Leigh Miners Rangers 50 East Hull 22
Miners served up an exhilarating display of attacking rugby to put a half century past East Hull.
At times it was an electrifying display as the Leigh side played some superb attacking rugby with four players grabbing braces, and although Easts briefly threatened to stage a remarkable comeback from 34-6 down to pull themselves to within twelve points, Miners finished with a flourish to wrap up a much-needed victory as the league table becomes ever more condensed.
Miners were given a boost by the return from injury of John Woods whilst Danny Jackson, Danny Jones, Liam Coleman and Steven Marsh all returned after missing the heavy loss at Thatto Heath. East Hull arrived on the back of a free weekend and an encouraging start to the campaign which has seen them defy the prophets of doom, thus far at least.
After a rainy morning the game opened in blustery but dry conditions and although Miners had the early pressure it was Easts who almost opened the scoring, Jonny Youds floating an ambitious pass inside the visitors’ twenty which was intercepted by Carl Puckering, fortunately the Easts’ stand-off unable to outpace the chasing defence who hauled him down midway inside the Miners’ half. With that scare behind them Miners went on to dominate the next fifty minutes with some fluid, fluent rugby tearing the visitors to shreds at times. Woods set the ball rolling as he finished off in trademark fashion from twenty metres out after Scott O’Brien’s forty-twenty set the position for the elusive Youds to spread the ball right to the winger. Then came the score of the game, inside the sixth minute, as a six man move took play from inside the Miners’ half through Adam Thomason, Liam Coleman and then Woods down the right wing, inside to O’Brien and then inside again to Jackson to finish off, Youds with both conversions as Miners seized control of the game. Easts appeared pedestrian in comparison but their forward-dominated approach reaped rewards as they clawed a way back in to the game, Chris Lyth crashing through from a close-range tapped penalty, Puckering adding the extras. Miners though were in scintillating form and they shrugged off this minor setback with two more tries before the break. First O’Brien intercepted Lee Brown’s attempted offload inside his own half and sprinted clear before putting Woods away for his second, then the Miners’ captain himself with a tremendous solo effort, as uncontainable as a bead of quicksilver as he pinballed his way out of the attempted tackles and burst through to score from twenty metres out. With Youds adding both conversions Miners were 24-6 to the good at the break.
That advantage became even more commanding early in the second half as Youds floated a ‘momentum rule’ pass to the left wing and Andrew Hodson finished off at the corner before Tony Doyle and O’Brien put Thomason over at the opposite corner for 34-6. Thus far the contrast between the two teams was as stark as the scoreline suggested, Miners full of pace and invention and Easts somewhat stodgy by comparison but with Matty Brookes entering the fray from the bench the visitors began to throw off their shackles and display some adventure of their own. Brookes set the ball rolling as his quickly taken tapped penalty caught the defence napping on their line and within minutes one try had become three, firstly as Lyth broke through for his second and then as Miners began to drop off the tackles Sam Cator was in for another score to make it 34-22.
Just as swiftly though the tide turned back once more and after O’Brien had launched a penalty kick for touch through the clubhouse window Miners duly shattered Easts’ aspirations as Youds was again the provider for Hodson to finish off in a carbon copy of his first try. Home nerves were settled but the visitors’ were fraying, Ian Kerman lucky not to earn a spell on the sidelines first swinging at Darryl Kay and then taking Hodson out after the winger had broken down the left and passed inside for O’Brien to finish off for his second try. Things finally boiled over as Lee Cator and Brown were sin-binned and sent-off respectively in the closing minutes, both for dissent, and Miners wrapped things up at the death as Thomason went in for his second, Marsh adding both the final conversions to wrap up a fine win.
Miners – Jonny Youds, Andrew Hodson, Sean McDonald, Adam Thomason, John Woods, Steven Marsh, Scott O’Brien, Gary Gittins, Tom Farrimond, Darryl Kay, Liam Coleman, Danny Jackson, Danny Jones Subs – Tony Doyle, Jimmy Muir, Jonny Carroll, Luke Murfin
Tries – Woods (4, 29), Jackson (6), O’Brien (38, 77), Hodson (42, 69), Thomason (46, 79)
Goals – Youds 5, Marsh 2
MoM – Scott O’Brien
Easts – Lewis Brown, Jamie Edwards, Aaron Pickering, Sam Bennett, Lee Hall, Carl Puckering, Ian Kerman, Lee Brown, Scott Partis, Chris Lyth, Ryan Steen, Dale Blakeley, Lee Cator Subs – Matty Brookes, Lee Roberts, Sam Cator, Gary Noble
Tries – Lyth (19, 53), Brookes (51), S Cator (60)
Goals – Puckering 3
Sin-Bin – Lee Brown (42), L Cator (77)
Sent Off – Lee Brown (78)
MoM – Scott Partis
Referee – Ian Scott
Photos thanks to Alan Ball www.thephotographyman.co.uk / www.facebook.com/thephotographyman
