Cougars on the prowl

Kent’s premier Touch club, the Canterbury Cougars debuted their first U18 age group team at the Galaxy Touch tournament last weekend. The Canterbury Cougar U18 Men’s team was entered into the Men’s Open grade for the tournament which was made up of a mixture of social and elite teams.

The only player in the team over the age of 18 was 54 year old Miles Howard. As the father of three players in the team, Miles stepped into the fold to boost the numbers and provide a much needed substitute. Miles was three times as old as his teammates, but demonstrated on numerous occasions that he was also three times as experienced.

On debut the Cougars team didn't know what to expect so approached their first match with caution, the end result being a draw. The draw gave the team confidence and they set their sights on their next opponent, The West Wildcats. The Wildcats were serious title contenders but the Cougars hadn't come to merely make up the numbers and fought hard to take the win against the experienced side.

The team had now exceeded their expectations and carried on their winning streak beating 'Grasshoppers' the local team, securing their place in the finals of the tournament. The Galaxy team took the final to win their own tournament by a single point, narrowly stopping the Cougars from stealing the limelight.

The Canterbury Cougars put on a fantastic showing and demonstrated that young, 100% British teams can mix it with the best clubs from the Southern Hemisphere. Several of the Canterbury Cougars will now be vying for positions in the South East regional team, to play at the upcoming 'Mini Nationals' and selection day in September.