Sandal Under 8s produced another very impressive display at a hot and sunny Selby festival. On large and fully marked-out pitches (how nice to have lines rather than cones!), there was plenty of opportunity to put into play the training principles of spatial awareness that the squad has been concentrating on recently.

It worked well, particularly in defence where Sandal's various opponents consistently found the field in front of them guarded and frequently struggled to break through. By contrast, Sandal's own players were notably keen to shift the ball into space in anticipation of the tag, producing numerous try-scoring chances. Overall, the matches were closer than at Rochdale, were played in good spirit and provided the players with quality competition.

As always, festivals are a great opportunity to renew acquaintance with some clubs and to play against others we wouldn't otherwise have a chance to - in this case, Ripon were new to us - as well as to enjoy a great rugby day out.

Credit to Selby for running an excellent festival, to our own parents and volunteers, and to the players for giving their all in hard, hot conditions. On to the season-ender at Chesterfield!