Wrexham U9 make the final but narrowly loose out in the Mold Tournament

The draw had Wrexham in a strong group with Nant Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Ruthin and Pwllheli. Wrexham used a number of different combinations ensuring that all the squad played in all of the fixtures. A early draw with Colwyn Bay was followed with three wins on the run. The game against Nant went Wrexhams way by a single point, which was followed by a more comprehensive win against Ruthin. The final game of the group could have seen either Wrexham or Pwllheli going through to the semis. Wrexham came through it by the smallest of margins to win by one point.

Finishing the group in first place put Wrexham up against Mold in the semi-final whilst Rhyl faced Nant Conwy in the other. The Wrexham game was a hard fought encounter with both teams showing good organisation in defence. By the final whistle the game was all square and extra time didn't produce a winner with it ending one a piece. The "golden try" beckoned and Wrexham just managed to take the match.

The final brought Wrexham and Rhyl together for the third time this season. Good defence was again a key aspect to the game. Unfortunately, another close game saw Wrexham coming out second with a 2 - 1 score line. Again the whole squad played a part in the final and were a credit to themselves. To a man, everybody played well and, more importantly, will learn from this experience and take it into the games over the next weeks.

We couldn't pick a man of the match this week because everybody did so well. Sam J, Reuben and Oliver W tackled well on the wings and at full-back and Louis and Adam tackled well in the middle and supported well. Rhys and Dylan put great pressure on the opposition at the breakdown and Thomas and Oliver S kept it solid in the wall. Luke and Jack ran straight and hard, Owain jinked and offloaded well. Daniel and Sam W also ran well and moved the defence around.

Summary of match results:
Group Match 1: Wrexham (3) v Colwyn Bay (3)
Team: Dylan, Luke, Jack, Oliver S, Sam J, Sam W, Rhys, Reuben, Oliver W (1), Adam, Daniel (2), Thomas, Louis, Owain
Group Match 2: Wrexham (3) vs Nant Conwy (2)
Team: Dylan, Luke (1), Jack, Oliver S, Sam J, Sam W, Rhys, Reuben (1), Oliver W (1), Adam, Daniel, Thomas, Louis, Owain
Group Match 3: Wrexham (5) vs Ruthin (1)
Team: Dylan, Luke, Jack, Oliver S, Sam J (2), Sam W, Rhys, Reuben (2), Oliver W, Adam, Daniel (1), Thomas, Louis, Owain
Group Match 4: Wrexham (3) vs Pwllheli (2)
Team: Dylan, Luke (2), Jack, Oliver S, Sam J, Sam W (1), Rhys, Reuben, Oliver W, Adam, Daniel, Thomas, Louis, Owain
Semi-Final: Mold (1) vs Wrexham (2) (after extra time and golden try)
Team: Dylan, Luke, Jack, Oliver S, Sam J, Sam W, Rhys, Reuben (2), Oliver W, Adam, Daniel, Thomas, Louis, Owain
Final: Wrexham (1) v Rhyl (2)
Team: Dylan, Luke (1), Jack, Oliver S, Sam J, Sam W, Rhys, Reuben, Oliver W, Adam, Daniel, Thomas, Louis, Owain
(Tries are in brackets)

Thanks to the parents for travelling to Mold for a cold and wet Sunday morning and supporting the U9 squad throughout the tournament. Thanks to Mold for hosting another great tournament.