Harrison Proud of Braves Selected for Hull Service Area Trials

Beverley Braves under-12s coach Chris Harrison  believes the selection of eight of his side’s players for trials to join the Hull Service Area squad is “a great reflection” on the club.

Callum Officer, James McCae, Dylan Clifford, Zac Mayo, Owen Harrison, Kurt Pelham, Joe Wardil and Harvey Lazenby will find out early next month if they have made their way into their age-group team to represent East Yorkshire’s rugby league clubs.

But regardless of the outcome of the trials process, Harrison, brother of former Hull KR star Des and a former Rovers player in his own right, says the players can feel proud of having earned the nominations of rivals clubs’ coaches.

Harrison, who works for the fire service, told HU17.net: “We are only a small club with about 16 regular players, whereas some of the bigger clubs in our league bring 20-22 players to matches.

“It really is a great achievement for the lads. They have beaten some of the biggest clubs in area, they have really flourished as the season has gone on and their skill levels are fabulous.”

In what Harrison freely admits is a rugby union town, the under-12s struggled early season as players finished seasons in rugby union and football.

But through dedication, an unquenchable team spirit and the ability to think on their feet, the team finished third in their league behind local powerhouses West Hull and Skirlaugh, both teams with far more resources available to them than the Braves.

Harrison continued: “One thing we work on very hard with the lads is their team spirit. We have one or two rugged lads in our squad and their desire has really rubbed off on the other lads.

“We have to travel quite a distance to away matches during the course of the season. One opposition coach, when he came to play us, said it is a fair distance to travel, but we have to do that every other week and it has toughened the lads up.

“We are also very focused on the skill levels of players. You can’t, at this age, say that one player is going to be a stand-off, while another lad is going to be a second rower, as they all grow and develop at different ages.

“With this in mind, we teach all the kids to play the right way and teach them all facets of the game, how to pass both ways, how to step, how to carry the ball into the tackle – everyone gets a good grounding in the core skills.

“We beat a powerful Myton Warriors side later on in the season and their coach praised the quality of our play and that he had never seen a young team pass like that.”

As the only side in the area, the Braves attract players from as far afield as Bridlington and Brough, and are always hopeful of bringing in players from sides that have folded and fringe players from some of the bigger clubs.

But Harrison, who is helped in his coaching duties by Mike Mayo, believes an under-stated approach, coupled with a strong team-building ethic, is a better way to encourage players to join than an aggressive policy of poaching.

“We encourage players to come here, of any standard, but we don’t go too far,” he said.

“We offer taster days for players, and we are keen on taking players on team-building days, like playing rugby on the sands at Bridlington, and the kids love it.

“But at the end of it all, it is all down to the kids and they deserve all the credit in the world. They are listened to, they have a say and they are encouraged to think for themselves.

“We are very proud of what they have achieved, and the comments from opposition coaches make us think we are doing something right as a club.”

To find out more about the Braves, who train at Longcroft School on Tuesdays from 6-7.30pm and Saturday mornings from 10-11am