With the two sides on opposite trajectories heading into this game the final result was scarcely a surprise but Miners had to battle hard against a Dockers side which showed great spirit for the opening half hour when they were arguably unfortunate to be behind 6-0 on the scoreboard, but four tries either side of the break put the home team in full control and they eased to their biggest victory of the season so far. Miners welcomed Andrew Groves back into the side after missing the last few weeks whilst Dave Rowlands was also back in contention, Tony Doyle starting at hooker. Danny Jackson was still unavailable and John Woods also missed out on a place. Dockers, on a dismal run of six defeats in their last seven, were without talisman Chris Stephenson and centre Sam Bowring.

A rainy morning had given way to dry but blustery conditions and Dockers started brightly with emergency stand-off Craig Skelton and hooker Mike Jarvis working well and prop Arron Bradley also influential, whilst Miners had their best early chance when Steven Marsh broke clear on half way and the ball spread right for Liam Coleman to kick behind the line but just away from the chasing Groves. Having toughed it out defensively Miners snatched the lead on the quarter hour with some classy play, Jonny Youds linking in to attack and moving play right for Adam Thomason to put Groves in from twenty five metres out, Youds goaling. Dockers were undaunted though and they showed enterprise as they tried to find a response, Joe Williams chipping the line and regathering but losing the ball as he was tackled inside the Miners’ forty. By the half hour mark though Bradley had been forced from the field, his recent injury woes clearly not behind him, and the visitors ran out of steam thereafter. Miners should have extended their lead but Coleman was adjudged to have lost the ball over the line but the second home try wasn’t long in coming, Martin Gray intercepting on half way and making good ground before passing to the supporting Jimmy Muir who angled his run inside the fullback and under the posts. Miners were turning the screw and Danny Patrick was forced into desperate defensive measures, hoofing Scott O’Brien’s dangerous kick almost into the canal. From the scrum ten metres out Miners went blindside and Thomason dummied the defence to storm in at the corner and 16-0 at the break.

Dockers’ resolve already appeared to be faltering and it was well and truly broken with two more tries inside the opening ten minutes of the second half. First O’Brien dinked a kick to the right wing and Groves nipped in ahead of his opposite number to grab the ball and touch down, then Muir sliced through a fragile defensive line from forty metres out and was in for his second and 28-0. Although the defending for that last try more than hinted of a wearied opposition the Hull side enjoyed a brief purple patch, Skelton and Jon Eccles breaking from half way but the final pass to winger James Carrick went to ground with the line open. The visitors did have a consolation score on the hour when Williams jinked along the line before spotting a gap and shooting through from ten metres out, Skelton goaling, but the game was ambling peacefully towards its inevitable conclusion until Dockers decided to tweak the tiger’s tail with a swinging high tackle on Rowlands, sparking a brief fracas which saw Muir end a fine afternoon’s work with a sin-binning. The visitors’ strong-arm approach and the injustice of the man disadvantage fired the home side up with a dominant final ten minutes which yielded two further tries. Doyle showed quick wits to spin out of a tackle near the line and dart in for his first score of the season then at the death Thomason had his second as he finished off well from O’Brien’s pass.

Tries – Groves (15, 46), Muir (32, 50), Thomason (36, 76), Doyle (73)

Goals – Youds 5

Sin-Bin – Muir (71)

MoM – Jimmy Muir

Try – Williams (59)

Goal – Skelton

MoM – Mike Jarvis

Referee – Michael Woodhead

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