London Skolars Director of Rugby, Mark Croston, takes a look back at a busy week for the club:
Last weekend saw the clubs junior grades win 2 from 4, however, one of the standout performances came from a losing side. The Skolars’ ‘A’ team went down gallantly away to previously undefeated RLC Southern Premier leaders, Hammersmith Hills Hoists, 36-22. The Skolars’ ‘A’ have another test this Saturday away to St Albans, last year’s RLC South Premier champions who are currently sitting in second place in this year’s conference.
The Skolars’ Juniors enjoyed a good weekend with the under 14s defeating St Albans 38-14 and the under 18s defeating Brentwood Eels 20-18. The under 16s couldn’t add to their outstanding away record going down to a very good Hemel outfit. This weekend sees them taking part in the WCAM Challenge Shield Finals at three different locations in and around the capital. We hope they enjoy another fruitful away day.
The weekend ended on a high with the Championship win over Keighley Cougars. A pulsating, tense game was only won in the last minutes with Dylan Skee coolly slotting over the winning penalty. Dylan had set a Skolars record of 17 consecutive kicks earlier in the game and with his man of the match award had a pretty good day all round. The man of the match award could so easily have gone to Aaron Small – dangerous in attack all game with several breaks that led to points and outstanding in defence with several try saving defensive plays. It was our defensive display that caught the eye – every player 1-17 played their part individually and as a unit, making us a difficult team to beat.
The squad are upping the intensity in training this week. The two week window before the trip to Doncaster gives us a good opportunity to get ourselves in top physical shape and prepare for the massive challenge facing us. we also have time to work on some weaker areas of our game – which will make us stronger when we face the South Yorkshire outfit.
Ben Bolger once again demonstrated his Super League credentials, his try capping an outstanding performance. Following strong performances with the Skolars in recent weeks Dave Williams and Lamont Bryan were on duty for HarlequinsRL in Hull. On Saturday Quins entertain Wakefield at The Stoop whilst we enjoy our weekend off. One weekend we are all looking forward to the double header at The Stoop in July, when both teams will be looking to give the home fans plenty to shout about.
We almost had an 18th man on Sunday – our fans got right behind us from the start and gave us the lift we needed when we fell behind late on the game – making for a terrific atmosphere, thank you for this – it makes a real difference. We are back at New River on 2 July for the clash with South Wales Scorpions – once again we will need your support with what will be another epic challenge.
