The best laid plans...

First we must apologise to our U14s who made the long trip up to Kettering for no game. There is really no excuse for this whatever our hosts may have said - the rugby master from Thomas Becket in Northampton was there, for example, and said he could have brought a U14 team with him if he had known. There were all sorts of alternatives we could have tried if we had known just a day before - as it was we did not know anything until we arrived.

It doesn't help much to say that this was the first time it has happened quite like this. I know you are not having the greatest season - U14 player numbers at many clubs are a problem, not just Letchworth. However we know you will be okay next week at Saracens and we'll be working hard to make sure you have some opponents for the 21st.

As for the U17s - as Joe said you played better than we've seen you for some time, but still lost in a tough game between two sides that were pretty well matched. In fact we were probably ahead of bit in the scrum, maybe less so in the rucks ... but some interesting decisions pushed the balance the wrong way perhaps - though in the end Kettering were the better team on the day, 27-0 exagerates the difference a bit.

However I must say that the great thing was your reaction at the end. You all knew you'd played your hardest and you had enjoyed the game, regardless of the actual result. Sport is about more than just winning but some clubs heads would have been on the floor and who would have been straight in their cars and off home (indeed we've seen it happen). You showed great maturity and sportsmanship - well done!

And you can put things right in two weeks time!

Meanwhile pictures from the day are already up on the Threfall Archive.