertson kept Novos going forward and more fluent than in previous weeks.

Novos B also had a hard fought match coming through 3-2 victors, the pace of MCDonnell and Hepburn proving too much for the hosts. Flynn Christian Norris was a constant thorn in the Carlisle defence as his passing kept the point of attack changing.

Novos A then played their second match with a convincing 8-0 victory which included a hat trick for Sam Irons and a fine individual effort from Dan Neill. Mention has to be made of the human pinball who is Ryan Crossley for his ability to make ground and bounce off tackles, leading to him scoring a fine individual try of his own. Alfie Fisher made a number of barnstorming runs including one which ended with a deft offload to Aidan Newman who crashed over to score.

Novos C then got in on the act with a professional 3-1 win. Alistair Wilks leading the team with some very strong running supported by Ryan Milburn. They were supported by some creative running by Sion Gittins, Finlay Davison and Sam Hetherington. Special mention for Theo Parry (Fuzzy) who scored his first competitive try for the club.
Novos B then played their second match and battled hard for a 4-4 draw. Theo Mouille to the fore with Daniel Geldart with some powerful running. Max Russell was influential at scrum half and Daniel Ellam continued his fine form playing as a key link in keeping the team going forward. Thomas Williams and JPL outstanding in defence both top tacklers by some margin.

Novos C then played their second match and found themselves 2-0 up through excellent team work centred around the creativity of Jarno Ambelez. A resolute Carlisle team fought back to lead 3-2 and a nail biting finish ensued with Carlisle running out the winners 4-3.
The day ended with the first teams and second teams from both clubs playing each other. In the second team game the powerful running of Alfie Fisher, Daniel Geldart and Ryan Milburn proved to hard to handle for Carlisle as they lead the way to a 3-2 victory.

In the first team match it proved to be a war of attrition with both defences working overtime and Carlisle having the greater possession due to their better rucking. The game see sawed back and forth. James Hepburn proving to be the difference in attack with one try and setting one up for Sion Gittins. The collective defence of the team was overwhelming with sheer guts being necessary to keep the powerful Carlisle out. Ryan Crossley again was dominant in defence along with Tom Steel. Sonny McDonnell and Sam Irons were an ever present threat going forward. An outstanding team display saw the Rockets end the match as 5-3 victors.

So overall the Rockets played 8, won 6, drew 1, lost 1, scoring 33 tries with 15 against.

Some outstanding personal contributions but overall a fantastic display by each team and the squad in general.

Thank you to Mums, Dads and grandparents for your support for what will no doubt be one of the highlights of the season.