Experience triumphed over youth as the Over-25s beat the Under-25s 50-24 in Bournville’s inaugural Panda Cup match.
The match was played as a curtain-raiser to Bournville’s National Two West match against Clifton at Avery Fields and was played in memory of stalwart Dave ‘Panda’ Vickers who passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
A much-valued and loved club man, Panda was a gregarious and amiable individual with a cheerful disposition that allowed him to interact with people from all areas of the club.
He was always willing to help during events, was an ever,friendly and approachable member of the third team who was passionate about rugby and always had an admirable determination and desire to constantly improve on the pitch.
Unfortunately, however, these qualities were not always matched by his time management abilities, with Panda once arriving at an away ground ready to get started, just as the final whistle blew.
Following a minute’s silence for Panda, the game itself turned out to be a veritable try-fest. The Under-25s pre-match confidence proved somewhat misplaced as The Overs raced to a 24-0 lead, before The Unders found their way back into the game with a score of their own. Tries were then traded back and forth to bring the score to 31-12 before The Overs once again stretched their lead out to a convincing 33 point margin.
However, The Under-25s did not to go down without a fight, hitting back with another two tries to close the gap to 45-24. The Overs had the final say with a final try to bring up a half century of points and leave the final score at 50-24.
Ultimately, experience told with the young pretenders struggling to find answers to The Overs’ superior physicality, game knowledge, and good looks.
In a game full of highlights, some that stood out included one of the Colts being taught a lesson in how (not) to tackle by a rampaging Steve Smith, a masterclass in kicking from Josh Kambo and Jake Whitmarsh (both of who failed to convert their own from under the posts), and Vice-Chairman Alex Bann somehow managing to score an ‘own try’.
The Panda Cup capped a hugely successful first year for Bournville’s Player Development Pathway which saw nine current or former Colts players making their senior debuts this season.
Established at at the start of this season, the Pathway seeks to support home-grown talent progress from the minis and juniors section into senior rugby and beyond. Bournville have a long track record of developing players from the thriving M&Js section which currently comprises over 350 players aged from under-six to under-18. Many of these players have gone on to achieve higher playing honours at county and academy level, and the Player Development Pathway will continue to build upon this success and contribute to driving Bournville rugby club on to even greater heights.
If you would like to be part of Bournville’s Player Development Pathway or want to know more about it, please contact Matt Mirecki at matthew.mirecki.mke@gmail.com For more information about Bournville Rugby Club in general, please contact general@averyfields.com
