Birkenhead Park 26 (Try: Jones. Pens: Davis 6. DG: Davis.).
Morley 29 (Tries: S Bradshaw, Treco, Chippendale, Van Leeuwen. Cons: Stephens 3. DG: Stephens.).
Morley snatched a late win at Birkenhead Park with hooker Leon Treco touching down in the 80th minute to give Morley the lead by a point and Colin Stephens converted.
Morley led 15-14 at the break with tries form wing Simon Bradshaw and flanker Adam Van Leeuwen and Stephens added a conversion and a drop goal. For the home side Alex Davis put over two penalties and a drop goal and prop Gareth Jones went in for a try.
Morley went 22-14 ahead early in the second half when Simon Chippendale went over for a try and Stephens converted.
Park then staged a comeback with Davis putting over four unanswered penalty goals in the 63rd, 68th, 70th and 77th minutes to snatch the lead 26-22 before Treco’s late try saw Morley home.
Chester 17 (Tries: Noon 2, Watson. Con: Bebbington.).
Longton 22 (Tries: Wilson 3, A Green. Con: P Green.).
Longton secured their place in Powergen North 1 for next season with an excellent 22-17pts. win at Chester.
The prospects of a victory did not look promising when Longton travelled without forwards Nick Hunt, Kieran Healey, Tim Wood, Ian Wright, Dave Bennion, Matt Green and Marshall Gadd, and with Gary Turner tearing a calf muscle in the warm up, but their replacements gave a performance full of spirit and committment. The back row of Luke Grainger, Mike Lawlor and Simon Rushton hunted as a unit and tackled like demons. Experienced prop forward, Jez Moss, typified the battling spirit by playing on despite an early leg injury which left him limping for the rest of the match.
Longton began the game at a fast pace with the backs well led by Gary McDermott showing much more purpose than in recent matches. Centres, Simon Price and Paul Green ran hard and scrum half, James Gabriel, was continually probing around the fringes. Wingers Jim Buckley and Andy Green looked strong in possession and skipper Tony Wheat kept his side on the front foot with some probing kicks.
The visitors took the lead in the 13th. minute when a beautifully angled cross kick into the corner from Tony Wheat saw Andy Green out jump his opponent to plunge over in the corner for the opening try, which was not converted. Longton were soon back on the attack again and in the 20th. minute the forwards produced an unstoppable driving maul which saw hooker, Craig Wilson, who had been in bed ill all week, plunge over for the try, again unconverted. Then, in the 25th. minute strong running by Simon Price and Jim Buckley led to a quick ball down the back line finding Craig Wilson in the outside centre berth. He sped over for his second try to put Longton 15-0pts. in the lead.
With a forward in the sin bin for 10 minutes Longton conceded a pushover try in the 30th. minute to go in at half time 15-5pts in front.
Chester were first to score in the second half, again with a forwards' try which was converted with an excellent kick. However, the visitors responded with another well worked try from their forwards when Craig Wilson plunged over for his third try of the day, the first hat trick by a hooker in the Club's history. Paul Green converted with a well struck kick from wide out to give Longton a 22-12pts lead.
Chester were not finished and they forced their way over for a further forwards' try and at 22-17pts a tense finish was in prospect. Longton, however, were not going to let the game slip at this stage and the last 10 minutes of the match were spent in the Chester "22" with the home team conceding several penalties in their attempts to keep the rampant visitors out. Longton kicked into the corners to keep the pressure on and the game ended with another penalty which Paul Green hammered into touch to end a thrilling and tense encounter for Longton to secure the victory and with it their place in North 1 for next season.
Altrincham Kersal 22 (Tries: Hulse, Morris, Murphy. Cons: Wainwright 2. Pen: Wainwright.).
West Park St Helens 28 (Tries: Hitchmough, Briers, Hanson. Cons: Soutar 2. Pens: Soutar 3.).
West Park snatched the win late on when second row Hanson went over for a try and Andrew Soutar converted after trailing 22-21 with a couple of minutes left.
It was West Park who went in front when Soutar put over an early penalty goal and they went 8-0 ahead when full back Rob Hitchmough went over for a try in the 7th minute.
Rick Wainwright pulled three points back for the home side on 25 minutes and they were level seven minutes later when centre Matt Hulse went over.
Centre Stephen Briers went over for a try for the visitors and Soutar converted to make it 15-8 but just before half time the home side were level again when Wayne Morris, playing flanker, went over and Wainwright converted but West Park led at the break after Soutar put over penalty goal to make it 18-15.
Three minutes into the second half and he added another penalty goal to make it 2115.
It was not till the 70th minute that we had the next score as the home side went in front with a try from centre Phil Murphy and Wainwright converted for 22-21.
Middlesbrough 22 (Tries: L Richardson, Fingland, Palesci. Cons: Baggett, More. Pen: Moore.).
Caldy 31 (Tries: Coast, Teapu, Bagley, Tupou, Bansor. Cons: Coast 3.).
Caldy 1st XV secured their future in the Powergen North 1 League on Saturday by producing one of their best performances of the season. It had taken the Wirral side some little time to hit the level required in this league however, since February this team began to dig deep and show a level of performance and consistency that did not produce wins in every game but has taken them from 11th place with 6 points to 9th place with 17 points. The outcome on Saturday needed Caldy to produce a win if they were to retain fate in their own hands. As the events panned out it was as well they did wins because Longton managed to spring a surprise win at Chester and this meant that the loser between Middlesbrough and Caldy was relegated. The 22 – 31 victory has meant that Caldy are safe despite that fact that Longton have a re-arranged fixture against Westoe next Saturday. This was an excellent performance from Caldy particularly as preparations for this game were less than perfect. Numerous injuries and illnesses had disrupted training and meant that a late selection of the team was required. Paul Campbell and Ben McLaughlin did not play due to injury, Paul Feely was unavailable due to work and Andy Wise and Gareth Bansor both overcame flue virus. The conditions were less than ideal with a strong wind blowing down a slope and a large hostile crowd got behind the home team from the off. By the finish there could be no doubt as to the best team winning with a solid first half showing eclipsed by an outstanding second 40 that had strength, fitness and skill stamped all over it.
The afternoon had started well for Caldy with the U16’s travelling to play the Middlesbrough U16 side. The honours went 17 – 19 to Caldy and a promising omen. The main event saw Caldy playing down hill with the wind and they used this to good effect with the lineout catch and drive to produce 12 points in as many minutes with tries from Holt & Dickinson and a conversion from Coast. Middlesbrough squeezed a penalty in reply. The home side settled to the task and produced a try from Richardson before the interval to leave a tantalising 8 – 12 scoreline at half time.
The all important first score came via Patrick Teaupa for Caldy with a priceless conversion from Coast. Marcus Coast then produced the try of the game, a solo effort from half way that showed strength, skill and determination to bulldoze to the line and score. Walking back with the ball himself, Coast then added the conversion for 8 – 26. Despite a score with 5 minutes to go from Fingland that was converted by Moore the damage had been done and from 15 – 26 Caldy did not shut up shop they bounced back immediately and who better to score the final try of the day but Jon Bagley. After 5 years as Captain, Jon was to stand down at the end of this season no matter what the outcome however, it could not have been more fitting for the final try of Caldy season to come from an absolute Stalwart of the team and the club. The last action of the day went to the home side with a try from Palesci but the all important 2 points were in the bag and a well deserved 22 – 31 result secured
Westoe 46 (Tries: .).
Whitchurch 0 ().
Westoe were comfortable winners over bottom of the table Whitchurch.
Hull 64 (Tries: Barkworth 3, D Smith, Higginson 2, McKenzie, Tangohau, May. Cons: Tangohau 5, Higginson 2.).
Huddersfield 40 (Tries: Summers 2, Paxman, Saltmarsh, Pratt, Sowerby. Cons: Grayshon 5.).
Both sides turned on a feast of rugby with a festival feel as they ended their campaigns. At the break Hull led 45-7, the highest half-time lead in the club’s history, but then they were forced to hang on as Huddersfield’s forward power trimmed the deficit.
Huddersfield opened the scoring with a third minute try from Mark Saltmarsh converted by Jamie Grayshon, but Hull hit back with a try from Julian Barkworth, the first of a first-half hat-trick by the club captain. Waylon Tangohau converted his fifth-minute effort.
Shaun Higginson, playing his final game before jetting back home to New Zealand after two years with Hull, touched down on 11 minutes with Tangohau converting.
Chad May, Danny Smith, Tangohau and two more tries from Barkworth, coupled with three Tangohau conversions, saw Hull hit the break with that massive 45-7 lead.
On the restart Huddersfield’s pack got them back into the game. In a brilliant spell between the 48th and 62nd minutes they scored tries from No 8 Mark Sowerby, Flanker Hamish Pratt, and centres Lee Paxman and Neil Summers, coupled with three conversions from Jamie Grayshon, to get the score to 45-33.
Hull’s Leroy McKenzie and Neil Summers exchanged tries as did Higginson and Grayshon with the conversions before two late tries from Danny Smith and Higginson, together with a conversion from Higginson, ended a thoroughly entertaining romp in the sun. Report courtesy of Chris Leake, Hull RUFC Press Officer. |
