Cinderford U15s 12 – 5 Cheltenham North U15s
A cold, wet afternoon at Dockham Road set the scene as Cinderford U15s returned to action after the Christmas break, welcoming a physical Cheltenham North side in a hard-fought contest that tested both teams from the outset.
Kicking off into a strong wind, the visitors brought intensity and physicality from the first whistle. After a ten-minute arm-wrestle, Cheltenham North struck first, breaking through to score under the posts while the hosts were still settling. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 0–5.
That early setback proved to be the wake-up call Cinderford needed. Despite giving away size in the pack, the home forwards responded superbly, dominating the contact area and driving mauls upfield with authority. Their pressure told when Fin J powered over for a well-deserved try to level the scores at 5–5.
Cinderford continued to press and, following a penalty just seven metres out, Kai W crashed over to breach the visitors’ line once again. Tyler G added the conversion to put the hosts 12–5 ahead.
From that point on, the game became a fierce tussle in difficult conditions, with Cinderford largely on top and showing real grit and determination in both attack and defence.
Unfortunately, the match was brought to an early conclusion ten minutes from time following a serious head injury to Cinderford captain Tyler Gwynne. Happily, after a precautionary visit to A&E, Tyler is now home and recovering well.
Despite the early finish, it was a strong and encouraging performance from the Cinderford U15s — a real test of character, commitment and teamwork, and a promising way to begin a new run of fixtures.