Wath Brow Hornets 24 v 10 Leigh Miners Rangers
Miners suffered a setback against old foes Wath Brow in a hard-fought game in Cumbria at the weekend. After the previous weekend’s fantastic efforts to topple Thatto Heath Miners found Brow a redoubtable nut to crack and despite roaring into a 10-0 lead as they continued where they had left off seven days earlier, they were ultimately worn down by the resilient Hornets who had the evergreen New Zealander Leroy Joe growing in influence as the game went on and with an enthusiastic young pack of forwards asking plenty of questions of the Miners’ defence. With a rejigged back three from the previous weekend and with injuries racking up over the course of the match Miners were in contention until the closing stages before the a controversially-disallowed try eventually broke their resolve. The first twenty minutes was one-way traffic as the Leigh side, bolstered by a lively return after more than a year’s injury absence from Aaron Gorton and with Danny Jackson in inspired form, ran rings round the Brow. They had a try chalked off for crossing when some fine play narrowly failed to pay off, but the breakthrough came when Kieron Dainty and Tony Doyle linked to put Daryl Flannery in for the try. Tom Bradbury missed with the conversion, and a long-range penalty attempt soon after, but was on target midway through the half when Jackson flicked a sensational pass out of the tackle and Dainty put young centre Martin Gray striding in for the score. Miners were cruising at this stage but complacency became their downfall, a needless error in their own half giving Brow a scrum near the Miners’ line and Joe putting Richard Huby over for the try. If that had been frustrating for Miners then stoppage time in the first half became catastrophic as eight points conceded from a second Huby try under the posts and a conversion and penalty for Peter Caddy gave the home side the most improbable of half-time leads. With Brow enjoying the slope and the wind in the second half on their new pitch it was always going to be a tough second half for the visitors but they showed great resolve to stand firm in defence, Danny Jones and Kevin Howells putting in some big hits, and with just two points in it the match was in the balance. With less than ten minutes to go came the breaker, debutant Steve Kenny seeing a try disallowed for a marginal forward pass that would surely have won the game for the Leigh side. Instead Brow went down the other end and Joe’s kick was palmed back by Huby for Ryan Amor to swoop and score. Three minutes from the end and the scoreline was unfairly glossed although it was hard to begrudge the influential Joe his try, dummying and powering over beside the sticks.
Related Posts
« Lancashire call up for Nicholson Ince Rose Bridge u18s 40 v 12 Leigh Miners Rangers u18s »
