NEWS REPORT

The U-18 season started in June with trials for the Fraser Valley East, Japan Cup Team. Eighteen of the twenty-five players on the squad were from Bayside. The tournament was played at UBC, with two pools of four teams. The FVRU East won their pool and their semi-final match against Vancouver. In the final The FVRU East defeated Vancouver Island 15-7 to win the Japan Cup for the third consecutive year.

The Bayside U-18’s entered two club sides into the North American Challenge Cup on the September long weekend. The A team was primarily made up of players from the Japan Cup squad and promising players. The B-team was made up of grade 10 and 11 players with a few veterans to bolster the side. Both squads played well and made it to the semi-finals. The B team lost their match to Abbotsford and the A-team defeated Capilanos. In the final, 22 players from Bayside played the game and won 21-O over Abbotsford. The team won a new set of Canterbury jerseys.

The Bayside U-18 program started the season on Sept. 16 in the Vancouver Union with two teams. The U-18’s had played in the FVRU the 2000-2001 season and had won the league. The team lost to the VRU in the B.C. semi final. The U-18 program practised Monday and Wednesday nights at 6:30. There were 35-55 players at all the practises even in the most inclement weather. The teams were split into two even squads and played 20-25 players on each team every weekend. The approach is to get all the players as much experience as possible prior to playoffs.

Both teams played touring sides during the season and gained valuable experiences from these games.

The regular season was quite successful with one team finishing 6-0 and winning the league and the other team finishing 4-2 and finishing 4th.Unfortunately we had to play each other in the semi-final, rather than the VRU final. One team did win.

In the VRU final we played the Meralomas at the South Surrey field. The game was close, but Bayside prevailed 25-20 on a last minute try to win the VRU Championship. Once again 22 players played in the game gaining valuable experience.

The B.C. final was played at the South Surrey fields against the FVRU Champion Langley. The Langley team was made up primarily of graduated players, who thought they could push around a younger Bayside squad. The Bayside players were not intimidated by these tactics and used their superior rugby skills to win 22-0. We played as many players as possible in this game without loosing any continuity.

On Dec. 9, 2001 we traveled to Vancouver Island to play the two time defending B.C. champs, Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers, on their home turf with a VIRU referee and two VIRU referee touch judges. The Bayside team was made up of the top 22 players from both regular season teams. A number of players were just returning from injury and were able to contribute to this game as well.

The Bayside team wasted no time in putting the OBCW in a hole when Adam Kleeberger scored a try within 5 minutes from a stolen set piece. Tony LaCarte missed the conversion from a difficult angle. Jack Hodson scored the prettiest try of the season that would make any highlight reel. Jack took the ball from his own 22m line and evaded 3-4 OBCW tacklers to advance the ball to the OBCW 22m line. Jack faked a kick and went around one more defender, with only two to beat. Jack faked a pass and chipped the ball over one of the final players, Jack out leapt 6’5” OBCW and Canada fullback Mike Pike to catch the ball in the end zone and score the try. Tony LaCarte converted the try to make the score 12-0. The OBCW replied with a drop kick from Mike Pike. Tony LaCarte scored the next try from a lineout and two phases of rucking. OBCW scored a try just before half and a penalty kick to make the score17-13 at half.

Key defensive substitutions were made at half time and the players responded with a convincing second half. Alec Myring was off to the races and a try when he blocked an OBCW clearing attempt to touch and recovered the ball. The referee penalized the Bayside team for an unknown infraction, which we are still trying to find on the video replay. Alec Myring was once again was playing a great offensive game from his prop position when he dove over the goal line for the try. The referee penalized Alec for not releasing the ball even though no players were touching him and he was over the goal line. We quickly discovered he had dove over a solid marked 5m line rather than the properly marked dotted line. This seemed to spur on the OBCW and they responded with some excellent penetration into the Bayside end of the field. The OBCW outside center was celebrating his try from 5m out when he was met by a devastating open field tackle from his counterpart Tom Myring. This once again turned the tide and the Bayside U-18 scored a penalty kick to make the final score 20-13 for the Championship.

Seven players from the Bayside U-18’s represented the Province of B.C. at the Canada Summer Games. They were Tom and Alec Myring, Adam Kleeberger, Chris Smith, Tony LaCarte, Brendan Singbiel, Brian Hutchison and Cogan Ruckstahl.

Chris Smith, Cogan Ruckstahl, Mike Clark and Kyle Romogeoli are playing in Wales this season

Tom and Alec Myring, Brendan Singbiel and Chris Smith made the 2002 Canadian squad playing in Italy this March. Tony LaCarte made the reserve squad

Numerous players are playing at UBC and Uvic.

Three high schools from the Peninsula contributed to this program and they all finished in the top ten of the High School Championships. They are Semiahmoo (coaches Dave Kaye and Paul Horne), Earl Marriott (coaches Paul Waniak and Don Wright), Elgin Park (coaches Sal Shebani and Johan Mynhardt). Several other local schools contributed to the program.

The following people have contributed greatly to the success of the U-18’s this year, all the players for their dedication and pursuit of excellence. Coaches Sal Shebani, Erin Ferguson and Kyle Ferguson for there time, commitment and wealth of knowledge to practises and games each week and the development of all the players. Chris Myring as manager and head chef. Chris Myring and Larry Roberts for setting up the lights for practise every week. Kat for an excellent job as team trainer. A special thanks to the parents who assisted in many ways but especially those who supported the players on Saturdays, by attending the games and those that laundered the jerseys so the boys always looked like rugby players.

The season was successful.