Budmouth in county semis (From Dorset Echo)

Budmouth in county semis

9:12am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in Sport By Echo Reporter

BUDMOUTH College’s Year Nine team followed up their victory in the Area Cup by reaching the semi-finals of the County Cup.

It was only the second time Budmouth had entered a side in the competition and, after wins over Woodroffe, Milton Abbey and Winton College, the youngsters lost 37-5 to Bryanston in the last four.

It took them time to get used to the style of rugby they were up against and at times they struggled to deal with their Bryanston’s cutting gainline breaks.

However, when Budmouth did get ball in hand and played through the phases with some good heads-up rugby they looked dangerous.

Although they were well beaten there was a deserved consolation try, which reflected the effort they had put in throughout their run to the semis.

Their campaign had started with a 57-7 thrashing of Woodroffe in the preliminary round before a much closer 19-5 success away to Milton Abbey in round one.

A strong forward display allowed the backs to run riot and Budmouth looked strong every time the ball went wide.

Winton were seen off 39-7 in the quarter-finals in a game where the forwards came up against tough opposition, meaning the backs only had scraps to feed off. But what ball they did have they used to their advantage.

“The boys are playing a style of rugby where they consider their options and play what is in front of them and we are building a well-rounded team,” said coach Sam Morris. “On top of these successes we have also beaten All Saints 32-21 and won the Area Cup at Dorchester Rugby Club.

“It has been a great pleasure to work with these boys and it will be good to carry on this momentum into future years.”