Leigh Miners Rangers 18 Wath Brow Hornets 22
Wath Brow clinched the Minor Premiership whilst Miners finished fifth in this last day shootout. Going in to the most dramatic and convoluted final days of the NCL league season any one of four teams could have taken the league leaders’ shield but with Brow winning at Twist Lane and Myton succumbing at Thatto Heath it was the Hornets who ended top of the tree whilst Miners dropped a place to fifth and a trip to defending champions Thatto Heath in the Elimination Play-Off.
Facing their sixth game in twenty one days Miners were without Jonny Youds from the midweek win over St Patricks whilst Luke Warburton pulled up with an injury in the warm-up. Ross Bradley and John Woods returned from injury in the threequarters but both were to depart before the end of the first quarter. Brow meanwhile, roared on by an exuberant following including one Hornet, named a strong side with the Huby brothers on the bench and veteran former Whitehaven man Leroy Joe partnering exciting youngster Karl Dixon in the halves.
What was always going to be a tense game opened in bizarre circumstances as Brow gifted Miners a try inside three minutes. Josh Ward’s clearing kick was fielded by Ryan Amor on his own try-line in the bottom right corner but as the Brow fullback was tackled he inexplicably played the ball without anyone in position at dummy half, allowing Bradley to sneak round from marker and ground the ball over the line, Ward with the fine conversion. Brow though were in determined mood and they responded within six minutes, Joe’s bomb on the last spilled by the Miners’ defence and from the scrum the Cumbrians moved the ball swiftly right for the impressive Francis King to put winger Peter Caddy over at the corner and 6-4. Defences dominated as both teams toiled hard and Miners came close to a second try when Scott O’Brien chipped over the defensive line on halfway, ran through to regather and then kicked infield where Ward was just beaten to the ball by the covering Amor. The next try came on the half hour and it came the way of the visitors, King again influential as the Cumbrians attacked down the right and Caddy the beneficiary as he gathered the pass as it bobbled along the ground and dived over the line, Jason Connery adding the conversion for 10-6 at the break.
Miners needed a swift response and just three minutes into the second half they were back on terms, some fine play keeping the ball alive on the last tackle on the Brow line and Adam Thomason putting Sean Pendlebury over at the right corner flag. That heralded a purple patch for the home side but the try their efforts merited wouldn’t come and indeed it was Brow who drew next blood with a double whammy. First Amor broke through the middle and had James Toman in support to crash over by the posts, Caddy goaling. Then with thirteen minutes to go the lead appeared decisive as the outstanding Jamie Martin drove the ball to the line and offloaded for the old stager Joe to take the pass and swoop in at the right of the posts. Incredibly Miners threatened the most remarkable of comebacks, first as Jimmy Muir and Darryl Kay combined to put Gareth Pain over for his first try for the team then with three minutes remaining Miners again opened the defence down the left channel and Jonny Carroll flopped over the line to narrow the gap to four points. Miners eschewed the conversion attempt in an effort to save time for a desperate last hurrah but time had run away from them as Brow hung on for the win.
Miners – Jimmy Muir, Sean Pendlebury, Lee Gittins, Ross Bradley, John Woods, Josh Ward, Scott O’Brien, Craig Connor, Danny Jones, Darryl Kay, Adam Thomason, Jonny Carroll, David Rowlands Subs – Gareth Pain, Aaron Gorton, Tom Farrimond, Kevin Howells
Tries – Bradley (3), Pendlebury (43), Pain (73), Carroll (77)
Goal – Ward
MoM – Lee Gittins
Brow – Ryan Amor, Peter Caddy, Francis King, Gary Clarke, Gregg Dawson, Karl Dixon, Leroy Joe, Jamie Martin, Charlie Tomlinson, James Dixon, Ian Curnow, James Toman, Jamie Devine Subs – Jason Connery, Matt Huby, Richard Huby, Lewis McCarron
Tries – Caddy (9, 30), Toman (56), Joe (67)
Goals – Caddy 2, Connery
MoM – James Dixon
Referee – Chris Campbell
Photos thanks to Chris Lee https://plus.google.com/photos/107590957336582363271/albums/5801701929074041729#photos/107590957336582363271/albums/5801701929074041729
