Mini Match Reports.htm

Sunday 11th December 2011

Under 8's

Shrewsbury grind out a narrow victory in the mud at Walsall

Shrewsbury’s under-eights managed to come out just on top over two games against a talented Walsall side Despite the muddy conditions, the home side showed their obvious talent early-on, outpacing and side-stepping the visiting defence to go two tries up. Shrewsbury then retaliated with direct running from Monty Dunn and skilful ball-handling in the face of fearsome defence. The move was finished off when a pass released Josh Topper, who danced through the last of the defenders to open the scoring for Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury were made to work for every yard and Topper went over twice more before the half ended – but Walsall had scored three more by then, so they led by 5 – 3 at the break. The visitors put out a different squad for the second half and started well, positive running, passing and support play allowing Ben Stone to score. Shrewsbury continued in good form with great tackling, led by Joseph Mapp and Austin Morris keeping the home team to a solitary try during the half. Meanwhile good support running by Shrewsbury led to three further tries by Will Lewin and two from Sam Morris, which meant that the first game ended in a narrow 7 – 6 victory for Shrewsbury.

In the second contest, Shrewsbury defended far better in the early stages. Josh Topper, Isobel Redding and Jed Thurston offered huge commitment and energy and limited the home side to three tries. Unfortunately, the mud was taking the pace out of the game and Shrewsbury just couldn’t find gaps in the robust Walsall defence to reply so the half ended 3 – 0 to the home team.

Again Shrewsbury changed squads for the second half and they needed a special effort and first blood was drawn for Shrewsbury by Ben Stone. While they tried to respond, Walsall’s onslaughts were met with a great defensive display from Shrewsbury, most notably from Sam Brooks and Austin Morris, who both made try-saving tackles.

The visitors kept searching for opportunities when they could and when Ethan Beaver launched a visionary pass to Will Lewin, he at last found some space and was able to dodge his way through the Walsall defence to score and Joseph Mapp then broke through the robust home defence to level the scores.

Once again Walsall came back with vigour and once again, the Shrewsbury defence stood tall, Sam Brooks making an incredible tackle to prevent a certain try. Shrewsbury then put together a great team score, with the excellent running lines by Sam Morris putting Shrewsbury in the lead. But Walsall were determined not to be beaten and a lightning run resulted in a superb individual score. The game ended as a 4 – 4 draw, Shrewsbury just having the edge over the two matches.

Coach Phil Topper said it had been a superb effort in testing conditions by the whole squad. “I want to thank everyone who turned out today. Well done to the scorers and everyone else who tried so hard to scrap out a victory. I would love to have seen some of those tackles we made again in slow motion.”

Under 10's

Match 1 – Lions

Right from the whistle at the start of the first half it was apparent that the two teams were well matched. Shrewsbury attacked consistently and were soon rewarded with a fine try by Dylan Stone. Walsall were valiant in defence but no match for Will King who scored just before half time to bring the score to 2-0. The second half stared with Dylan Stone showing Walsall a clean pair of heels and scoring within seconds. An excellent run by one of the Walsall players from inside the Shrewsbury half ¾ of the length of the pitch, Shrewsbury were unable to catch him and despite Shrewsbury’s best efforts, Walsall touched down to bring the score to 3-1. Some fantastic tackling from Shrewsbury stopped at least another couple of good attempts by Walsall notably, Ben Brooks and Will King both managed to stop tries just yards from the line. Final score 3-1 to Shrewsbury

Match 2 – Tigers

Again, right from the off it was obvious that Walsall were no pushovers. Two quick tries from Walsall saw Shrewsbury wondering what had hit them at the end of a hard fought first half which saw Walsall dominate Shrewsbury. However, the second half got off to a blistering start with Lewis Evans mimicking Dylan’s achievement and scoring within seconds of the whistle. This seemed to give Shrewsbury new heart and soon George Morgan got the equaliser. Teran fought his way over the line to put Shrewsbury into the lead 3-2 and this seemed to spur Walsall on. A fantastic effort by Walsall, again running ¾ of the length of the pitch was brought down by a brilliant tackle from Robert just short of the line. Olly scored for Shrewsbury just as the whistle blew. Final score 4-2 to Shrewsbury.

Match 3 – First half Lions, Second half Tigers

The first half of the match was a terrific battle. Try as they might, neither team scored. Excellent defence from Shrewsbury in the face of strong and relentless attacking from Walsall.

The Second half started much as the first half had been played, a fantastic joint effort from Robert and George Morgan forced what looked like an almost certain Walsall try over the touch line just yards from the Shrewsbury try-line. From the resulting line out, Walsall managed to score. However no sooner had the whistle blown for the restart than George Morgan ran straight through the opposition to level the score at 1-1. The rest of the match was sheer bloody mindedness from Shrewsbury unable to break through the Walsall defence, not for want of trying though. Worthy of mention were Mike Jones and Jake Entwistle who were always in the thick of it and Teran who nearly scored at least twice.

All in all, a great days rugby, great atmosphere and worthy opponents! Well done all.

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Sunday 27th November 2011

Shrewsbury under-eights pass their way to victory

Shrewsbury under-eights put teamwork over individual performances to win their two games at Glyn Ceiriog last Sunday in impressive fashion. The visitors started brightly as Sam Brooks and Joseph Mapp ran in tries and the home side got one back before Shrewsbury’s twice forced turnovers, allowing Josh Topper and Sam Morris to score. Glyn Ceiriog struck back again but Shrewsbury finished the half superbly after Brooks released Morris with a great pass.

In the second half, Glyn Ceiriog started with an immediate touchdown, but a slick run down the wing by Henry Camber put Morris in again. Now the floodgates were opening and from the restart, Alex Raymond-Martin made a powerful burst, breaking tackles to score from 20 yards out.

Two strong and direct runs then saw Jed Thurston go over in succession and Shrewsbury finished with a flourish when Emile Geneviere beat a defender and then launched a sublime pass to Topper on the wing. He outpaced the defence to make the final score 10 – 3 to Shrewsbury.

In their second match, Shrewsbury again started well, Geneviere scoring from left wing and Camber running in a second. Yet again, they stole possession well and both Brooks and Topper made the most of the opportunity to add to the score.

The next try was a great team effort. Mapp won the ball with a great tackle and, after a 25-yard run from Camber, the ball passed through two sets of Shrewsbury hands before Morris finished the move. He then set up Topper to make it 6 – 0 for Shrewsbury at the break.

In the second period Glyn Ceiriog scored an excellent try of their own – but Shrewsbury responded right away, Brooks breaking tackles to put Topper over again. But while the home side scored twice more before the end, they had no real answer Shrewsbury’s powerful running, and the visitors registered five more tries.

A dart down the wing by Raymond-Martin put Morris in; Brooks then finished off a classy move and Mapp danced his way through several defenders for a great solo effort. Morris ran in from the halfway line there was still time for Topper to add one more after another typical break from Mapp. That made the final score 12 – 3 to Shrewsbury.

Coach Phil Topper thanked the parents who travelled to support the side. He also thanked the under-eight players who had stayed at Sundorne Castle to train – with Glyn Ceriog only able to field one side, Shrewsbury were forced to rotate their selection on this occasion. But with plenty more games left before the end of the season, all players will undoubtedly continue to make an important contribution to the squad’s continuing success.

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Sunday 20th November 2011

Brave under-tens edged out on in North Mids Festival

Shrewsbury under-tens continued their recent success taking their unbeaten run to eight matches at the North Midlands Festival, where they took on sides from hosts Kidderminster and from Redditch and Telford.

In their first match, Shrewsbury’s decisive running was too much for a less-experienced Redditch side and they ran out 6 – 0 winners with two tries apiece from Lewi Redding and Lewis Evans and one each from William King and Dylan Stone.

Telford proved to be tougher opposition in the second game but thanks to some great work by forwards James Sykes-Waller, Mickie Jones, Dominic Cripps and Geriant Harrhy, Shrewsbury dominated possession. Sykes-Waller drove over to secure a narrow half-time lead. He went over again in the second half and with Jones and Stone also crossing, Shrewsbury finished 4 – 0 winners.

The final pool match saw Shrewsbury take on festival hosts Kidderminster. The teams were equally matched and an exciting game kept the crowd on their toes. Shrewsbury’s defensive play was once again second-to-none and the game finished as a 0-0 stalemate.

That was enough to be Shrewsbury through to the quarter finals, where they took on Bromsgrove. The Worcestershire side had a try disallowed in the first minutes and pressed on. But when the ball was knocked on, advantage was played by the referee and Lewi Redding seized the opportunity to break-away and run three quarters of the pitch to score.

Shrewsbury’s defence continued to work tirelessly with Toby Morgan showing real determination to push the opposition into touch on a number of occasions. The second-half got off to flying start with Bromsgrove scoring quickly after the break. Shrewsbury continued to work hard and Dylan Stone scored an opportunistic try in response. But Bromsgrove responded again and equalised just before the final whistle - and a count-back of tries saw them progress to semis.

It was an unlucky end to the contest for the brave Shrewsbury squad, for whom Ben Brookes, Louis Nares and Ollie Roberts also made important contributions.

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Sunday 13th November 2011

Under-eights remain unbeaten

The under-eights put in another winning performance as they took two teams south to face a strong duo of Luctonians squads. Each squad was able to play three matches, and the home team were the perfect hosts, providing excellent refereeing and facilities.

In the first set of games, a physical Luctonians side was able to match Shrewsbury, who uncharacteristically did not apply enough defensive pressure and missed more tackles than usual. That game ended 9 – 9 but Shrewsbury stepped up their game after that and won the second and third games 9 – 4 and 4 – 1.

Shrewsbury also had the upper hand in the second string of contests, winning the first 9 – 5 before Lucs fought back in the second, which ended as a 6 – 6 draw. Shrewsbury responded well in the final match, winning 6 - 4. Will Lewin was Shrewsbury’s top scorer with an incredible 14 tries. He was given excellent support by his team members who passed brilliantly. Other try scorers included Josh Topper (7), Sam Morris (7), Isobel Redding (4), Henry Camber (3), Sam Brooks (3), Guy Heywood (2), Joseph Mapp (2) and Ben Stone (1).

Overall Shrewsbury outscored their hosts by 43 tries to 29.

More good news for the squad came when last’s years sponsor, S.K. Deer Building Contractors, agreed to continue sponsoring the as-yet-unbeaten under-eights.

Lions and Tigers roar on the road

Shrewsbury under-tens Lions and Tigers teams played two matches each against excellent opposition in Herfordshire at the weekend. For the Lions, Will King and Lewis Evans displayed great defensive skills to prevent Luctonians claiming early points but the home side did break through the Shrewsbury defence once before half time. Shrewsbury continued to apply pressure in the second period with Dominic Cripps and Toby Morgan working well to carve out a last minute opening for George Morgan that levelled the scores.

The Lions’ second match was equally tough. Again Shrewsbury's tackling was first class, particularly from Lewis Evans, and they dominated the line-outs with Patrick Walker taking the opportunity to drive forward and gain possession. While both George Morgan and Toby Morgan were unlucky to have tries from disallowed, the game ended in a stalemate with no points scored.

The Shrewsbury Tigers first match was equally gripping – and again finished scoreless. Shrewsbury displayed excellent defensive skills With Lewi Redding pushing opposition players into touch on a number of occasions to thwart several assaults on the Shrewsbury line. In attack, Oli Roberts made some excellent runs but Lucton's defence were always there to stop him.

The final match of the day saw a slower start from the Tigers and Lucton took the opportunity to take an early lead. Shrewsbury again defended well with Ben Wollaston, Mickie Jones and James Sykes-Waller repeatedly tacking well. Shrewsbury kept applying pressure and before the break, Archie McKirdie levelled the scores. The second period was tight with neither team willing to give ground – but in the end, Shrewsbury's diligence paid off and Dylan Stone scored with the last play of the game to seal a last-gasp win.

Ben’s brace keeps honours even

Shrewsbury under-11s travelled to Herefordshire last Sunday to play Luctonians. In a tense match, the visitors dominated the set pieces but a solid Lucs defence prevented Shrewsbury from capitalising on their possession, until a breakthrough by captain Ben Lewin started the scoring. Lucs came back well and scored twice, Shrewsbury battled hard and had two tries disallowed but finally they did get the score they deserved when Lewin went over again, and it finished 14 - 14.

In a second game all the Shrewsbury new players had a chance to play, but a few errors allowed Lucs to score four times before Shrewsbury could get on the scoreboard. However, Shrewsbury showed great team spirit and it was valuable game time for some of the more inexperienced newcomers, one of whom, Ben Bush, was given man of the match for his dogged tackling and good forward play.

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Sunday 6th November 2011

Sharp starts see under-eights home

Shrewsbury under-eights contested three matches against a strong Stafford squad. In the first game, the hosts were unable to tackle Shrewsbury’s swift youngsters who ran in five tries. Scores came from Will Lewin, Sam Morris, Joseph Mapp, Ben Stone and Freddie Angell-James. In defence, Shrewsbury limited Stafford to a solitary try. In the second period, Thomas Hughes, Monty Baly and Dylan Tyack all went over but Stafford matched Shrewsbury’s try-scoring and the contest ended 8 – 4 to the visitors.

The second game saw Shrewsbury 7 – 1 up at the break with scores coming from Josh Topper, Sam Morris, Ben Stone, Ethan Beaver, Sam Brooks and two from Joseph Mapp. The second period was again tied, this time at two tries each, Shrewsbury’s coming from the excellent Dylan Tyack and Isobel Redding.

In the final game Shrewsbury started the sharper again with and Sam Morris getting a brace and Josh Topper, Sam Brooks and Joseph Mapp taking the score to five. Stafford replied with just the one but got three in the second period, while Austin Morris and Isobel Redding made sure Shrewsbury stayed ahead and finished 7 – 4 victors.

The defensive efforts of Jed Thurston and Thomas Hughes, who made some determined tackles, gave Shrewsbury a solid base for their wins.

Under-11s continue winning streak

Shrewsbury under-11s continued their winning streak, showing excellent rucking skills and winning most of the set pieces in their game at Stafford. Although few lapses in concentration allowed the opposition to score two tries, Shrewsbury were eventually run- away winners at 56-14. Ben Lewin scored a hat-trick while Tom Perkins, Aaron Eccleston, Alex Hampson and Duncan Williams all registered. Jake Sheffield achieved Man of the Match for his outstanding performance at scrum-half.

On the previous Sunday, Shrewsbury played an excellent game against Newport, showing much-improved teamwork and strong defence. They played out two games, winning the first 12–7 to Shrewsbury with tries from Alex Hampson and Aaron Eccleston and a conversion by Lewis Parkes. The second contest was dominated by Shrewsbury, who won 21-0. Captain Ben Lewin thoroughly deserved his man-of-the-match award.

Shrewsbury Under 12s Win Away

Shrewsbury Under 12s beat Stafford 21-7, outscoring the hosts by three tries to one. The opening quarter ended scoreless. Shrewsbury dominated possession and territory but Stafford were resilient in defence.

Number 8 Scott Walker gave Shrewsbury the lead in the second quarter. Walker picked up and powered over from 5 metres to score the opening try. Second row Jack Reynolds provided the assist, with a rampaging run toward the try line. Centre Ieaun Morris converted the try to give Shrewsbury a 7-0 lead.

Outside Half Oscar Stone skilfully weaved past three defenders to score Shrewsbury's second try. Stone converted his try to extend Shrewsbury's lead to 14-0.

Winger Robbie Butler continued his fine form to score Shrewsbury's third try. Butler surged over the try line from 10 metres to touch down. He showed great awareness to support Morris's sidestepping run which had bamboozled the Stafford defence. Morris converted to give Shrewsbury a 21-0 lead at the end of the second quarter.

Stafford staged a comeback in the third quarter, scoring a converted try to reduce the deficit to 21-7. Shrewsbury retained their 14 point lead thanks to a fine try saving tackle by Centre Mark Jones.

Shrewsbury Prop Harvey Jones and Second Row George Holiday were prominent in the final quarter, both making several forceful breaks to give the visitors territorial advantage. Stafford regrouped to repel the attacks. Despite failing to add to their score, Shrewsbury finished strongly and deserved their 21-7 victory.

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Sunday 31st October 2011

Honours even between Shrewsbury and Newport under-sevens

The under-sevens were well-supported once again in their match against Newport, with 15 players turning out. A side captained by Liam Daddo-Longlois narrowly lost out in the first game of the day against a super Newport team. Great attacking play and dedicated defending by all players kept the contest close, with a stand-out performance by Tom Morison in both attack and defence and Samuel Ballantyne tagging very well.

In the second game, Shrewsbury narrowly edged the game with Will Taylor and Liam Daddo-Longlois scoring tries and Edward Voyce also going over on his debut. The free-flowing attacking play was assisted by a great defensive performance by Bertie Cavenagh-Thornhill and Alfie Jones, who tagged superbly. It was a real team performance with all players contributing to a very open and exciting attacking game.

The Shrewsbury under-sevens also had reason to celebrate as they announced two new joint sponsors, Elephantrecruitment.com and the The Talbot Inn, Ruyton XI Towns. The support of both organisations is very much appreciated.

Under-tens victorious

Shrewsbury under-tens played a series of matches against a well-drilled Newport squad, with Shrewsbury winning four of the six matches. Newport proved tough opposition and all matches were hard-fought affairs and many of the tries scored through sheer grit and determination. The final score overall try-count was 20 – 16 in favour of the home side. Try scorers for Shrewsbury were Toby Williamson, Toby Morgan, Ben Wollaston, George Morgan, Ben Brookes, James Sykes-Waller William Chatting, Dominic Cripps, Geriant Harrhy, William King, Lewi Redding and Dylan Stone.

Under-11s celebrate new sponsorship from Brewin Dolphin with a win

Following their close fought victory over Newport, Shrewsbury under-11s are pictured with Brian Boyd, Divisional Director of Brewin Dolphin, Shrewsbury. The teams 2011/12 sponsor. Shrewsbury won the game 12 points to seven, with tries from Alex Hampson and Aaron Ecclestone. Captain and man-of-the-match, Ben Lewin, epitomised Shrewsbury’s desire to win with a number of sniping runs, dogged tackling and inspirational leadership. “It was an exciting and close run match and we are proud to support this enthusiastic and talented young team,” said Brian Boyd.

Shrewsbury under-eights, welcomed a well-drilled and enthusiastic team from Newport to Sundorne Castle. Four games involving two Shrewsbury sides against the Newport squad produced some excellent attacking and defensive play.

Game one saw Shrewsbury "B" come up short against a fierce Newport defence, resulting in the home side conceding six tries but replying with tries scored by Monty Baly and Alfie Linington.

Game two resulted in a Shrewsbury "A" victory by nine tries to six. For the first time in the season, Will Lewin saw more of the ball and made his mark by scoring four times. The Newport defensive tactics could not cope with the darting runs and slick passing by the Shrewsbury team. Other scorers included Joe Mapp, Sam Morris (2) and Sam Brooks.

Game three saw Shrewsbury "B" get to grips more with Newport’s defence and with better passing and running into gaps, they scored three tries – two from Alex Raymond Davies and one from Dylan Tyack. Unfortunately, Newport showed too much attacking flare and scored six tries in reply.

The final game saw Shrewsbury "A" again outscore Newport, this time by seven tries to four. Scorers for Shrewsbury were Sam Brooks (2), Guy Heywood, Will Lewin, Sam Morris, Jed Thurston and Joe Mapp. The highlight though was Joe Mapp’s exceptional display of tag tackling, in which he epitomised the determined approach of the whole squad by making six consecutive tag tackles in a row to force a turnover ball.

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Sunday 9th October 2011

Shrewsbury under-sevens lose out to Telford

Shrewsbury’s under-sevens meanwhile came off second-best against a well-organised Telford team. While they went down 11 – 18 in the end, the 15-strong squad all contributed to a fine team performance. There was some bright attacking play and dogged defending by the home side with the stand-out performances coming from Will Taylor and Liam Daddo-Langlois.

Shrewsbury Under 8s Battle to Victory Against Telford

Telford ventured to Shrewsbury with an experienced A team, and team of largely new players, with Shrewsbury matching this set up and fielding 23 players.

Game 1 set the strongest sides head to head and it proved a highly competitive encounter. Breathless end to end rugby with tit for tat scoring finally ended in a narrow 4 – 3 victory when Shrewsbury forced an important turnover. Scores came from Sam Morris, Sam Brooks, Will Lewin and Jed Thurston.

Game 2 was another close contest ending in a 4 all draw. New Shrewsbury player, Thomas Hughes, his confidence boosted by a debut try last week, scored 2 touchdowns, with other tries coming from the side step of Freddie Angell-James and speed of Henry Camber.

Game 3 saw Shrewsbury out-pace Telford in attack, and their aggressive defence forced a crucial turnover from Telford to prevent them scoring. They earned a narrow 5-4 victory with the “I can’t believe he scored that!” prize going to Josh Topper who magically sidestepped his way unscathed through 10 attempted tackles and the narrowest of gaps to score an impressive solo try. Sam Morris of Shrewsbury always seemed to be in the right place at the right time with his excellent support play and blistering pace giving him the edge on defenders twice to become today’s top scorer. Sam Brooks and Ben Stone also scored with runs down the right wing.

Game 4 saw an impressive start by Shrewsbury when Isobel Redding broke down the left wing to outpace defenders in a 35 yard dash to score. Shrewsbury continued to defend brilliantly, keeping Telford out with pressure and commitment. They probed Telford with a bullocking run from Jack Smith, before Alex Raymond-Martin burst down the left wing to score. Telford then came back strongly with great support play and running angles earning them 2 tries to level the game. The winning effort came from Freddie Angell-James of Shrewsbury who veered through the Telford defence and sped to victory down the touchline.

Overall Shrewsbury won 3 and drew 1 with the score line of 16 tries to 13 showing how hard fought the contest had been.

Under-11s keep a clean sheet

Shrewsbury’s under-11s hosted Telford in their second match of the season. From the start Shrewsbury dominated in all areas producing opportunities for Ben Lewin and Lewis Doran to cross the line in the first half. In the second period, the forwards worked hard to gain possession in the set pieces and loose play, and the backs took two great opportunities with fly half Lewis Parkes the and scrum-half and captain Lewin, both scoring. Through a fantastic team effort and a solid defence Shrewsbury are yet to concede any points this season.

Shrewsbury Under 12s beat Telford

Shrewsbury Under 12s beat Telford 40-12, outscoring their opponents by six tries to two. The Shrewsbury team displayed a determined and cohesive team performance, with Centre Oscar Stone scoring a hat trick of tries.

Stone split the Telford defence running on to Scrum Half Archie Rees's flat pass to score the first try, following a rampaging run by Hooker Fred Wild. Prop Scott Walker charged over for the second try from a quick tap penalty by Rees. Winger Josh Viljoen sprinted 40 metres to extend the lead with the third try, receiving a well timed pass from Centre Mark Jones. Telford scored just before the interval to reduce the deficit to 19-5 at half time.

The Shrewsbury forwards laid a solid platform for Stone to display his elusive running skills and score two further tries in the second half. Winger Henry Crow showed tremendous pace to score the home side's sixth try. Shrewsbury's impressive defensive performance had thwarted their powerful opponents several times before Telford claimed a consolation try with the final move of the match.

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Sunday 2nd October 2011

Under 8's

Our youngsters got the new season off to a flying start away at Oswestry, fielding 22 players in a well-supported fixture. Several new players performed well with Thomas Hughes scoring a try on his debut with a confident run down the left wing. Of the two sides, Shrewsbury were the more aggressive in defence and their pressure caused several turnovers and attacking opportunities. Top scorers for Shrewsbury were Ryan Jacobs with 4, Sam Morris and Guy Heywood with 3 apiece, and Joseph Mapp, Josh Topper, Ethan Beaver, Isobel Redding, Monty Baly and Sam Brookes with 2 touchdowns each. Monty Dunn, Henry Camber and Will Lewin also scored. Shrewsbury won each of their three matches 10-5, 9-6 and 7-4 respectively.

Under 11s ahead from the start

Shrewsbury rugby club under-11s played their first match of the season away to Oswestry and their early season training certainly paid off with Shrewsbury dominating from the start. Lewis Parkes at fly-half was the key playmaker and he was rewarded for his efforts with two first-half tries, Props Aaron Ecclestone and Lewis Doran both powering over. In the second period, Oswestry scored twice but another brace of tries for Lewis Parkes, one for Michael Jacobs and one for Oliver Brewis secured a 48-12 win for Shrewsbury. A fantastic team performance where everyone played their part bodes well for this new season