Having had a last minute cancellation by Hampstead earlier in the week our options were somewhat limited until Chelmsford came to our rescue . However opting for a fixture against the Essex county champions is not a decision to be taken lightly and it was only an endorsement by fellow Essex teammates Westcliffe that swung it . They were thankfully correct and and I can honestly say both Chelmsford's players and coaches alike are a thoroughly nice group of lads .

Barnet looked to be fielding 26 players but an outbreak of rainalitus left us down to 20 and after lending a few lads to the U14s and Captain George Sturley pulling a muscle in the warm up our 15 was decided for us .

To say Chelmsford started quick out of the blocks was an understatement . Indeed I didn't actually manage to start my fiddly rugby app before their huge number 10 had the ball over the Barnet line . Indeed this was one of several superb kicks by the Chelmsford 10 today who quite frankly was the tallest u15 we have ever come up against .

Barnet rallied strongly with Dylan Jinmi scoring in the corner just minutes later followed by a superb conversion by Ted Parker bringing the score line equal . Barnet continued to be very strong in the rucks , arguably better than Chelmsford but it was their excellent handling and uniquely relaxed organisation that put Chelmsford up at the half time .

The second half started with the dogged intensity we are used to in u15s matches but repeated penalties and yellow cards broke up the play and neither team really got into a rhythm .

Some great tackling by Iketchi and some super chips by Ted Parker were unlucky not to result in more scores for Barnet with both teams scoring just once in the second half . Indeed a slip by iketchi saw him fall just short of the line and it was only a look at the ref that resulted in a knock on that only mostyn detected .

A fantastic and rewarding effort from both teams today . Barnet need to work on their exit strategy and not mess around inside their 22 . Cameron also pointed out from the sidelines that barnet need to protect the ball more , particularly turning when catching the ball to avoid careless knock ons .

Both teams showed great passion and spirit and should be proud of themselves . Quote of the day came from one of the Chelmsford coaches who described Leevin Ngimbi as " mustard" after one of his trademark runs . Other notable performances came from Zane , iketchi , of course the one man army that is Dylan ( arm swinging and all ) but man of the match for some superb kicking and a try goes to Ted parker . Great job by everyone and thanks to our visitors for being a top bunch . ( and for making good use of the baths ! Let that be an example Barnet )

Barnet Elizabethans RFC

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