The match itself against the Richmond tour team was very closely fought. In the first half Quins dominated putting together some good interplay between the forwards and backs but, with some excellent defensive work, the Richmond boys managed to keep our boys out.
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Notwithstanding a few bumps and bruises, it was a very enjoyable morning, and many thanks to the ORFC U9 coaching team who got the programme sorted for the teams.
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The Bowl Final pitted the Lions against Haywards Heath: on the day Haywards Heath were unlucky, their own handling errors leading to turnovers that allowed a 3 try lead to open up. On the ball they looked dangerous. Freddie Smith was the player of the match with a hat-trick of end to end tries following Hayward's handling errors. In such a short match there is no way back from a 4 try deficit: Oxford Harlequins had the St.George's Day Bowl!

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The day started well ... we were drawn in a group with Chinnor, Gosford All Blacks, Grove, Whitney and Bicester ...and playing on the better (more grass) of the pitches. With Chinnor being the firm favourites for the tournament we knew that was going to be one particularly challenging game. However, against all the others we had performed well (albeit in close matches) through the season....so we were all quietly optimistic.
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On paper the B team had the daunting prospect of a pool that included Henley, Oxford, Chipping Norton, and Bicester.  As ever, we had to be on our toes from the start if we were to make an impression.

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The U14s capped off a successful season by taking silverware at the Oxfordshire County 10’s tournament with victory over Henley in the plate competition.

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And so another season comes to an end with a fantastic performance by all three Oxford Harlequins U8s teams at the County Tag Festival in Grove.  We entered three teams and came away with three pieces of silverware and a veritable mountain of medals. 

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The fragrant aroma of the Abingdon sewage works in the adjacent field greeted the Harlequins U15s as they made their last appearance of the season.

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Wow what a difference a week (and a little extra training) makes! A different lions team from the one that played in Banbury played Witney on Sunday morning.
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In the first 5 minutes Quins gave away a penalty in front of the posts, and Chinnor showing their intent for a win,  by slotting the ball for 3 points.
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Eight tries to three was the final tally, however Quins had to overcome a spirited Marlborough side which was actually leading the match at half-time.

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Oxford Harlequins Under 13s enjoyed a sunny weekend in the West Country, completing their short tour of Cornwall and Devon without surrendering their recent unbeaten record.

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The U8 As arrived in good spirits for the Banbury Festival, having only beaten bested by one team all season, and they weren't at Banbury! Hope were high of a repeat of last year's tournament winning performance.
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The boys produced a very strong performance, particularly in terms of rucking and srummaging (probably the best of the season)

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Overall, this was a tough assignment for the U14s, and they had to dig deep for victory to win from 0-10 down.  They should be proud of the overall team effort, which changed the direction of the match to their favour.
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Eight try win dampens last week’s Cup exit disappointment
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A three way fixture with Abingdon and Oxford was played on Sunday 7th February away at Oxford.

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It was a day of mixed fortunes for the U9 teams. Some wins, some losses but over all more tries scored than conceded.

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Another good turnout and the large numbers allowed us to split into two squads of 10 for the mini festival gainst Oxford and Abingdon.

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The Under 14s’ run of ten successive victories came to an end with a 34-0 defeat against Chinnor in the ORFU Cup semi-final.

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With a hard-fought but, in the end, clear-cut victory over Bicester by 26 points to 5, Oxford Harlequins yesterday took their place in an Oxfordshire Plate Final clash with Oxford on 27th March.
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The backdrop of a slate grey sky and cold wind was the setting for this league match against Bicester. Bicester are a strong team and always prove to be formidable opponents and today was no different.

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Sunday's rugby was a testing affair and didn't come a moment too soon as far as our players are concerned. Our Lions and Tigers played in the "A" competition against Abingdon A and Oxford A whilst our Panthers played in the B competition against Abingdon B and Oxford B.

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Considering it was the last weekend of half term we had a great turnout at Grove and fielded two teams against the large Grove squad.

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The match away to Grove was a classic muddy cold day ripe for a fine forwards performance... and that is what we got. The first match was won two tries to one.

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A particularly cold morning did little to dampen the Mighty ‘Quins spirit and we ran a well drilled Gosford team ragged.

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U8 Tigers had 2 games on Sunday, both very tight and hard fought and both resulting in 6-5 victories.   The team spirit is really building well and generally as a group, the level of concentration throughout the games has never been better. 

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Tony showed staggering naivety as a coach by betting the Lions each a fizzy drink of their choice from the bar - that they could not win their first game without conceding a try.

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After last week’s encouraging 36-10 win over Chipping Norton, Harlequins Under13s stepped up another gear today to beat Grove 51-0 in the ORFU Plate Quarter Final.

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In a warm up match before the cup semi-final against Chinnor in three weeks time, Harlequins U14s again came out victorious with a fabulous team display to overcome visitors Banbury 57-29.

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A double header against two of the only teams that have beaten us this year  (both with squads of 30+) was always going to be challenging....but as ever the boys can take a lot out of the experience and be proud of how they played.

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Great set of matches on Sunday and well done to all the boys.

The Lions and Tigers put on great performances. The Lions won both of their matches well (9-2 & 9-5?) whilst the Tigers won their first match against Chinnor B (9-5) then drew with Chinnor A (6-6).

The Panthers didn't have enough players to put out a full team so played a barbarians team with Chinnor before managing a 6-6 draw with a mixed Chinnor team when combined with some of our Tigers.

Harlequins anticipated having two teams on Sunday and set out the pitches accordingly but with a number of new starters forced a change in plans. In fact it took Glen completely by surprise and pushed his organisational skills way past breaking point! (But he managed).

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Harlequins U14s advanced to the Oxfordshire County Cup semi final today after a 27-0 victory over visiting Bicester.

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Quins U16s had a good win away at Aldermaston RFC on a cold but sunny morning.

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At Bicester the U11s once again showed what a determined bunch they are. What they lack in numbers they make up in sheer will power.

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Harlequins U14s extended its winning streak to eight after a fairly straightforward 32-19 victory against Buckingham RFC in Oxford today.
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Although having beaten Witney twice last season, the team were under no illusions that this was going to be an easy match, and it proved to be another hard-fought contest with good rugby played on both sides.

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The U11s played two matches against the 30+ strong Wallingford squadlosing the first 5-1and drawing the second but this was far from a fair representation of the balance of the fixture.
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Continuing their winning streakThe Lions beat Wallingford A with an 11-6 and 9-6 win.
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What a good performance! The matches against Oxford on 9 January were once again a tribute to the boys...
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We held our breaths when we saw the frost early Sunday Monday but thankfully is was all gone by kick off.  It was a cinematic moment as 22 stir crazy yelling 8-year olds  let loose for the first time in 6 weeks.
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After nearly two months absence from competitive rugby, Quins U14s defeated a spirited Chinnor side 46-15, traditionally a “bogie team” at this age group.
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Chinnor 41-5 Quins...
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In the only match of the weekend, indeed of the last three weeks, the Under 15s travelled to Bicester to play their scheduled league match.

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A combination of my son Alex & Glen persuaded me to don my rugby kit & run with the U7 Tigers at High Wycombe. It was a little disturbing & caused Alex great amusement when he heard that my shorts were last worn in the last century.
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This was a great morning’s rugby for the OH teams, played against three very tough and fair High Wycombe sides.  All in all it was a very enjoyable session and much credit to High Wycombe RFC themselves who were very welcoming to us all and excellent hosts. 

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The U8s fielded two teams at High Wycombe with a combined Panthers/Tigers team and a Lions team. The Lions were missing a couple of key players, Thomas had the best excuse as the Scott-Browns welcomed a new family member into the world (a future OH player no doubt). Membership forms are in the post.

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It was quite an adventure driving up to High Wycombe on Sunday - the fog was as thick and the temperature low.

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This weekend the boys took on High Wycombe away. Given that Wycombe have a squad of 30 it was always going to be a busy morning for our 12 boys if everyone was going to have a game… but what a great performance it turned out to be!

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In their toughest match to date, Quins U14s narrowly defeated a strong and organised Marlow team 17-15 in a highly physical and entertaining contest.

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The absence of three first team regulars should normally be a cause for concern, but such is the strength in depth of the U8s squad that we fielded a Lions team that again ran rampant and produced some breathtaking rugby against a tough and spirited team from Grove.

In defence, excellent tagging has always been a feature of the Lions game, but on Sunday the boys somehow managed to step up yet another gear - shutting out Grove with the 7 tag rule half a dozen times. The 3 big centres (Jim, Tommy and Edward) repeatedly ripped into the Grove re-starts before they could really get going, and the wing pairs (James/Barney and Mallam/Felix) kept their width to snuff out anything that survived the initial onslaught.

In attack, the boys displayed side-stepping at speed, passing before the tag and even one try scored with a faked dummy pass. Often leaving the Grove defence (and indeed myself) just standing watching, the Lions have  turned a very significant corner in their game - in that they now clearly enjoy passing the ball!

Individual try of the day must go to Mallam. Running a full 250m - he left Grove defenders as well as Lions support players and coach, exhausted in his wake on his way to scoring one of his signature "wing-to-wing-zig-zag" tries.

Team try of the day came during the final play of the second game. Instructions were given to the boys that they were not allowed to score until the whole team had touched the ball at least once. This resulted in some amazingly fluid passing, spreading the ball along the line and concluding with a great comedy moment from James. Finally deciding that enough was enough of this passing stuff, he shouted at the top of his voice "right, everyone has touched the ball...I'm going to score now!" ...which he promptly did...

If we are looking for negatives, there were two slight lapses of discipline, but to their credit the coaches quickly stepped in to nip these in the bud. Jim had to be told off by Pete for handing back tags to the opposition "far too politely" while Tommy was scolded by Tony - not so much for the quality of his "victory dance" having crossed the opposition try line - but for the fact that he did it before placing the ball down!

All together another great performance - the Lions march on !

Game 1: Lions won 9-4
Game 2: Lions won 11-5

(from Tony McNally)

Reading brought a large, well-drilled and mobile pack to the contest and the game was fairly evenly matched, although Quins generated more errors and penalties, which ultimately led to Reading taking a relatively early 3-0 lead from a converted penalty. While there were opportunities to break forward from both sides, strong defence and/or handling errors led to stalemate for virtually the entire match.

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Quins enjoyed a friendly against a side they had never played before and a good competitive game showed skills and promise from both sides.

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The Quins U14 side extended its successful run to four as they hailed victorious away to Chipping Norton, 39-12.

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Oxford Harlequins Under 13s notched up their second win of the season, beating Gosford All Blacks 27 points to 5 at Stratfield Brake this morning.

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There was plenty of game time for everyone as the U9s lined up as the Blues, Oranges and Squares against Grove.
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The morning started with a quick training with passes and attack/defence drill. The boys where a bit distracted but this changed with the games.

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It is always good to host a relaxed, friendly club like Grove, they have great coaches and parental support.

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The U11s played two matches against Grove. The first was closely fought with the majority of the play taking place in the Quins half.

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Having had a couple of games cancelled, we were pleased that Stow were willing to play us at relatively short notice at the end of half term. With several players absent for a variety of reasons, a depleted squad made the trip to a damp Stow-on-the-Wold.

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The Under 8s welcomed Banbury to Marston Ferry Road last Sunday and enjoyed a fantastic morning’s rugby as the three teams from each club set about each other.

The two club's coaching teams appear to share the same ethos and it was great to see two large squads enjoying their rugby at all levels.

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Marlborough 0 - 61 Oxford Harlequins U14

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In terms of scores, Banbury in general came off better - especially their A team who were unbeaten during the day, so well done to them!


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Martin S-B had the pleasure to run with the Oxford Harlequins Tigers (a mixed U7/U6 team) on a chilly Sunday morning at Chinnor. For many of the players this was their first experience of competitive rugby.

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The Under 8s took three teams to the Chinnor / Chipping Norton triangular on Sunday: this on hindsight was quite exciting considering how we struggled at times to field two teams last season. The results weren't bad either: played 9, won 9.

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Both our teams did really well, and we finally got some tries and some wins under our belts.  As ever the kids really lifted themselves when the pressure was on and improved as the day went forward (especially when it got more sunny!)…

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The first frost of the year greeted us on Sunday morning and I was worried how we were going to keep the kids warm and motivated for this fixture. However (as is becoming customary) I was surprised at just how enthusiastic this bunch are.

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Outstanding display from Oxford Harlequins U16s, to seal the 1st home League game of the season.

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Overall it was a great team display, and considering that numerous players were being tried in “different” positions, the boys kept the errors to a minimum and played flowing rugby, which was highly entertaining at times.

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After a long break the U8s enjoyed their first competitive fixture of the season on Sunday 3rd October at Grove Mini Festival. Several of the boys appear to have been eating large livestock for breakfast over the break and have come back several feet taller. It's great to see them back playing rugby; the team spirit this season is excellent and the talent in the squad is overflowing at all levels.

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Well, what a day it turned out to be for the U11s …. plate winners! The boys did fantastically well and showed how, despite having the smallest, squad they can still more than hold their own.

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In weather that would have caused Ryder Cup golfers to slink off to the clubhouse the ‘Quins U7’s faced their first competitive fixture at Grove.

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Quins U16s made it 3 from 3 on a very wet and windy day at Chipping Norton where handling was made very difficult by the conditions.

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A fabulously gutsy performance disappointing only in that Quins should have found a way to win. The coaches were massively impressed by the commitment and desire shown and hope to improve the small areas of technique that will make all the difference in beating top Oxfordshire sides.

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‘Quins U14s came through a physical battle on a wet October morning to hail victorious over a determined Reading Abbey, 43-19.  This was the second of two pre-season matches – played over three periods – and gave the Quins’ coaching team another opportunity to experiment with player positions and new tactics.

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In a training game of three quarters, Bicester emerged as winners

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“Harry the Governor” - Marlborough 12 Oxford Harlequins 34

A fine morning with a slight breeze saw the second fixture between these two clubs. The first fixture last season saw Quins rack up a massive score, we were hoping for a better contest this time and were not disappointed.

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A sunny September morning saw the Under 16s earn a well deserved victory at Marston Ferry ground on the opening fixture of the season.
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