SEVENTEEN of Malvern RFC U9s squad ended a great season with a visit to the Abergavenny RFC Junior Tournament.

This was the first time that this age-group had played in a tournament of this type, with some of the best clubs in Wales sending their strongest sides.

Malvern started very strongly, defeating the tournament hosts by seven tries to nil, with some great individual running and support play.

It was in the next game against Tredegar that the challenge really came alive. Malvern went down to a couple of soft tries early in the game but relentless tackling by Ben Richards and Jack Curtis, and some great inter-play by Sam Ladd and Cameron Hunter turned the game on its head and led to Malvern winning by 3-2.

Malvern's next opponents were Nelson, a very tough outfit from the Valleys.

With Malvern again conceding two tries early on the Malvern players then took control of the game.

Stunning try-saving tackles from Ted Hill, aggressive rucking by Tom Lucas, Tom Allies, Glen Potter and the rest of the pack combined with the direct running of Rory Atkins and Jake Wrafter led to Malvern drawing the game, Frankie Purcell controlling the game superbly at scrum-half.

At the end of the match both sets of players left to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Next-up were Pentyrch, one of the strongest Junior sides in Wales. Despite a second-half where the Malvern team, led from the front by Jack Curtis, dominated the game, they could not get the final pass away to win the game.

Losing 3-0 was a disappointing return and ended their challenge to win the tournament.

Malvern then went on to beat Builth Wells and Old Richians, with Joe Wolfe running in a hat-trick, Henry Robins and Henry Stratton coming into great form and the team beginning to get to grips with the different shape of the game.

Joe Johns and Joel Pickford put in some great work in the match-time that they had and Robert Wilson, in his first year of playing rugby, showed some real skill and no little courage.

Going into the final game Malvern could still have claimed second place with a big win but their opponents, Rhiwbina from Cardiff, proved too strong.

This Rhiwbina team have won five tournaments this season, beating the likes of Pontypridd and Glamorgan Wanderers.

It was their ability to move the ball wide quickly and score three tries from far-out that was the difference between the teams.

It was a frustrated, tired but proud team at the end of the game and though Rhiwbina went on to win the tournament it was a Malvern player, Jack Curtis, who was voted as U9 player of the tournament by the committee of referees.