Sat 6 Jan 2024
A great start to the New Year by Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby as they dusted off their Christmas excesses to defeat visitors Leeds Modernians 21pts – 3pts in an entertaining clash at the Coal Pit Lane stadium.
The pitch, tho heavy underfoot, was passed as playable, & the freshly cut grass gave the playing surface a fluffy look. Despite a string of postponements & some player availability issues, Head Coach Andy Lawrence was able to field a strong squad on a sunny Winter’s afternoon, with club skipper, that man Adam Frith passing a late fitness test to take his place on the replacements bench. This victory takes Stocksbridge to an unlikely top spot in the league ladder as the New Year sees a Regional Phase of the Counties 4 Yorkshire competition come into play. Playing up the slope in the first half, the home side struck early & decisively when ‘Clock Tower’ Andy Beal, sponsored by Mr M Gribbins, powered over from close range from a smartly taken penalty by evergreen playmaker Ricky Christopherson. Veteran place kicker Scotty Bowskill was on point with the conversion to increase the lead, & again a few minutes later adding a penalty goal for a ruck infringement by the eager Leeds forwards. A powerful mid field break by Saddington was well supported by the reliable Pearson, who put flying youngster Leary away for what seemed a certain score, until the visiting cover defence swarmed around him & the chance went begging. The visitors enjoyed a period of possession & territory & only some determined defence by the Blue Wall kept them tryless, their only reward was a penalty kick for another ruck offence. Stocksbridge kept the pressure on & the trusty boot of Bowskill added 2 further penalties to leave the half time score : Stocksbridge Rugby 16pts – Leeds Modernians 3pts.
The 2nd stanza was a bit of a scrappy affair, with both sides eventually running out of gas, Leeds pressed hard but again Stocksbridge defended manfully with Kerr, Beal & Pearson putting in the tackles. Lawrence beefed up the pack with the burly Gary Woodcock & ‘slammin’ Sam Whitaker added to the fray, & Jack Spencer made a fantastic interception to save a certain score for the visitors, & with the field at his mercy ran fully 80 metres, before running out of steam & being caught close to the try line, from the resulting break down, Stocksbridge recycled the ball & Bowskill, with a deft cross field kick found the on-rushing Jack Leary to collect & score in the other corner. This time too far out for the conversion to count. There was still time for the visiting scrum half to take a quick tap penalty & catch the home defence out to register a converted try, but it was too little too late as the final score of : Stocksbridge Rugby 21pts – Leeds Modernians 10pts.
A great start to the year for the Stocksbridge club, ‘we dusted the cob webs off well & produced a pretty good all round performance’, said Skipper Frith afterwards, before adding, ‘ we have players to come back into the squad, the younger guys are learning quickly & the old heads are all contributing. We have a lot to look forward to’.
The Asphalt Grid Systems Man of the Match award went again to youngster Josh Kerr for a terrier like display, turning ball over & a high offensive work rate, whilst Leary, Beal & old stager Bowskill can be pleased with their efforts.
Stocksbridge have a bye next weekend & will return to action on 20th January with the return fixture at Leeds Modernians, followed by an away day to the East Coast to play Hornsea the week after. The Club are looking to put a bus on for players & supporters for this trip, so please contact the club if you wish to join the trip, all are welcome. The next scheduled home fixture is on 3rd February where the visitors will be Knottingley RUFC.
Written by Andrew Tyers
