Catterick Crusaders U14s Show Growth and Determination at Cramlington Rockets Festival

In weather conditions more suited to the other code of rugby, the Catterick Crusaders Under 14s made their second outing of the season as they travelled to Cramlington Rockets for another tough test of their development.

Joining forces with the hosts for the day, the combined side quickly adopted the name “Cramlington Crusaders” and headed into the festival full of energy and enthusiasm. Before the first game, the players gathered in a team huddle to discuss what they wanted to improve from the previous week. The answer from every player was immediate defence.

Their opening fixture against Yarm 1 provided a strong challenge from the start. Yarm struck first after catching the Crusaders/Rockets side cold early on, but the response from the team was excellent. Following some strong carries through the middle, the ball was worked wide to Cramlington’s Charlie on the wing, who produced a superb run around the Yarm defence to score the team’s first try of the day.

The difficult weather conditions continued to make handling tricky, and a spilled restart allowed Yarm to score again from close range before adding two further tries. Despite the scoreboard, the Crusaders/Rockets players never dropped their heads, finishing the game with a determined defensive set that denied Yarm another score and showed the attitude the coaches had asked for.

The second game against Yarm 2 saw a few personnel changes, but the team continued to grow into the festival. Charlie again impressed with some powerful running to help the side double their try tally for the day. More importantly, the coaches could clearly see improvements in the team’s defensive shape and communication.

There were plenty of strong defensive moments throughout the game, but what stood out most was the willingness of the players to listen, learn, and improve. For some of the lads, this was only their second or third game of rugby league, yet their effort and determination could not be questioned.

The final fixture against Gateshead Storm proved to be the toughest challenge of the day. Storm were well drilled, physical, and organised, making life difficult for the Crusaders/Rockets combination. Even so, the players battled until the very end and could take plenty of positives from a performance that was a clear improvement on the previous week.

The foundations are beginning to build for this young group, and with another week of training ahead, the squad will look to continue their progress when they travel to Yarm next weekend.