Hertford U-13 B 0 Royston 42 ROYSTON romped to victory at Hertford on Sunday (December 17). From their first five metre scrum, James Clare ripped out the ball and ran in under the posts. After the restart, man-of-the-match James Richardson caught and

Hertford U-13 B 0

Royston 42

ROYSTON romped to victory at Hertford on Sunday (December 17).

From their first five metre scrum, James Clare ripped out the ball and ran in under the posts.

After the restart, man-of-the-match James Richardson caught and drove forward with the ball before delivering an offload to Clare, who outpaced the defence to double the score.

Hertford tried to rally, but were held by a resolute Royston defence, and powerful tackling kept the home side penned back in their own half.

Richardson continued to spoil at the scrums, and from one turn over, scrum-half Louis Boulter was able to peel away on the blind side and score in the right corner.

Further Royston pressure led to a dropped ball 20 metres out.

It was scooped up by Richardson, who drove over the try line, giving Royston a 20-0 lead at the end of the first period.

The visitors continued to drive forward, and clever place kicking by Boulter, and strong tackling by Liam Chambers forced a Hertford player to drop the ball behind his try line, allowing Tom Stone to add a further five points, with Boulter kicking the conversion.

In the third period, Royston exploited a penalty routine with Chambers carrying the ball up field before offloading to Clare to complete his hat-trick.

Not to be outdone, the rest of the forwards combined in a powerful drive, enabling Max Scott to dive over the line for a deserved score.

Leading 37-0, Royston moved into the final period of the game, passing the ball quickly and accurately through hands, finally rewarding the hours spent on the practice ground.

One such move freed James Murdock on the right wing, who held off his opposing winger, and touched down for Royston's final score of the match.