Wilmot Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 0: Wilmot Warthogs 41

Venue:  Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School in the Town of Baden in the Township of Wilmot



Weather:  Nice day out in the farmer's fields (24 degrees).

Referee:  Paul Waling

Attendance: Some of the faithful:

Sam (from London) with a minor injury

Nick's dad

Team:  1. Ross Matheson, 2. Brendan Sculland, 3: Jon Millington (60 min), 4. Martin Van Der Hurk, 5. Nick Lord (60 min), 7. Bob Mavro (60 min),  8. Dean Crozier (back from New Zealand for a holiday), 9. Nick Lemieux, 10. Jamie Farrell, 11. James Vinneau (60 min), 12. Vic Blaney, 13. Heri Lewssoh (60 min - injury), 14. Duncan Earl, 15. Cameron Ruys, 16, Jeremy Young (40 min), 18. Dirk Reichow (40 min), 19. Erick Alvardo, 20. Gareth O'Brien, 21 Jake Connor, 22. Jared Simpson, 23. Jodie Broughton.

The Game:  
We knew going in to these back to back games with Wilmot that it would be win even one of them.  So the strategy was to play poorly enough in the away game to lull them into thinking they could beat us in the return game easily and perhaps we could get a much needed win at home.  The coaching staff does not want to take all the credit for this brilliant gambit , so well used last by the French in the 2011 World Cup (they did not actually win the cup but lost to New Zealand in the final 7 to 5) , it really was the players who bought into the plan and wiithout their hard work at looking awful we might not prevail.  

I got to the game late as I was with the flag tournament at our club (they were probably having more fun) and the score was 17 - 0 at the half (which was a little too close for comfort) but the our players dug deep and took a lot a penalties and a yellow to get the final score to 41 to 0. Now it only remained to wait a week and see if the rest of the master plan would be delivered (God willing).  

I did not mention that Ross  got our first yellow card of the year against Norfolk for some evil deed.  The odds that Ross (coach, captain, lineout whisperer)  would get the first were a fairly long  ten to one.  But the second came in this game by Nick Lemieux and you could  have won fifty bucks if he had gotten the first card.   

We went back to their beer up (eventually - it was in an Irish pub called Kennedy's in a town even smaller than Baden called St. Agatha)  knowing we had the advantage but we did not want them to realize that.  We even stayed later at their event than they did.  Vic was chosen man of the match but had left so Jamie Farrell - who had stepped into the 10 position because we had injuries and played very well - was their second choice.  Although a university man, I think Jamie goes to school to learn and not to chug beer and did not do well against a seasoned prop.  

Jamie about to attack

Milli attacking

Heri was attacked (looks sore)

Duncan pretending to go off his healthy diet to lull Wilmot

One of our flag teams. 

Stratford at home

Grimsby Gentlemen 12: Stratford Blackswans 24  (I am back to reporting scores)

"The only game of rugby that you really lose is the one you didn't play"

Venue: Alway field

our new crest on the side of Alway Hall

Weather:  a cooler 14 degrees with a rare northwest wind

Referee:  Jeremy Inglis (a Grimsby local who would like to practice and get a few games with us this year)

Sponsors:

         Profast:  

                Access Canada Equipment:

                 Aqua Flow Plumbing

                Physiotherapy @ Cruise Chiropractic

                Vital Link Wellness Center: 

                Steamwhistle Brewery (donated keg)

Attendance: definitely more than last week but the person responsible for actually counting is on strike(again).

Brendan's dad (Aqua Flow Plumbing), Brendan's brother, Brad (former Gentlemen), and Henri's brother , Ben (future Gentlemen hopefully)

Cameron's brother(Adam)  and parents(Christine and Ron).  The only one who is Irish in the family is Christine (the rest are Canadian ) who tends  to  up a lot (as I do when I am around them.)  

Team: 1. Nick Lord (60 min - injury), Ross Matheson, 3. Jon Millington (60 min), 4. Martin Van Den Hurk, 5 and 8. Vic Blaney, 6. and 2. Brendan Sculland, 7 and 14. Duncan Earl, 8. Drew Redford (40 min), 9. Nick Lemieux, 10. Derrick Weber, 11. Austin Marck, 12. Heri Lwessoh (first game with Grimsby), 13. Cameron Ruys, 14 (22). James Vinneau (40 min), 15. Jamie Farrell, 16. Dirk Reichow (40 min), 17. Jeremy Young (40 min), 18. Bob Mavro (40min), 19. Brian O'Driscoll,, 20 Ronan O'Gara, 21. Jonathan Sexton, 22 Paul O'Connell.

First game by Heri Lwessoh for Grimsby Gentlemen

Game:  We had our traditional start to the game by letting Stratford score in the opening 5 minutes. But the rest of the half was quite a bit of back and forth.  We had the advantage at the scrum (won all our head and turned their scrum around most times to get the feed back) and did well at lineouts.  Stratford did very well at the rucks and kicked often to put us on the back foot.  Jaamie (first game this year) had some great runs as fullback (he was hard to bring down all game).  Near the end of the half a lot of pressure on our line led to a penalty try to put the visitors up 12 points.

Half time:  Grimsby Gentlemen 0: Stratford Blackswans 12

After a good but uninspired first half, Grimsby came storming back to put pressure on Stratford for long periods in the second. At about 5 min of the second, we got the ball to Vic who charged forward to put us on the board for our first try in 2 games. Then a couple of minutes later a #8 pick up by Vic from a scrum about 10 meters out led to an off load to Nick Lemieux who scored near the posts and with conversion the game was tied and we had  momentum. .  We continued to attack and pressure them and were pressing again when an errant pass was picked off and run almost the entire length of the field (Jamie gave chase and made him run the whole way- if the field was 10 meters longer he would have been caught). At about 24 minutes Stratford scored again and although we had a try held up somewhere in there,  we could not get closer.

Final Score Grimsby Gentlemen 12: Stratford Blackswans 24

Much better game than last week with a stronger scrum (actually theirs was not as good as the Harvesters) but we played much better all around.  We need to build on that. Ross mentioned the contribution of the new young players (Drew, Heri, Duncan, Austin and Jeremy)  to our improvement in this game.

Jamie in flight (on borrowed shoes)

Vic on his way to scoring the first try.

Jon on a bit of a break

Jon down

Jon getting up (always the hard part)

Jon running support

Jon gets the ball back

Duncan lifted by Nick and Drew

One of the wheeled scrums we were able to do all day

It was fun showing Stratford around the clubhouse (still under construction) and since we have not been up there in a couple of years we have not seen their new field and club association (Army -Navy Club).

Dean Crozier (Kiwi - the Original) who played with us in 2012 and 2013 is over from New Zealand for the next month and hopes to get in a few games.  Welcome back Dean

This is the new playground that was put up this week after the town took the old one away.

up close it looks a little forlorn and small.

Frankly I think, this is going to give the little ones nightmares - however it does seem to give some of our members (Vic)   erotic dreams. 

Next game Saturday in Wilmot with Wilmot returning the following Friday night. 

Norfolk away

The Grimsby Gentlemen would like to announce that because there is much to much emphasis on winning and scoring of tries and that we would like to encourage out elder players to come out and play without worrying about actual outcomes of games and can enjoy the playing without pressure that, for the near future, we are not longer reporting scores.  Screw you all.

Would all Grimsby players please pick up their participation ribbons at the next practice.

Venue:  Waterford District High School in Waterford which is somewhere in southern Ontario. The Wolves are the name of the High School Team - we played the Harvesters.

Referee:  I am not sure (sorry ref), it definitely was not Ian Stewart.(for the first time in three games)



Weather:  It was a warm 28 degrees which had a feel like of 34 degrees when we played (our plan B was an expected a rain storm to come through and cancel the game). Cameron says they have heard of weather this warm in Northern Ireland and he was in it once or twice but he never played rugby in it before. Twenty-four hours later it was 8 degrees.

Attendance: It turns out the supporters bus was delayed and did not arrive until after the game and the players decidedly missed their encouragement. (Jake drove up on his own and ran touch)  Also seen on the sideline were:

Brian Shearer (doing some scouting)

Sam McGee's mom and dad from London

Martin's dad (likes soccer better)

Team:  1. Ross Matheson 80 min), 2. Brendan Sculland (80min), 3. Jon Millington (80 min), 4 . Bob Mavro (80 min), 5. Martin Van Den Hurk (80 min), 6. Drew Redford (80 min), 7. Duncan Earl (80 min), 8.  Erick Alvardo, (80 min) 9. Nick Lemieux (80 m), 10. Derrick Weber (80 min) , 11(actually 22). James Vinneau (80 min), 12. Vic Blaney (80 min), 13. Sam McGee (80 min) , 14.  Austin March (80 min)(thanks to Austin for calling in sick - we needed him), 15. Cameron Ruys (80 min). 

These are players who played last week but I did not get a picture to introduce  them.  This was their second game with Grimsby (they came back).

Cameron (from Northern Ireland)

We got 13 hits from Ireland this past week so Cameron must be as much a celebrity over there as he tells us he was.

Sam (from London ( Canada))

Game:  Many of the Harvesters were big players (how they got those oxen to run on their hind feet I will never understand) and basically took care of the ball.  Our backs were starved  all day and could do little with the ball they got it as we were going backwatd in the scrums, rucks and mauls.  Cameron managed to impress them with some long kicks to touch but otherwise it was a long, hard afternoon.  Norfolk scored three tries in the first half and then opened up in the second.  There were a few sore bodies on the drive home.

Afterwards at the beer up, Erick Alvardo , who needs practice drinking beer, was picked man of the match by Norfolk. This was his second man of the match honour in a row.  A fantastic opportunity has come Erick's way as he has been selected to go to England to train with the Huddersfield Giants' rugby league team for three weeks and then he is off to B.C. to practice with the Canadian u 20 team, the Young Wolverines, and then play an international against the English u 20 team. Unfortunately he will not be able to play with us until he comes back.  We will miss you Erick and the best of luck from all the Gentlemen.              

Erick (u20 Canadian  Wolverine)

Norfolk's  president pointed out that some dozen years ago Martin brought the Gentlemen down to play the Harvesters in their first game ever.

On the home front, Brendan Sculland and Nick Lemieux spent 3.5 hours last Tuesday mixing 48 bags of cement in wheelbarrows to fill in the shower pans. Lots of work will be done on the club in the next couple of weeks.

Congratulations to the Beamsville girls who went to OFSSA in Brampton as #4 seed.  This is the seventh year in a row Beamsville has gone to OFSSA and the tenth year in a row to win their zone.  Congratulation to Frank Schilte, Chris Brown and Stephanie Pavlovich.

Blessed Trinity a first year team in Grimsby actually qualified for OFSSA boys but because you must be 16 to play at OFSSA they did not have enough players over that age and had to decline.  Great start to the program Jim and Chris and well done.