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MATT KEYTE TOURS AUSTRALIA WITH ENGLAND U18s
Matt was one of four England U16 players in a 32 player squad selected for the England U18 Summer tour of Australia which won three out of four games.
Matt previously started at No 9 for England U16s in their opening Four Nations match against Wales U16s at Dudley Kingswinford on 5th April and scored the second try in a record 32-10 victory. As England rotated their squad he then started on the bench against France on Easter Sunday 8th April at Dudley RFC but came on to help England secure a narrow 13-10 victory. In England's final game of the inaugural four nation tournament Matt again started at No 9 against Italy at Castlecroft on Wednesday 11th April as England secured a third victory, this time by 23-5, to win the tournament as the only international side with a 100% record.
Matt had secured the England No 9 shirt following England warm-up games against Millfield School and the Worcester and Bath Academy sides.
DORKING U16s IN COUNTY VICTORY
Nick Haigh and Richard Smart both started for Surrey U16s and Jamie Phelan came off the bench to play most of the second half in Surrey's 40 odd point victory over French regional side Les Yvelines at Richmond RFC on the afternoon of Sunday 15th April, thus maintaining the County side's 100% record this season, having won all 8 fixtures played. Of the other Dorking players in the Surrey Squad Will Randall was unfortunately unwell and Matt Gunasekera, Will Crow and James Gaymer were all unavailable for selection for the match.
DORKING U16s WIN THROUGH TO SCOTTISH EXILES U16 SQUAD
James Gaymer represented the Scottish Exiles playing a year up last season and along with new triallists from Dorking, Dan Hudson and Alex Holmes, won through to the U16 squad again.
The Scottish Exiles U16 season culminated with two matches at the end of April, firstly against Borders at Murrayfield on Friday 20th April and secondly against Edinburgh on Sunday 22nd April which unfortunately clashed with our league fixture against Guildford.
Many congratulations to all three players from everyone at Dorking RFC.
For more details on the Scottish Exiles check out their website :-
James, Dan and Alex
ALEX GOODHEW SELECTED FOR LUXEMBOURG U18s IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FRANCE
As well as England recognition we are also proud to have a Luxembourg U18 European Championship player in the squad.
Alex, who attends the Royal Albert and Alexander School in Reigate, joined Dorking this season on his return to the UK and slotted straight away into the second-row when we lost Jonny with a broken collar-bone.
Marty Davis, National Coach & Development Officer for the Federation Luxembourgeoise de Rugby said "Alex commenced rugby with the Maidstone Under 10's before his family moved to Luxembourg in October 2001. He was genuinely concerned about his rugby career in Luxembourg, but was pleasantly surprised to find that a New Zealand coach had recently been appointed to develop rugby in the region and as the game grew in Luxembourg so did Alex's enthusiasm."
"Playing in the back-row for the National Under 15s Alex quickly established himself as a first choice player for the National side and last season would have been a starter for the National Under 18 side, but for the age grade regulation which excluded him from selection. This season for the European Championship Alex will represent Luxembourg in Division D, playing against Moldova and Bulgaria and also training with the elite U18 players of England and France in preparation for the tournament. Due to the growth of the game in Luxembourg, Alex and his team-mates expect to cause a couple of surprises during the Championships, which will be held in Dax during the Easter school break."
Congratulations to Alex and best wishes from everyone at Dorking RFC for the U18 European Championships.
MATT KEYTE AND NICK HAIGH SELECTED FOR LONDON AND SOUTH EAST DIVISION
MATT SELECTED FOR ENGLAND NATIONAL U16 SQUAD
Many congratulations to Matt on his selection for the England U16 Development Squad, a fantastic achievement given all the injuries he has suffered over the last two seasons. Also, many congratulations to Nick Haigh for his selection for London and South East Division.
The picture below shows Matt and Nick at Castlecroft over the weekend of 27th/28th January, accompanied by Tony Diprose, Assistant Manager of the Harlequins Academy and Manager for the Elite Player Development Centre (EPDC) at Harlequins.
DORKING TALISMAN IS WELSH EXILES MAN OF THE MATCH
Dorking's very own George Evans was man of the match for the Welsh Exiles in their narrow 12-5 defeat to Pembrokeshire U16s in appalling conditions at St Davids RFC on Sunday 7th January 2007. And yes, Jim did drive there and back on the same day.
For more details on the Welsh Exiles check out their own section on the Welsh Rugby Union website http://www.wru.co.uk/5939_9427.php
SURREY U16 - SEASON 2006-2007
The 7 Dorking players pictured below were all selected for Surrey U16 representative honours. From L to R: Will Randall, Matt Gunasekera, Matt Keyte, Will Crow, Nick Haigh, Jamie Phelan and James Gaymer. Congratulations to them all from everyone at Dorking RFC.
Four - Matt Keyte, Matt Gunasekera, Nick Haigh and Will Randall - also represented Surrey at U15 level, with Will Crow also being drafted into the squad for one of the County games. James and Jamie both broke through into the squad for the first time this season.
Matt Keyte unfortunately sustained a broken nose before the first County U16 Representative matches of the season against Middlesex, but the other six all played in one of the two games played at the superb Bank of England Sports Ground on Sunday 29th October 2006, Surrey winning both games 19-7 and 44-7. All six then also again played in one of the two games in which Surrey defeated Kent by 19-0 and 14-10 at Blackheath RFC on the evening of Wednesday 8th November 2006 and again in the two games against Sussex at Cranleigh RFC on Sunday 26th November 2006 which Surrey won by 24-15 and 17-0, all playing a pivotal part in the County's 100% record for the age group for the season.
The Dorking contingent have already contributed 34 County points between them so far this County season with James with two and and Jamie with one both scoring tries on their County debuts in the 44-7 victory over Middlesex. Will Randall scored a dramatic late match-winning try in the tense 14-10 victory against Kent, a game in which Jamie also slotted over two conversions. James then followed it up with two more tries of his own in the 17-0 victory against Sussex, giving him four in total so far this season.
Six of the players graduated through the thriving Minis section at Dorking RFC with some having been at the club since they were as young as six years old. Two of the group, Nick and James, attend The Ashcombe School in Dorking and their achievements are all the more remarkable as Ashcombe is a non-rugby playing school.
Dorking Team Manager Phil Randall, also involved in the County set-up, said "Over 150 players, nominated by affiliated schools and clubs throughout Surrey, were invited to attend two full-scale trials where they were put through a rigorous assessment program by the County coaches".
"The standard of youth rugby at this age group in Surrey is exceptional and for Dorking to have seven players successfully through the trials and into the County squad, having twice been through assessments by highly qualified and independent regional coaches, is a marvellous achievement for each of the players, for the age group and for Dorking Rugby Club as a whole. These seven are the flag bearers for the age group this season but there are other players in the group who the club coaches believe to be of a similar standard, some of whom were selected by the County last season and others who will hopefully get a chance in the future".
"This achievement is testament to the club's ongoing commitment to the development of it's junior players. More than twenty five players who played Minis and/or Youth rugby at the club have so far represented Dorking's highly successful senior 1st XV this season. The club's philosophy of developing within continues to reap benefits and with players of this quality continuing to come through the junior ranks at this and every other age group the future of the club remains very bright indeed".
