Wee Reds Minis Festival
Sunday 12 October 2025
On Sunday 12th October our Linlithgow Minis welcomed squads from Currie Chieftains, Dunfermline and Livingston and despite the fact many schools were off for the October holiday, the Reds were out in force.
The club was a hive of activity all round – S2s were also running their annual car wash to fund raise for their February tour so they along with some eager Dads from the P4 and P6 age group manned the car park and nearby roads to ensure a peaceful arrival for all; meanwhile so many of the mums kindly put themselves forward for café duties and others supplied home baking. Along with a couple of the dads welcoming and directing the visitors to the appropriate pitches, all round the morning was a huge success.
You can read Carly’s general report next and then scroll down to read Paul’s P4 report and Gordon’s P6 report – thanks to all who contributed to make a record of this superb day!
Carly’s Comments
Our P4 squad, already strong in numbers has continued to grow this season and were represented with 4 teams. This was their first opportunity to play a fixture at home as Minis and they all showed the hard work they have been putting in at training, with one of the squads being the overall P4 winner. They all seem to have grown up so much with their transition from Micros to Minis, maybe it’s the new grown-up haircuts or maybe it’s the sheer joy many of them get from finally being able to tackle but their pitches were buzzing with excitement, and all the players were smiling.
Our P5s and P6s were on the Lower Pitch and again with strong numbers on both sides they were both able to put forward 2 very strong teams at each age group. These 2 squads have been playing together for a few seasons now and the teamwork is really starting to show. In fact, the P6 players have had a lot of fun recently coming up with names to represent the tenacity of their 2 teams. A format of 2 pools of 4 with a semi- final and play offs ensued. One of the Linlithgow P6 squads was ultimate victor for their age group with the other team close behind. Dunfermline were the ultimate winners for the P5 section, but a P5s Red team were the clear winner in the pool stages. We would like to make a special mention to new players in both P5 and P6 who both took up rugby in the last week or 2 and came along on Sunday and played brilliantly, getting stuck right in to tackling the opposition as if they had always played.
With it being P7s last year as Minis, they were playing on the top pitch to a very supportive home crowd. We have had many challenges getting sufficient numbers at this age group but despite these challenges the boys were excited to play on home turf on Sunday and showcase the hard work they have been putting in at training so far. Although Dunfermline again were the winners in this age group, we are so product of the way the P7 squad are playing . They played 2 particularly strong games where their team-manship was particularly evident and their training drills paid off and led to many tries. Again, special mention to 2 new players who have been training with them this season but hadn’t yet had the chance to play a game. Representing the club at our home festival was a daunting way to start but both were unfazed and were excellent on the pitch.
Well done to all the squads, they all represented the club brilliantly and made their hard-working coaches very proud.
The most important thing was kids playing rugby and having fun doing it and they put on quite a show of rugby but we would also like to thank all the parents who gave up their time on the day to do various duties: our parents are an integral part of the club as are the players and you made everyone feel welcome and contributed towards the overall success. Thank you!
P4s Debut Festival Performance
Report by Paul Millar
Linlithgow P4 welcomed Currie, Livingston, and Dunfermline (our visitors from last week) for a fantastic morning of rugby. The weather stayed calm and dry, creating perfect conditions for a great day of fast, competitive games.
With four Linlithgow sides entered across the two pools, there was plenty of action — and after three qualifying games each, two Linlithgow teams reached their finals, with one going on to claim a well-earned win .
All 29 players gave their all and enjoyed every minute, finishing the morning with big smiles and just enough mud to show how hard they’d worked. The tackling was a real highlight, with several six-tackle turnovers showing how much progress the kids have made in contact and teamwork.
Special mentions go to Charlie, Murray, and Max for some superb last-ditch tackles — chasing down opponents who looked certain to score (must’ve been the thought of post-match hotdogs giving them extra pace!).
A huge thank you to all the club volunteers who helped with the café, pitch setup, and car park — another brilliant morning of mini rugby at Linlithgow!
P6 teams meet up in final
Report by Gordon White
All the focus on Sunday morning was on Mains Park for the Mini’s Autumn Festival. The stage was set for a brilliant day of rugby…..the cones were put out, the home baking was laid out, the bacon rolls were made, the registration desk was in place, the P6 fundraiser was pinned up and the match draw had been made!
Once again, the P6 squad was large enough to have 2 teams and subs! Another great turnout. The 2 teams were:
The Red Bulls
Hamish
Rory
Julen
Angus
Caleb
Kian
Luca
Brodie
Harrison
Finlay
The Linlithgow Lions
Zac
Ferris
Keelan
Archie
Gregor
Olly
Patrick
Anthony
Harry
Calvin
With it being the October holidays across the Central Belt, a number of the invited teams were unfortunately unable to attend this year. Therefore, the tournament was reduced to a 4 team round robin between Currie, Livingston, the Lions and Red Bulls.
Each of the pool games was played to a very high standard, with all the coaches impressed by the skills on show. Nearly every game was decided in the last few seconds by a winning try.
Score Summary:
Red Bulls beat Currie 4 – 3
Linlithgow Lions beat Livingston 6 – 3
Livingston beat Currie 6 – 5
Linlithgow Lions beat Currie 4 -3
Red Bulls beat Livingston 5 -2
When needed during these tight games, the young Reds really stepped up in both attack and defence showing their competitive edge, including;
Luca’s quick pass to allow Finlay to score an important breakaway length of the field try for the Red Bulls against Livingston;
Kian’s crucial 2 tries in the same game right at the end of the 2nd half;
Archie’s important counter ruck to win the ball back against Currie for the Lions;
and Harry’s and Ferris’ dominant tackles to keep Currie from scoring at the death.
A special shout out also goes to Keelan for an incredible defensive effort on his first match for the P6s, making assertive tackle after tackle.
Then came the final…. The Linlithgow Lions vs The Red Bulls. Playing against their ‘mates’ seemed to inspire both teams even more. It was superb game of rugby for all the families and friends watching on to enjoy!
Final Score:
Lions beat Bulls 3 – 2
A set of tired Lions and Bulls headed home with a belly full of delicious home baking and a shiny medal!