THE U9s squad of St John's on the Hill school are looking forward to the National Finals to be held at Epsom College next month after making their debut in the South West Regional competition and defeating Dumpton in the final.
The boys were among 170 teams from 80 schools competing in Dorset in the regional heats. St John's, opened with a scoreless draw to eventual finalists Dumpton School, before overwhelming Colstons in a seven-try win.
Matthew Doyle touched down four of the tries, with Gareth Ansell also scoring before half time. A quick break from Theo Sacks and a try from Oliver Thornhill in the final minute completed the win.
The semi-final pitted St John's against Plymouth College, with the Chepstow boys again starting the stronger. Thornhill showed his pace and ran in for his second try of the tournament, before Doyle ran in another to make it 10-0. Plymouth were desperate to get back on even terms in the second half, but Ansell made a break for the final try of the game.
Several times in the final St John's were forced to defend powerful Dumpton attacks. But some very fast passing and good strong running allowed Alex Heath to score; and just after the break Doyle scored from a penalty and Dumpton were prevented from getting back into the game.
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