#rugbyleague BLOG 2010/11 Match Record 3: National Conference League

Entry 19, 20th November 2010.

Venue: Twist Lane, Leigh
Date: 20/11/10
Match: Leigh Miners Rangers v Skirlaugh

LEIGH MINERS RANGERS 30
SKIRLAUGH 16

A gutsy second half performance from Miners saw them overcome the 49th minute dismissal of skipper Daryl Kay to post a big  result and do their search for the league leadership no harm whatsoever.

The hosts made the better start and scored in the third minute when hooker Danny Jones pushed the ball to stand-off Martin Lewis. He in turn found Linford Wetherby and rather than being hemmed in on the touchline, Wetherby ran diagonally, evading three defenders before a gap appeared in front of him. He finished well which allowed Tom Bradbury to pot the first of five goals.

Miners dominated the opening ten minutes and added another two points to their tally when Skirlaugh went high and Bradbury made it 8-0 with his 50th goal of the season. From their next set, Ross bradley was tackled into touch and Skirlaugh began to build their attack. It was to be a frustrating half in many respect for the visitors as they missed chance after chance, had a try disallowed and another effort ruled held up in-goal.

After 13 minutes an expansive move down the left saw Jamie shaw, Ian Kerman and Matt Danville combine and Stuart Smith looked to have put Jason Bell over for Skirlaugh's first try but the final pass was deemed forward. Eventually the pressure from the visitors told direct from a scrum after 20 minutes. Forward Sean Wildbore took the unusual step of feeding the pack before loose forward Danville passed back to him and he fed Mike Johnson at the corner. Kerman struck an excellent goal and Skirlaugh meant business when another move down the right put Johnson in space again with only scrambling defence chasing back.

Confidence was certainly growing for the visitors and their big pack looked to be taking control, particularly when Kerman found Johnny Young and Trevor Penrose looked a certain scorer before Adam Thomason intervened to hold the big man up. Another move looked to have caught Miners out but as the ball came right from Wildbore, Kirk Abel spilled it. A minute later Miners substitute Tom Eckersley was penalised in possession but Kerman surprisingly swept his attempt on goal wide of the posts.

Despite being under the cosh for a good twenty minutes, it was Leigh Miners that struck before the break. First Joe Harrison looped a long pass to Scott O'Brien  before halfback partner Lewis feigned to pass and surged on to make the line with a couple of tacklers on him. Bradbury couldn't convert and Skirlaugh saw another chance go begging before Miners and O'Brien in particular were unlucky not to add to their tally  thanks to a great chase back that just stopped short of the line.

Skirlaugh made a great start to the new half with their big pack laying the foundation while an O'Brien kick at the other end was too far ahead for Bradbury to get to. A penalty gave the visitors ascendancy and they grabbed the chance when young stand-off Jamie Shaw skipped through from twenty metres and then showed decent speed to finish the move. A second goal from Kerman made it 12-12 and the visitors struck again three minutes later when Lewis worked the left attack for Miners and passed for Thomason. Unfortunately for the hosts, the ball went to ground and Shaw collected. Although he was checked, the tackle wasn't completed and the stand-off claimed his second try to hand Skirlaugh the lead.

Before awarding the try, referee Cliff Tamou sent Miners skipper Kay from the field for saying something out of turn. Kerman couldn't convert from a wide angle but the visitors were fancied to go on and win now they were up against twelve men. as is sometimes the case, it was then the turn of the twelve men and particularly halfbacks Lewis and O'Brien to step up.

First of all Miners went into a holding pattern before the first O'Brien intervention came in the 58th minute. Sensing something may have been on, O'Brien kicked over the advancing line and contested possession shoulder to shoulder ith Carl Booth. Unfortunately for the Skirlaugh player he fumbled and then lost his footing which allowed O'Brien to regther and send John Woods over under the posts. Bradbury converted and this was still an intersting contest at 18-16.

Miners defended manfully and then advanced their lead after 65 minutes. First a Martin Lewis kick was palmed back infield by Wetherby which allowed Bradbury to follow up and score his sixth try of a busy season.

A couple of minutes later Miners found their way through again off Lewis' boot but after Bradbury combined with Wetherby, the inside pass from the wing went forward. Skirlaugh could not breach the defence and when the visitors conceded a penalty forty metres from the posts, Bradbury goaled to make it 24-16. If Skirlaugh thought the game was up for them then, it certainly was three minutes later when a wonderful chip from O'Brien stood up and he bravely followed it to claim his 12th try of the season. Bradbury's final goal only confirmed the 30-16 victory.

LEIGH MINERS

 1 Haydn Bud Skinkis
 2 Daryl Flannery
 3 John Woods
18 Andrew Hodson
 5 Linford Wetherby
 6 Martin Lewis
 7 Scott O'Brien
 8 Craig Connor
 9 Danny Jones
10 Daryl Kay
11 Tom Bradbury
12 Ross Bradley
13 Adam Thomason
Subs
14 Joe Harrison
15 Liam Rowson
16 Lee Gittins
17 Tom Eckersley

Tries: Wetherby (3), Lewis (38), Woods (58), Bradbury (65), O'Brien (78).
Goals: Bradbury 5/8.

SKIRLAUGH

 1 Stuart Smith
 2 Mike Johnson
 3 Kirk Abel
 4 Carl Booth
 5 Jason Bell
 6 Jamie Shaw
 7 Ian Kerman
 8 Steve Cochran
 9 Tommy Harrison
10 Steve Atkinson
11 Sean Wildbore
12 Johnny Young
13 Matt Danville
Subs
14 Ricky Hough
15 Gary Smith
16 Matt Barrow
17 Trvor Penrose

Tries: Johnson (20), Shaw (46, 49).
Goals: Kerman 2/4.

Referee: Cliff Tamou
Penalties: 10-8
Half-time: 12-6

#rugbyleague BLOG 2010/2011: Match Record 1: Leigh Miners v Dudley Hill.

Entry 5: 6th November


I've decided that over the course of the next twelve months I'm going to blog about every game that I've either been watching as a spectator or covered. This means that by the time the end of September 2011 arrives there should be a whole host of games that I've written about and I'm quite interested about where my travels take me.

Match number: 1
Location: Twist Lane, Leigh.
Game: Leigh Miners v Dudley Hill
Score: 42-12

It was the Miners who got the better of their plucky visitors despite the Bradford side having the better of play at the start of both halves.

It took Miners a good twenty minutes to settle into the game and the first try came when Flannery cleverly linked with Woods and his pass sent Ryan Smith racing in for the first of his hat-trick. Tom Bradbury added the goal and Miners led 6-0.

A few minutes later Dudley Hill were reduced to twelve men after their fullback butted one of the Miners players.

The hosts took advantage of the extra man with tries from workaholic Darryl Kay and Smith before half-time and led 18-0 at the interval.

Once again the visitors bossed territory at the start of the second half but fell further behind when Jimmy Muir outpaced the defence from sixty metres. There was no let up as Smith followed a Scott O'Brien break for his hat-trick and O'Brien himself got in on the act after some almost super human work from John Woods. The final Miners try went the way of birthday boy Kay with Bradbury adding his 7th goal.

Hill scored a couple of converted tries themselves to add some respectability to the score while Miners ended their run of two defeats to move within touching distance at the top of the table again after the 42-12 win.