Warwick School hope to have Midlands Under-18 prop Sean McCarthy back in action for their Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Cup fifth round tie at Norwich School on December 10.
McCarthy has been sidelined for around six weeks with a shoulder injury but he is close to regaining fitness and Warwick hope that he will be able to rejoin the squad for a tough trip to East Anglia
Warwick also hope to be able to include scrum-half James Catherall who has recently returned to action after 18 months out following knee reconstruction surgery. Catherall made his comeback as a replacement in the fourth round victory over Solihull School.
But Warwick, winners of the competition two years ago, will be without key lock Hamish Smithers for the rest of the season. He suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in Warwick’s very first game of the campaign and is now recovering from surgery.
Despite Smithers’ absence Warwick have reached the last 32 for a third successive season though they were given a fright by Solihull who led 8-6 at the break of their Warwickshire derby.
Warwick missed a number of fist half scoring opportunities but compensated after the break when they blitzed Solihull with 33 points in a 15 minute purple patch. “Everything we touched seemed to turn to gold, but we missed a couple of other scoring chances during that period as well,” said Mark Nasey, Warwick’s director of rugby.
The fifth round tie will bring new opponents for Warwick and an overnight stay for their players.
“Isn’t Norwich somewhere near Norway?” Nasey joked. “It’s going to be a four hour trip for us and there is no way that we could do that on the morning of the match given the risk of traffic problems.
“So we shall be going the night before which means that we can guarantee the game goes ahead.
“From what we hear Norwich’s head master is getting the school out so that should make for a great atmosphere.
“We don’t know anything about them at all. But that’s what makes this competition exciting for both teams. It’s about meeting new opponents and going into different environments.”
Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Cup,.
Fourth round (Midlands): Leicester GS 15 Oakham School 12, Moulton College 19 Bedford Modern School 15, Wymondham College 0 Norwich School 29, Warwick School 39 Solihull School 18 , King’s School, Worcester v Worcester Sixth Form College, Newcastle-under-Lyme School 10 Ellesmere College 25, Worksop College v Loughborough GS, St George’s School, Harpenden 33 Richard Hale School 12.
Fifth round draw (Midlands): Leicester GS v Moulton College, Norwich School v Warwick School, King’s School, Worcester or Worcester Sixth Form College v Ellesmere College, Worksop College or Loughborough GS v St George’s School, Harpenden. Ties to be played on or before December 10.
Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Vase (Midlands)
Third round: John Cleveland Community College 53 Lutterworth College 3, Woodlands School 40 King Edward’s, Birmingham 35, Queen Mary’s GS, Walsall 24 King Edward VI, Camp Hill 10, Bishop Vesey GS v King Edward VI School, Aston, King’s School Peterborough 3 Gresham’s School 24, Langley School, Norwich 38 Thomas Mills HS 17, Solihull Sixth Form College 32 Hinchingbrooke School 10, Cedars Upper School 13 King Edward VI, Five Ways GS 33, The Chase, Malvern 33 Lincoln Minster School 24, King Edward VI School, Stratford 50 King Henry VIII, Coventry 0, Derby GS 23 St Joseph’s College, Stoke 21, Lady Manners School 7 Adams GS 22, RGS Worcester v Hall Cross School, John Leggott Sixth Form College 0 Old Swinford Hospital School 57, Beaumont School 26 Tring School 14, Broxbourne School 0 Roundwood Park School 50.
Fourth round draw (Midlands): John Cleveland College v Woodlands School, Queen Mary’s GS, Walsall v Bishop Vesey’s GS or King Edward VI Aston, Gresham’s School v Langley School, Norwich, Solihull Sixth Form College v King Edward VI Five Ways, The Chase, Malvern v King Edward VI Stratford, Derby GS v Adams GS, RGSAO Worcester or Hall Cross School v Old Swinford Hospital School, Beaumont School v Roundwood Park School. Ties to be played on or before December 10.
Bedford on the march again
Bedford School, winners of the Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Cup in 2006, are on the march again.
They booked their place in the last 32 of this season’s competition by ousting surprise package Ecclesbourne School 30-5 in the fifth round, capitalising on the sin-binning of one of their opponents to run in three tries while he was off the pitch.
Bedford now host Wymondham College from Norfolk in a sixth round tie that has been provisionally arranged for this Thursday (December 4).
Though Richard Midgley, Bedford’s master in charge of rugby, is reluctant to draw comparisons with the cup-winning side of 2006 and this side, he is delighted with his current crop of players.
“They are a good side and they have got stronger as the season has gone on,“ Midgley said.
“They have also grown in self-belief and they now know that they can take on whatever opposition we face as they showed last Saturday when we beat Harrow 36-15 in a great game.
“We’re not strong in one particular area, we are a good all-round side and the players enjoy playing an open running game.”
Captain George Humphreys at centre, full-back Toby Lynes and number eight Nick Coward are the spine of this Bedford team but Peter Usher, the school’s sports psychologist, continues to play an important role off the field.
Usher, who previously worked with Canada’s Olympic squad, joined Bedford on a part-time basis three years ago and made a significant contribution to getting the Daily Mail Cup-winning side mentally prepared for their games.
“Peter is still working his magic and his work has been a hugely important factor in improving the side’s belief,” Midgley said.
Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Cup:
Fifth round (Midlands): Ecclesbourne School 5 Bedford School 30, Wymondham College 7 Wellingborough School 3, Stowe School 3 Rugby School 26, Ellesmere College 10 Bromsgrove School 39, Adams GS 36 Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School 10, Northampton School for Boys 20 Bishop Vesey’s GS 3, Tring School 5 St George’s School, Harpenden 22, Stamford School 47 Prince William’s School, Oundle 10.
Sixth round draw (Midlands): Bedford School v Wymondham College, Rugby School v Bromsgrove School, Adams GS v Northampton School for Boys, St George’s School, Harpenden v Stamford School. Ties to be played on or before December 10.
Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Vase
Fourth round (Midlands): Princethorpe College 34 King Edward VII School, Kings Lynn 7, Redbourne Upper School 0 Oakham School 50, Colonel Frank Seely School 9 Norwich School 29, Abbey College v Wrenn School, Lutterworth College 5 Coundon Court School 50, King Henry VIII School, Coventry 12 Kenilworth School 12 (Kenilworth won on away team rule), Sir John Talbot CS v Charlton School, Church Stretton CS 24 King Edward VI School, Camp Hill 10, St Joseph’s College, Stoke v Fairfax School, Chase HS, Malvern 10 King Edward’s, Birmingham 27, Solihull School 20 Lawrence Sheriff School 5, Woodlands School 10 Bablake School 23, St Mary’s RC School, Bishop’s Stortford 23 Bishop’s Stortford HS 29, Richard Hale School 26 Hockerill Anglo-European College 26 (Hockerill won on away team rule), The Leys School 44 Bishop Stopford School 7, The Samuel Whitbread Community College 55 Lady Manners School 5.
Fifth round draw (Midlands): Princethorpe College v Oakham School, Norwich School v Abbey College or Wrenn School, Coundon Court School v Kenilworth School, Sir John Talbot CS or Charlton School v Church Stretton CS, St Joseph’s College, Stoke or Fairfax School v King Edward’s, Birmingham, Solihull School v Bablake School, Bishops Stortford HS v Hockerill Ango-European College, The Leys School v The Samuel Whitbread Community College. Ties to be played on or before December 10.
