SPORTING TIMES WELL PLAYED, BOYS! WYVERN PLACE THIRD AGAINST OVER 20 HAMPSHIRE SCHOOLS IN COUNTY RUGBY TOURNAMENT By Joshua Devereux As the morning sunshine grew over Southampton Rugby club, Mr McCracken and Mr Mitchell and their Wyvern team set out for their first event as a team for a while. After having pooled Bay House, Westgate and Bitterne Park in their group, the Wyvern team stepped out onto to the pitch under the captaincy of Cormac Oliver ahead of their first match against Bayhouse. After a brief conversation with the ref about rules and regulations, the to the winger left a two on one Devereux saw a lineout on the rugby was underway with Wyvern situation which was impossible for corner flag. It was well caught by kicking to Bayhouse. The game Harry Kemp to sort out despite a Toby Wolverson and the combined started well for both sides and there good effort and this saw the winger braun power of him and Jack was some great rugby from either dot down over the try line. But Devereux saw Wyvern edge towards team. It was Bayhouse who took an straight away, Wyvern equalised; a the try line but some illegal play early lead though, some hands down good kick from fly-half Joshua from the Bayhouse lock saw a Turn to Page 2... EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Year 9 Boys Football Team win District Tournament at Mountbatten School! Full Story on Page 8! 1 Rugby THIRD IN COUNTY TOURNAMENT Wyvern continued their morning dominance through to the afternoon games as they managed to claim third place after being put into the death pool with all the mornings group winners. ...Continuing from Page 1 However, Westgate were on for a they went into the afternoon fightback. Having dummied half of the unbeaten. penalty try awarded to the boys in red Wyvern team, Westgate’s scrum half After a brief lunch, news spread that and blue. Both teams reset but it scored the try and with minutes left we had pooled Houndsdown, wasn’t too long before Wyvern were at Westgate were on the attack. After a Arnewood, Springfield and Tiffs in our it again. A sensational run from Adam controversial decision, Westgate group as they were all the other group Kenway saw him break away to race scored another try to level the scores winners. Having known that these towards the try line for Wyverns in what resulted as a 10-10 score line. upcoming matches would be very second score of the match. This put Although they thought that they had hard, we began to warm up ahead of Wyvern 10-5 up. Minutes later Wyvern just been robbed of a victory, Wyvern some really tough challenges yet to sealed the deal with another try. A had to reset their mind-sets and get come. fabulous dummy by Jack Devereux left ready for the next match against the Bayhouse defence confused and We were on first and with the team Bitterne Park. With a pretty unchanged stranded as he comfortably scored the consisting of Cormac Oliver, Harry team Wyvern scored the first try very try for a 15-5 win for Wyvern. Kemp, Harry Mann and Kye Donovan quickly and it was through Adam Lyn, we looked quite strong to begin Despite a few things needing sorting Kenway once again. Shortly afterwards with. However, Arnewood began to out, Mr McCracken was pretty happy Harry Mann was in for another try for play some very good rugby and this led with the performance but there was Wyvern as he ran from his own half to to them scoring two successive tries. no time to hold hands and kiss as score his first try of the tournament. Despite some Wyvern heads dropping, Wyvern were shortly on again against Wyvern were playing some fantastic Adam Kenway’s head certainly didn’t one of the favourites, Westgate. Grant rugby through the likes of Toby as he scored a very good try which Aitken and Sam Foster were some of Wolverson, Billy Terry and Harry Kemp lifted the spirits of the Wyvern boys. the changes brought on for Wyvern at and their dominance was soon The score stood at 10-5 Arnewood but centre and prop. Wyvern started the rewarded with another try for Adam then two quick tries from the boys in game very well and the match quickly Kenway, his fifth of the event. His brown left the Wyvern lads battered. saw its first try. Some great passing 100m ability evident with his Even in the last few seconds, some from Cormac Oliver, Harry Mann and electrifying speed. To wrap up a outstanding tackling from Wyvern Kye Donovan Lyn saw the ball drop to sensational -4 0 victory, some great reduced what could have been a Adam Kenway; if you’d blinked you rucking from Alfie Hennon, George bigger deficit. The final score resulting would have missed him go straight Milton and Harvey Irwin saw Jack as 20-5 to Arnewood. over the try line for the first points on Devereux perform one of his tactical the scoreboard. A great catch from dummies once again and left several After a word with coach Mr Sam Foster at the restart and having Bitterne players flabbergasted and McCracken, it was quicker than we taken it into the tackle the ruck was kicked forward. After several attempts realised until we were on again. With dominated by Alfie Hennon, Davey of kicking the ball away from the Captain Cormac Oliver nursing a little Smith and George Milton. Harry Mann Bitterne Park full-back, a lucky bounce niggle, Josh Devereux took over the as scrum half played the ball down the saw Number 8 Jack Devereux dot kicking and Wyvern kicked to nd line and Adam Kenway scored once down over the try line. The final Houndsdown in their 2 match of the again thanks to his dazzling speed. whistle went 4-0 Wyvern and it meant afternoon. The game began a little 2 slow to what others might have match beginning, Kye Donovan Lyn and George Milton in the second-row thought but Houndsdown were in for dotted down over the try line. Some with Grant Aiken coming in at scrum- their 1st try of the match. It came from great hands down the left hand side half. The match began with a bang, some lovely hands down the line and left the wingers in acres of room to Adam Kenway scoring another great the ball dropped to the Houndsdown score Wyvern’s first try of the match. individual try with his ’Usain Bolt’ winger who sprinted over the line Shortly, after it was thanks to some speed. Wyvern were pretty dominant despite some good defence from more great passing from Josh throughout the entire game and their winger Harry Kemp. Meanwhile, Devereux and Cormac Oliver which defence proved very strong with the Wyvern were determined not to let gave Adam Kenway room to score his likes of Harry Mann and Jack Devereux Houndsdown score another but 8th try of the tournament. Despite making some superb tackles. But despite some fantastic try-saving having support from Harry Kemp on sooner rather than later, the next try tackles from Kye Donovan Lyn, Adam the outside, Kenway didn’t need him. for Wyvern came. Some great play Kenway and Harry Mann, Houndsdown With Wyvern 10-0 up with minutes from Jack Devereux relying on pure were able to score another try. But this left, they sealed the deal with another brawn to bulldoze his way through the ended up being the final score which great try from centre Adam Kenway. Tiffs defence and unselfishly popping stood at 10-0 Houndsdown. The match resulted in a superb victory the ball to fly-half Josh Devereux for for Wyvern 15-0. his first score of the tournament. The Even though we hadn’t won a game in result was 10-0 Wyvern. Some the afternoon yet, our hopes were all The final game of Wyvern’s successful fantastic rugby on show to finish off a but over as the team we were tournament was against Tiffs. After fantastic day of rugby. scheduled to face next had just been strong performances in their previous given a battering by Houndsdown. games, this was a battle for 3rd place in Player of the Tournament: With combined ideas of Mr Mitchell the tournament. Wyvern set out a and Mr McCracken, we set out a very strong team with some changes from Adam Kenway strong team and within seconds of the the previous couple. Fabian Luc Petzer By Joshua Devereux A fantastic team effort from the Year 9 rugby team led by Mr McCracken and Mr Mitchell 3 Football BLUE MOON RISING Eight years on from the club’s historic takeover, avid Manchester City fan Zack Duthie explores the meteoric rise of the blue side of Manchester in his debut feature for Sporting Times. Man United fans… Look away now! Now coveted as one of the elite pound bid that matched the another shock transfer but this teams in the Premier League, supremacy of their neighbours time leaving the club; it was the Manchester City are ‘expected’ to Manchester United, who had just manager Mark Hughes. As far as win at least one piece of completed a last-minute deadline the board were concerned, he silverware a year. With the top day deal for striker Dimitar had done his time at the club and players and managers that should Berbatov from Tottenham for it was time for him to move on be an easy task.