As the season comes to an end, the Hampton U15 B team has won 13 of their 14 games so far, with only one game left to play against the Harrodian A team. This leaves the team with a 93% win ratio and only one loss. This proves to be quite a surprise as the previous season saw the team fighting to maintain a 50% win ratio. 

The season kicked off with an optimistic result against John Fisher (20-5). This result instantly showed that the team might have approved, as last season John Fisher won by 43 points. However, during the game, former captain and influential ball carrier, Dhru Dattani picked up a severe injury to his knee, which ultimately ended his season. Dhru Dattani said, "it was an upsetting moment for me, as it meant that I could no longer contribute to the team." After the win, the Hampton side travelled to play London rivals, Whitgift. This game turned out to be Hampton's only loss of the season, with a very close score of 14-7. With the second game of the season done, the side travelled all the way to Birmingham to play against Bromsgrove, another strong rugby school. Whilst being a thriller to watch, the game was extremely competitive and had a tight scoreline of 17-12, giving Hampton a 2-1 record. To close off the first half term of school, the B's secured two more wins against RGS High-Wycombe and Canford School, with both games being away.

The Hampton team restarted their season on a high note, against Seaford, at Staines Rugby Club grounds, as they won 44-5. The week after, the team played Wellington school's C-team. Before the game, Hampton were rather unconfident about the game they were about to play, wether it be: Wellington being a well-known rugby school; their giant players; or the fact the C's were good enough to play the Hampton B team. Nonetheless, Hampton came out of the fixture with 45 points, whilst keeping Wellington off of the scoresheet. This provided the team with a big confidence boost and made them think they could take on the Wellington's B's next time. The next game was against a relatively easy opponent, Bishop Wordsworth's School. This game was pretty peculiar as Bishop Wordsworth's only had 13 men. Nevertheless, Hampton came out of the game with a strong victory, adding to the win streak the team was starting to develop. As well as that, the team had conceded no more than one try in a game during their last five matches. This displayed the defensive intensity of the side. One of the closest games of the season was against Sherborne, but Hampton still came out with a pleasing result of 39-10. The team then went on to play Brighton School, with the highest scoring game of the season (68-7). This was yet another surprising score as Brighton came out on top last year. The final game of the term was against Dulwich College, Hampton's rival. After a well played game, Hampton easily picked up the win with the score being 40-5. The conclusion of the calendar year saw the B's with a 10-1 record.

Due to cancelled matches and a short half term, the team only played three more games. However, these games were all very big games. The first one being against Warwick School, that almost saw Hampton break their win streak and receive their second loss. In the first ten minutes Hampton scored, but then five minutes later, captain Alex McMillan, gained a shoulder injury. After that there were no more tries scored and the game ended 7-0. Next up was St Benedict's. This game wasn't as close but still was exciting to watch, ending 38-5. The last game that the team played could arguably be the biggest of the season. This is because it was against Whitgift, giving the squad an opportunity to correct their only loss of the season and show that they could be the best B-team in the country. After an outstanding match, Hampton came out on top with the score being 27-7 in favour of Hampton. 

The outstanding set of results this season has put the U15 B's on the top of the all-comers league on the Schools Rugby website. This massive improvement from last year can't be pinpointed on one thing. However, two of the main reasons are the new rugby coach and more players joining the rugby team. The great performances by the B's also compliment the A's, as A team coach Mr. Kothakota said, "a lot of the A team's success has come from you."

Joe Watton Hampton School