Taylorian 2020

86 U14D It has been one of the longest seasons on record for this squad, who competed in an unprecedented eleven matches, with two opposition teams even turning up on the same Saturday morning to play the U14Ds. Their well-deserved reputation has clearly travelled far and wide! A record of four wins and seven losses does not reflect what has otherwise been a positive term of rugby. The rucking and ball retention of the U14Ds improved to the point where they were frequently dominating possession in games. Sadly, the possession did not often result in the tries it deserved. Highlights of the season include an excellent win in the opening fixture against Dulwich, a match under lights against Mill Hill, a round robin tournament against Reed’s and Berkhamsted, and an epic climax to the season at St Albans, where the lead changed three times in the last ten minutes and the hosts clinched a victory by a single point. All of the squad have shown significant improvement and will certainly be better rugby players when they play again next season. Many players were candidates for the end-of-season awards, but Outstanding Player went to Paasha Mohammadi for his outstanding ball carrying and possession retention. Most Improved was awarded to scrum half Niyan Kakad, whose communication and distribution improved greatly over the season and whose bravery in the ruck was second to none. Well done to all those involved in a most successful season! Mr A S Miller Squad: A. Barra Cornes, A. Barrett, A. Bettridge, A. Chadha, J. Chie, A. Cumming, C. De Souza, M. Garvey, R. Gnanakuru, J. Jassal, N. Kakad, A. Kataria, H. Kendall, M. Lodhi, P. Mohammadi, A. Obhrai, Y. Pashine, R. Rattansi, S. Sandhu, J. Shah, R. N. Shah, T. Skelton, J. Solanki, K. R. Thakrar, L. Weir. U14E The U14E team, a little like earth’s wildlife, continues to cling to life as its habitat continues to disappear. With Eton College, Bedford School and St Paul’s all falling by the wayside, the fixture list was down to bare bones. Nevertheless, the spirit of the side remains with its heady mix of scholars, shirkers, and lost souls. Matches were arranged against Mill Hill, Dulwich, and Reading Blue Coat C. Dulwich was an epic encounter, with Nishaan Patel (the star of the season) scoring two tries early before Dulwich came back to take the lead. Dulwich looked to be heading for a win as they went in to a 20-27 lead before tries from Nishaan Patel, Aadil Bhudia, and Han Se Kendall brought victory for the home side, 41-32. Against Reading, inspired by playing under the lights and in front of Mr Everson, MTS ran away to a 26-0 lead, with Bhudia, Nishaan Patel, and Kendall all outstanding. But as the Head Master departed, so did the fortunes of the side. After this (and possibly the introduction of some quality Reading players) the opposition scored 40 unanswered points. Well done to all the players – they were a pleasure to work with. Mr J G Taylor Squad: A. Balu, M. Bhimjiyani, A. Bhudia, J. Grant, Y. Juttla, G. Marin Rico, J. Mitchell, A. Patel, N. Patel, S. Patel, A. Pervez, A. Quarry, K. Sehdev, D. Self, H. Shahimi, S. Tiwari, T. Wong, G. De Cesare, H. S. Kendall. Junior A Regardless of the Corona context, if the 13As were given the opportunity to play rugby they would. They are brimming with enthusiasm and passion like a full water bottle at the start of the training session. The 13As looked to learn and laugh with each session, and their dedication prescribed progress. The big lads, Cian “Oh no” Omert, Alexander “Muncher” Munro, Matteo “Full House” Frankic-Ruppen, and “Big Ben” Perahia all developed a degree of technical and tactical nuance to their steamroller games. Perfecting that Tower of Power position in the tackle, ruck and maul will be their future challenge, and when that is perfected, it’ll take more than men to stop them. “King George” Killigrew and James “Live and let Dyer” were brilliant hookers, with that classic deceptive size that masked their strength. If they can begin to practise throwing to the line-out they will walk into any team. Merchant Taylors’ may emblazon lambs on shirts, but this team was made up of terriers. Hadi Adebisi, Daniel Ashton, Jaeden Cutt, Tyler Eades, Dan Lurie, Iago Palmer, and Rio Waddington spent the season developing their tackle technique, and by the end ankles were well and truly nipped at. Given more time, we could have rented out the lads to farmers, who’d pay for their ability to scythe anything standing in their way. Last one to feel the rain, first one into the breach, Kobi “Koblers” Weiler was the captain we needed but didn’t deserve when Anthony “The Prefect” Poole became injured. That Anthony still remained top try-scorer after a couple of weeks’ break is evidence enough that he led by example. Backing them up, James Beeby, Tommy Embleton, Jake Bridge, Edward Ault, Atticus Ireland, and Nikhil Williams were the cavalry. Always ready to charge down field and throw a gorgeous pass to their teammate, the Backs had a skill level that made me jealous, let alone their opponents. Training matches often became exhibitions, especially for the broadcaster “BeebyC” and the ever-effervescent Embleton, to see who could do that impossible pass, that ingenious move, or that inventive kick. And more often than not it paid off, to the cries of “Champagne rugby”, only to be followed by an even more imaginative response. To all of the backs, never stop experimenting – I once heard a story that Sir Jonny Wilkinson was dropped from his County team for kicking too much. Enough said. Training the 13As this year was to be presented with a gift. Indeed, if the 13As were given the opportunity to play rugby they would, because after spending time with these growing gentlemen, I’d be more than happy to coach. Enjoy your summers. Mr A R Fraser Squad: H. Adebisi, D. Ashton, E. Ault, J. Beeby, J. Bridge, J. Cutt, J. Dyer, T. Eades, T. Embleton, M. Frankic-Ruppen, T. Hancock, A. Ireland, G. Killigrew, D. Lurie, A. Munro, C. Omert, I. Palmer, B. Perahia, A. Poole, R. Waddington, K. Wieler, N. Williams.