On Sunday, the Crawley U12s played their first competitive game of their junior careers against a formidable Jersey team. The match was fast-paced and showcased impressive skills from both sides. Crawley’s forwards had a size advantage, and our front row of Daniel, Seb, and Finley started strong with powerful runs. Supported by Frankie and Josh in the second row, they provided our backs with plenty of ball to work with.

Halfbacks Mason and Adriano moved the ball swiftly to the centers, who powered their way into the opposition. It was only through superb tackling from Jersey that they managed to keep Crawley’s attacks at bay. After sustained pressure, Levi managed to put J away on the wing, and with great pace in a very narrow channel, Crawley scored the first try of the day.

Jersey didn’t let their heads drop and began applying their own pressure on the Crawley defense. Resolute tackling from Mason, Adriano, and J, along with the forwards, repelled numerous attacks. Eventually, some great play from the Jersey fullback resulted in a try for Jersey. Towards the end of the half, Crawley had another chance to score as Noah’s pace took him around the defense, but it wasn’t meant to be. The half ended 5-5.

The second half mirrored the first, with both sides creating chances, but last-ditch tackling prevented either team from scoring. In the final minutes, strong runs from Sam and Levi had the crowd thinking a score was imminent, but unfortunately, the ball kept getting turned over.

A draw was the right result, and both of these sides are going to be very hard to beat this season.