Stocksbridge RUFC

Player/Coach Aaron Kaye was able to select from strength, with father & son, Ricky 'rooney' James in the front row, & Jack 'joey' James packing down at No 8. The versatile Jack 'the feet' Spence slotted in at 13 to partner the in-form Harrison 'the storm' Norman in midfield. A strong finishers bench included Kaye himself with experienced campaigners Whitaker, Woodcock & that man Frith, along with the dependable Ben 'weseby' Westby, making a rare appearance. 

The visitors, playing up the slope, started the better, & it took a while for Stocksbridge to get hold of the ball. Hessle played some decent attacking rugby, but the blue wall held firm, & Stocksbridge took the lead with a Scotty Bowskill penalty, Bowskill is sponsored by Stocksbridge Fire Station, to calm the nerves of the home side & supporters. The home side gradually found their rhythm, & were able to assert some pressure on their visitors. Following good line out ball, & a series of aggressive phases of attacking rugby, the ball was recycled to Harrison 'the storm' Norman who outpaced the defence to register the first, & only try of the day. Norman is kindly sponsored by Mr David & Mrs Jacqueline Lambert. Bowskill, with his kicking boots on, converted superbly from a difficult angle. A careless high tackle allowed the visitors to register 3 points from a penalty. The half time whistle blew with the score; Stocksbridge Rugby 10pts - Hessle RUFC 3pts. 

The 2^nd stanza was a bit of a scrappy affair as neither side could assert any real dominance, Stocksbridge had the better of the territory battle, but were guilty of a lack of accuracy in their execution, which allowed Hessle to clear their lines & remain in the game. Hessle converted another penalty to draw them closer, when perhaps a more confident side may have chosen to run the ball. Stocksbridge will need to convert their opportunities if they are to be serious title contenders, & although they lost Tom Spencer (punching) & that man Adam Frith (dissent) to yellow cards, & 10 minutes in the sin bin, they were able to edge further ahead when Bowskill again was on hand with a successful penalty kick, for a high tackle on the rampaging Norman. Bowskill was just wide with another difficult penalty attempt, but Stocksbridge held on to secure the points with a final score; Stocksbridge Rugby 13pts - Hessle RUFC 6pts.  

Despite great individual performances from Westby, Woodcock, & Staley-Howson, young centre Harrison 'the storm' Norman was awarded the John Crawshaw Butchers Man of the Match, Norman was a threat every time he touched the ball, & his defence held strong with some telling tackles. 

Afterwards Player/Coach Aaron Kaye was happy with the win, but admitted his team should have made more of their opportunities, 'it was a scrappy game, & we struggled to keep hold of the ball at times', he said, before adding, 'we kept them tryless which was a bonus, & we can continue to improve in our execution'. 

Stocksbridge take a breather from league action next weekend, as they make the journey to Maltby in the next round of the Counties Cup Competition. A trip to West Yorkshire to face Knottingley is their Round 7 clash, while the next home fixture at the Coal Pit Lane Arena will be on 8^th November when near neighbours Wortley RUFC visit in the Fox Valley trophy series. Winter kick-off times of 2.30pm will apply & a good crowd is expected. 

Meanwhile the club held their annual Harvest Festival event at the weekend raising a fantastic total of £1868.63 for the Brain Tumour Charity in loving memory of former player Craig Hollingsworth. The highlight of the event was a £190 bid from Mr Scott Woolley for a hand sketched club logo, which will take pride of place on the clubhouse wall. Auctioneer & Club Chairman expressed his thanks & gratitude to all who took part, for their continued support.  ( see photo below )   

Written by Andrew Tyers