GROUP matches and quarter-finals for the prestigious Gloucestershire County Cup were held at Cirencester last Sunday when Stow Under-9s performed admirably coming second in their group and only losing out to a strong Cirencester A team.

Group action started with a sharp awakening as Minchinhampton ran in a try before Stow got warmed up.

Stow were scrappy and lost possession in mauls but continuing pressure resulted in a try before half-time for Kieran Payne. The second half brought Payne another try followed by an excellent interception by Jamie Taylor that resulted in his first try for the club and sealed a 15-5 success.

The second match was against Cheltenham B when, although Stow pressured the opposition throughout, mistakes in basic ball handling and failure to win possession from mauls allowed Cheltenham to cross for a try in each half and post a 10-0 victory.

Stow finally got organised in the third game and confidence returned against Cirencester with better formal play and the forwards linking with the backs.

James Brown scored four times and Ben Collett twice adding to further scores for from Payne and Taylor.

Stow held good possession with strong play from the forwards including an interception and run from Henry Oughton that deserved to go all the way and the 40-0 margin of victory set the youngsters back on their feet for the final group match against Chosen Hill.

By now the lads were getting tired but Collett, Oughton and Taylor all ran in a try in the first half before the gallant Chosen Hill players pressured Stow into losing the ball on several occasions in the second half.

A deserved consolation try failed to materialise in a 15-0 win to the Oddington Roaders.

Having finished second in their group, Stow took a welcome rest prior to their quarter-final match against Cirencester who kicked off and immediately ran in an excellent try.

When holding possession, Stow lost the ball on a number of runs and the well-drilled home team took advantage to run in three more tries before half-time.

Stow were revitalised by some of their fringe players and the fresh legs rejuvenated the team with Jake Robotham, in particular, running his heart out in a 25-0 last eight defeat.