U16 lead the way on successful Juniors Sunday

What an incredible day of rugby – both at Water Lane and further afield as a swathe of green, white and black crossed the county and brought home silverware from a number of festivals and cup finals.

UNDER 16s (report from Tom Havelock)
Tottonians 63 Romsey 22
Hampshire Under 16 Vase Final at Tottonians RFC

Tottonians U16s capped off their season in style with an impressive victory over old rivals Romsey in the Hampshire Vase Final, played in a fantastic festival atmosphere at Tottonians RFC.  With both sides affected by player availability and starting with just 13 players each, it set the stage for an open, high-tempo and physical encounter.

Romsey struck first, crossing early and adding the extras to take a 7–0 lead. Tottonians responded quickly, with Kai powering over for the first of his tries, confidently converted by Ollie.  Kai soon added his second, though the conversion narrowly missed.

From the restart, Tottonians produced one of the tries of the match — a superb team effort moving the ball fluidly across the width of the pitch before Reuben finished it off.  Ollie added the conversion to extend the lead. Momentum firmly with Tottonians, George crossed next, again converted by Ollie.

Romsey remained competitive and hit back with an unconverted try, but Tottonians had the final say of the half. Austin powered over just before the break, with Ollie continuing his excellent kicking form.

*Half-time: Tottonians 33 – 12 Romsey*

Romsey started the second half strongly, scoring soon after the restart, but Tottonians continued to find another gear.  George added his second try, converted by Ollie, before Romsey again replied with an unconverted score.

Kai completed a fine hat-trick with another well-taken try, Ollie once again adding the extras.  The highlight of the second half followed soon after — a flowing passage of play with crisp handling and support running saw the ball moved through multiple hands before Ollie finished brilliantly in the corner. He then capped it with an outstanding touchline conversion.

George continued his standout performance by capitalising on a Romsey goal-line drop-out, catching cleanly and racing in to score, with Ollie converting once more.

On the final play of the match, Noah added the finishing touch with a well-earned try. Austin took over kicking duties but was unable to convert.

The match was played in excellent spirit throughout, a testament to both teams and their long-standing rivalry. It was a true team performance from Tottonians, showcasing skill, resilience, and attacking rugby.

A special mention goes to George, who was deservedly named *Man of the Match* by the Romsey players after an outstanding all-round display.

UNDER 14s WIN THE VASE THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF
Tottonians 24 Gosport & Fareham 17
An excellent performance from the Under 14s saw them take home the Vase third-place play-off award with a victory over Gosport and Fareham on the second pitch at Water Lane.
It was a great result and a great game played in the right spirit throughout.

UNDER 13s TAKE VASE THIRD PLACE VICTORY

UNDER 12s SUCCESS AT BOGNOR FESTIVAL
Tottonians Under 12s won the Plate competition at the Bognor festival on Sunday, playing some exciting rugby throughout to lift the title.

UNDER 11s at Hampshire RFU Festival at Alton
It was a super day for the Under 9s who had an exciting time playing rugby but also had the privilege of having their picture taken with the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy!

UNDER 10s at Hampshire RFU Festival in Aldershot
(report from Richard Brooks)
A large Under 10s contingent travelled to Aldershot for the Hampshire festival on Sunday.  Thankfully, the fog cleared before the first match and almost perfect playing conditions ensued.

Four matches against New Milton, Alton, Fareham Heathens and Aldershot saw the team strengthen as the tournament progressed.  By the final match the play was flowing, resulting in a number of great tries.  A strong finish to the season for a growing age-group with a lot of promise for the future.