Young Tigers find their feet

THE Cheltenham Tigers Under-Eights will be hoping to live up to their club's illustrious past at a Bristol rugby festival this weekend.

The young players have grown from a core of players who started playing together mainly for fun in the Under-Sixes and they remain at the heart of this lively team.

The squad, 18 players drawn from across Cheltenham and Bishop's Cleeve, enjoy coaching from RFU qualified coaches who use a game-based approach rather than formalised drilling.

The end result is the same but with much laughter.

To date the squad have played 12 games against teams from Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Wiltshire wining nine, drawing two and losing just one narrowly.

The team are looking forward to playing in the County Cup festival in Bristol on Sunday.

Formed in 1973, Cheltenham Rugby Club mini and junior section boast more than 300 players across 12 age groups from Under-Sixes to Under-17s.

The club has been a good breeding ground for players such as Pete Buxton (Gloucester), Clive Stuart-Smith (Llanelli) and Rob Fidler (Bath) and even international acclaimed referees, such as Chris White, who still play an active role,

Pete Buxton is now assisting with coaching at the club at both senior and mini level.

The club's legacy continues to grow as a number of the boys in the junior section are now playing representative rugby at both club, regional and school boy international level and last year saw an unprecedented four age groups finishing as County Cup champions and a further two sides reaching the finals of their respective age group competitions.

In 2012 the club was one of the first in the country to be awarded a Whole Club Seal of Approval and Club Mark Accreditation from the RFU. This award is a huge achievement for a club largely run by volunteers.

Player profiles

George Iles: A commanding presence on the field, a cool and controlled player with accomplished attacking and defensive skills.

Tom Anson: Tom is a high calibre player with a huge work rate in attack and defence. A leading try scorer and always plays with commitment.

Ashton Brammer: A quick footed and speedy player, Ashton is developing into a top-drawer attacker with an eye for the try-line. With growing defensive awareness he is developing into a fine rugby player.

Josh Gordon: A sparkling and dynamic rugby player and our highest try scorer. Josh is an excellent player with all round dexterity and tactical awareness.

Angus Wragg: A power house in defence, Angus is a robust and tactically astute player. He is a stylish attacker with a good pass, sound communication skills and a natural affinity for the game.

Levi Barben: Levi is developing a powerful playing style hallmarked by a direct and uncompromising running line. Always gets stuck in and is not afraid to make his presence felt on the pitch.

Danny Whitney: Danny is a snappy, sharp player who relishes the competition of games and is willing to get stuck in defence. He is a savvy all-rounder.

Archie Alder: A clever and skilful player, Archie has totted up a pleasing number of tries this season with a particular prowess in counter-attacking and evasive running. One to watch for the future.

Ellis Clark: Our tame New Zealander, Ellis' game is hallmarked by the Kiwi coolness and professional approach to the game. A fine eye for a gap and explosive pace Ellis is a key member of the team.

Toby Heusen: A fierce competitor who brings a dynamic element to the squad, Toby has scored some great tries this season and has proven to be a valued team player.

Evi: New to the squad Evi is our only girl and has settled well into the team. A good runner and dynamic tagger we expect great things of her as her skill level grows.

Harry Brammer: A stalwart in the team, Harry is one of our longest serving players who brings great commitment and energy and thoroughly enjoys his rugby. As his skills increase we expect him to become a leading player next season.

Will Ward: Developing into a fine rugby player with a good command of the key skills. Appeared on the score sheet a few times this season with some great solo efforts.

Lewis Wilkinson: Another of our original players Lewis has been in the squad since the UnderSixes. Always cheerful, keen to succeed and has a positive attitude to the game.

Mickey Stranack: A fireball of a player, Mickey is a speedster with a great running line and sharp wits who always puts the team first. He is developing into a fine rugby player.

James: A first rate player, James has a powerful presence on the field. He shows great commitment and energy and thoroughly enjoys his rugby.

Silanty Suyatin: Completing our team of three 'Internationals' Silanty's Russian origins come to the fore with his love of cold morning training sessions and an uncompromising style of play. He will come into his own when we start to play contact next year.

Michael Silerno : Mike, our Australian connection, has played well this year with growing attacking and defensive skills and a positive outgoing approach to the game. He has developed deft handling skills and a snappy running style.

Ben Quayle: Our newest recruit, having only joined us a week ago, but has already made a big impact by scoring some excellent tries in training.