Sharks on the Cornish Coast
The Navy Sharks competed in the Newquay 7s tournament on the last weekend in June and proved that they have developed as a squad, making good progress in this latest competition.
The Sharks had been placed in Group H with experienced teams, the Pelicans and the Apache Raiders. The Raiders is a team that regularly finishes in the top 3 in the super 7s elite circuit and the pelicans. The Sharks' competition began in earnest at 10.50am with a match against the Apache Raiders.
It was quickly noticeable that Raiders was a class act, but the Sharks stuck to the game plan and defended aggressively. This tactic work for the majority of the first half but a couple of missed tackles saw the Sharks 12 - 0 down at half time. The second half was much of the same with the final score seeing a win for the Raiders, 26 - 0
Not perturbed by this, the Sharks prepared for their second group match against the Pelicans at 1.10 pm. They had learnt a great deal in the first match and took these points forward, scoring early after KO; a second try quickly followed along with a second conversation for the Sharks Captain, Cooper. Just before half time the Sharks scored their 3rd try, leaving the score at 21 - 0 as the whistle blew. Apart from a couple of scores from the Pelicans, the Sharks continued to attack, with Mne Kyp Bridgen scoring the 4th and final try in this match. Cooper successfully converted, tp make it 4 from 4. Final score: 28 - 10.
This win meant that the Navy Sharks had advanced to the last 16 in the cup competition to face the Capio Eggs; a West Country side who had a familiar face playing for them in the shape of Ben Priddy. From the KO the sharks knew they were in a hard battle and soon found themselves 0 - 5 down. However, the Sharks quickly bit back with 2 quick tries and another conversion for Cooper. The score stood at 12 - 5 as the half time whistle blew. The Sharks continued to fight and resulted in tries for Toots and Sava. Through gritted teeth Ben Priddy saw his side lose 28 - 5 and the Sharks advanced to the last 8 and a quarter final match to pitch them against the Apache Raiders for the second time that day.
The Sharks had learnt a lot from their first encounter with the Raiders and knew that they were in for a tough match. The Raiders again managed to penetrate the Sharks' defence but just before half time Sava scored to close the gap: 12 - 5 at half time. The second half was much of the same with Josh Blackburn and Seti scoring, however the luck had run out for the team and the Apache Raiders ran out eventual winners 31 - 15. The Raiders were then set up for a semi final against the eventual cup winners, The British Army.
This was an excellent display from the Sharks who have progressed at every competition. The whole team performed superbly but a special mention is merited for both Tom Davies and Ian Cooper. The Sharks now move to the banks of the River Thames for the Henley 7s on 14th July, which will be the final tournament of their season.