20/10/19 - Panthers v Matlock

This week was Chesterfields turn to host local team Matlock at Panther’s lair. The weather was dry but cold which meant players started moving quickly to warmup and prepare for the games. The pitch conditions were soft and with a great turn out of players from both teams meant we could play 2 games side by side. As Matlock turned up with different numbers we mixed the teams to enable all the players to get on and play a game.

Game 1 - Steve reffed a great first game for the U7 panthers - Ollie, Phe & one from Matlock took on Harry, Rex and Seb. 3 v 3 meant plenty of tries and I saw excellent scores from all the Panthers involved. I was particularly pleased with some of the tries which involved great support play, passing the ball after being tagged and the next player running on to score. I only penalised for forward passes - so players need to remember to be behind the ball to receive it, but even that only happened a couple of times before they realised and changed things.

Game 2 consisted of 4 of Panthers finest Toby, Louis, George and Fred. From the first whistle Chesterfield showed they had the speed from Toby, breaking through Matlocks defensive line and taking chances. Matlock communicated well by calling for the ball from their team mates which added vibrancy to the game. Both sides passing well with one standout executed move from Louis who stole a pass from Matlock mid-air and went on to score a try. Both George and Fred showed great support to their team mates and contributed to many tries and made great passes when their tags were taken. The match ended with both teams shaking hands and congratulating each other on their performance. Chesterfield look forward to playing Matlock at their home ground again in April 2020.

Overall this was a great start to the season, I hope all the players enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing them progress through the year.