CSCE then travelled to Sussex on the Sunday for the Uckfield festival of mini-rugby. After losing a closely fought opening match 14-21 against current Sussex champions Lewes, CSCE began to find their form with a fine 35-0 win against hosts Uckfield, this result turning out to be the start of a veritable ‘try fest’, with CSCE clocking up a 42-0 win against East Grinstead followed by a 49-0 win against Crowley, to come second in their qualifying pool behind eventual tournament winners Lewes. CSCE’s passing down the three-quarter line was excellent throughout the tournament, supported by hard rucking and scrummaging, and as ever, rock solid kicking made sure that every try CSCE scored was successfully converted.

Thus the narrowest of margins (a single try in the first game), denied CSCE the chance to compete in the Uckfield final, an excellent result achieved despite key players being missing due to injury, and once again illustrating the CSCE under-12’s team’s strength in depth, talented pool of players and high level of coaching and team organisation.

CSCE’s under-12’s general success when touring the UK this season has also led to English junior rugby authorities acknowledging the team’s standard of play to that point that CSCE has been admitted  to play in the East Kent under-13’s league for the season 2009/2010. League matches will commence in October and continue through until April, with the bar raised for CSCE in terms of standards, both with the numbers of high quality clubs they will compete against and the fact that UK under-13’s play rules close to those of full senior rugby. This is all a far cry from the simple six-a-side under-9’s games in France that first brought this CSCE side together, but the very fact that many of the boys have played together for so long, combined with their excellent track record at all the levels they have competed so far, give the club every hope for the under-12’s success in the coming season.

The current 2008/2009 season is still far from over for CSCE’s under-12’s however, with a packed itinerary planned between now and the season’s close in late June. The team’s next foreign trip will be to Dublin during the weekend of May 16^th and 17^th, and along with regular fixtures in Luxembourg and France during the coming weeks, CSCE will also host another ‘tri-nations’ tournament (this time for mixed under-11’s and 12’s sides), at the stadium Boy Konen in Cessange on May 9^th, when London’s Battersea Ironsides will visit the Grand Duchy to play against CSCE as well as local rivals RCL and Walferdange and several teams from Lorraine.