Hitchin Academy’s current U18 team played their last game together on Sunday in the LV cup final against Bishop Stortford u18’s.
The LV final is always hosted by Hitchin at the King George V playing fields as LV is Hitchin’s main sponsor and are based in the town. The day would be one of celebration of rugby itself and hopefully of a Hitchin Victory.
Bishop Stortford were understood to have reached the semi-finals of the national cup; putting this reputation together with the atmosphere of the day, Hitchin were pumped up and looking to put on a good performance as the only Hitchin side to reach this stage in the competition. Furthermore, their confidence off the back of their county plate win the previous week would only have given them more fight and belief.
The match itself did not disappoint the big crowd. The first exchanges showed a defiantly, dogged defence from Hitchin and the savage scramble defence that the home side showed off at Fullerians in the County Shield Final on the previous Sunday, proved strong enough again to hold out completely. Hitchin scored the first points through a penalty in front of the sticks by scum-half Daniel Wiggins. Bishop Stortford were rattled to say the least and pressure from a pressing Hitchin back line put Hitchin in the Stortford twenty-two. A tap penalty and two phases to follow saw centre Simon Taylor crash over under the posts. Scrum-half Wiggins rushed the kick and couldn’t convert, the score left at 8-0 to Hitchin. Hitchin were stunned at their own dominance over Stortford and the travellers couldn’t match it. Only a series of penalties put Stortford at the Hitchin line, and a strong maul and scrum sent their no. 8 over. An identical piece of play would see Stortford now lead at half-time 8-12.
The second-half brought much of the same grit and determination from both teams. Stortford had now realised the power of Hitchin and the way they wanted to play. Utilising their big runners and now targeting the likes of Taylor and Favour Maduka in the centres, Stortford started to get a hold of Hitchin. However this did not mean Hitchin had stopped scoring; line breaks from lock Brandon Whates and the centre partnership of Taylor and Maduka threw Hitchin up to the Stortford half. Maduka would end up rolling across the whitewash, the score now 13-12.
Stortford now piled on the pressure and the Hitchin response was good, but they couldn’t hold out to the game’s end. A penalty try from driving mauls gave Stortford easy points and their heads now up. A following try put the game at a reach for Hitchin now but they showed true spirit and kept the same intensity throughout.
The final score 13-27 to Bishop Stortford. Despite the loss, the Hitchin Academy squad, captained superbly by Ellis Lockyer, are the only Hitchin team to ever reach this stage in the LV cup; they made the club immensely proud and it’s now up to the other teams at Hitchin to go one better and win it. That’s it for this u18 side but they will be back in Hitchin colours playing for the men’s teams next season.
Team Ellis Lockyer, Peter Stanbury, Harry u18s Murphy, Daniel Grainger, Brandon Whates, Calum Dow, William Smith, Joshua Stallard, Daniel Wiggins, Harry Cartwright, Jake Brooker, Harry Murtagh-Edmundson, Favour Maduka, Robert Austin, Bailey Burton
Subs Ruiri Shanahan, Simon Taylor, Lewis McCracken
Scores T: Favour Maduka (1), Simon Taylor (1)
P: Daniel Wiggins (1)