Although the Exeat weekend afforded many boys the opportunity to rest, a few Monmouth teams were in action during the week. Firstly the 1st XV entertained Radley College at home in the first round of the Champions Trophy, a knockout competition comprised of the top 32 teams in the country. The first half was a tense and nervy affair, with Monmouth gaining the upper hand through a try from Lucas and two conversions from Dan. Radley hit back with a try of their own, leaving the score at half time; 11- 8 in Monmouth’s favour. However Monmouth came firing out of the blocks in the second half with a penalty from Dan being followed by a sumptuous backhand flick from Paris to put Kyle in at the corner. This stretched Monmouth’s lead to a comfortable 13 points, before a late spell of Radley pressure gained them a try and resulted in the game finishing twenty one to thirteen.
This was by far the most encouraging performance so far and leaves us in high spirits before the fixture against Bristol Grammar School this weekend.
Elsewhere the U12 A’s played Tockington Manor in an entertaining game which sadly went in the opponent’s favour by twenty points to fifteen, though this age group is showing much promise for the years ahead.
