Sat 11 Nov 2023
After the storms & rain of the previous week, a pitch inspection passed the Coal Pit Lane field fit to play as Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby hosted Hornsea RUFC from the East Coast in their Round 7 clash of the Yorkshire 4 Counties competition. Head Coach, Andy Lawrence sprung a surprise in selecting Callum ‘whippet’ Green, usually a winger, to partner Reece ‘diesel’ Aspin, & Liam O’Leary on the back row. More good news was the return of the ‘clock tower’ Andy Beal to take his place on the bench after an injury lay off, & former skipper Adam Roles-Middlehurst also returning to the match day squad. The home side started brightly & it wasn’t long before the rampaging Liam O’Leary crossed for the opening score of the day. A well timed interception from Jack Pearson, & some neat interplay with young flyer Harrison Norman should have lead to a further score from the home side, but somehow the visitors held their line against a dominant Stocksbridge outfit. Hornsea got their scoring started with a simple penalty, & veteran goal kicker Scotty Bowskill was also on target with a precise strike to extend the lead at half time : Stocksbridge Rugby 8pts – Hornsea RUFC 3pts.
A much needed win looked on the cards for the home side, who had the best of both territory & possession in the 2nd stanza, but the final pass was missing as Hornsea took advantage of a hole in the Stocksbridge blue wall to draw level with a try of their own, & then went into a slender lead with the conversion tagged on. A late penalty for the visitors sealed their hard earned victory, & left the home side frustrated & a little disappointed not to secure a victory their efforts deserved. The final score of : Stocksbridge Rugby 8pts – Hornsea RUFC 13pts, leaves Stocksbridge in 12th place on the league ladder. Club Captain, that man Adam Frith said afterwards ‘this is frustrating, we were clearly the better team & our defence stood up really well’ before adding, ‘we will keep going, & be positive & look forward to getting the result next time out’.
The Funding Solutions Man of the Match award went to the industrious Liam O’Leary, who was a threat all afternoon, with Pearson, Harrison & young Jack ‘milky’ Martin all putting in performances to be proud of.
Stocksbridge Rugby travel to West Yorkshire to visit Knottingley RUFC next weekend in a Round 8 clash, whilst the next home fixture sponsored by Premier Stone Worktops Ltd will in Round 9, when Leeds Medics & Dentists will be the visitors on Saturday 2nd December with a 2.15pm start. The Club will enjoy another ‘bye’ on 25th November.
Match report written by Andrew Tyers
