Sat 26 Oct 2024
There’s no place like home as Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby celebrate their return to the Coal Pit Lane Arena with a last minute victory over visitors from the East Coast, Hessle RUFC. With the drainage works now complete, the first home fixture of the Counties 4 Yorkshire South league campaign drew a sizeable crowd, & they were not disappointed with the result or performance. Player/Coach Aaron Kaye was forced to shuffle his starting XV after 3 morning drop outs, plus the reliable back rower Reece ’diesel’ Aspin sidelined with a knee injury, back came ‘slammin’ Sam Whitaker after a holiday, & a seasonal debut for Pat O’Leary at full back, with Harrison ‘the storm’ Norman in the unfamiliar role of stand off. A sunny autumnal day provided the crowd with decent spectating conditions however, burly prop Gary Woodcock received a yellow card & 10 minutes in the sin bin for a ‘no arms’ tackle. The visitors took advantage & went 6 points ahead thru 2 simple penalty kicks for Stocksbridge infringements. The home side showing real enthusiasm & determination, that had been lacking in recent weeks, roared back into the game when that man Adam Frith cleverly marshalled his forwards down the field, & released the ball at the right time for jet heeled flier Callum ‘whippet’ Green to scamper over in the corner, Frith missed the conversion & was short with a penalty attempt minutes later. Half Time : Stocksbridge Rugby 5pts – Hessle RUFC 6pts.
The visitors piled the pressure on early in the second half, & were rewarded with a further successful penalty to stretch their lead. The ‘blue wall’ held firm & quick thinking from Frith with a tap penalty, released Harrison ‘the storm’ Norman to dance around & thru the Hessle cover to score, Norman is kindly sponsored by Miss Diane Woodock. This time that man Frith, sponsored by Brian Mills Decorating Services, nailed a crucial conversion attempt to put Stocksbridge back in front. Another error gave the visitors the opportunity to draw level with their 4th penalty of the afternoon, & it looked likely that the game would end in a draw ! Step up Adam Frith, with ice in his veins, kicking the winning points after the home forwards forced a penalty, & the last kick of the game saw the home side take the spoils. Final score : Stocksbridge Rugby 15pts – Hessle RUFC 12pts.
The Enzygo Environmental Consultants Man of the Match award went to Harrison ‘the storm’ Norman for a great individual display. Norman is getting back to his best after a lay off with a broken bone in his hand. Stocksbridge drop a place to 6th in the league ladder on points difference, but will gain confidence & momentum from this gritty performance, without conceding a try ! Without a fixture next weekend, Stocksbridge then have a run of 4 home games on the bounce as they look to turn their Coal Pit Lane Arena into a Fortress once again. A chance to complete a league double over Sheffield Medics + Dentists on 9th November, they then host league leaders Dearne Valley on 16th November, followed by the 2nd instalment of the Fox Valley Trophy against neighbours Wortley RUFC on 30th November, this Year’s Christman Jumper game is on 7th December when Maltby are the visitors, all games have a 2.15pm kick off.
‘credit to all the boys, we are improving week to week, & you can see the effort going on in the training sessions’, said a jubilant skipper Andy ‘clock tower’ Beal afterwards, before adding, ‘this was a tough game, & we were very physical in our defence, we will look to build on this in the coming weeks & fixtures’.
Written by Andrew Tyers
