Sat 24 Jan 2026
With the bad weather waterlogging their pitch, Hallamshire RUFC asked if they could switch the Round 13 clash to the Coal Pit Lane Arena. Despite further rain & a heavy playing surface, a late inspection judged the pitch playable, & the game was on. Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby ground out an important win to keep them in the play offs hunt, eventually coming out 16pts - 12pts winners.
Player/Coach Aaron Kaye went for size & physicality in his team selection with young Jack 'the big rig' James starting in the 2nd row, & the experienced 'slammin' Sam Whitaker moving to No 8 to accommodate this. Veteran flier Joe 'cockney' Jones was dusted down for a rare appearance on the wing, & there was a welcome return for happy hooker Mikey 'vegas' Hartley from the bench after recovering from a serious ankle injury.
The visitors were fastest out of the blocks, & an error in the Stocksbridge defence allowed them the opening score. Soon afterwards centre Jake Bevan & his opposite number both received yellow cards & 10 minutes in the sin bin after a skirmish. The home side drew level when Sam Porter, kindly sponsored by Applebys Industrial Fasteners, crashed over for a well taken try, after good work from the forward pack, & took the lead as Scotty Bowskill, sponsored by Stocksbridge Fire Station, tagged on the conversion. Another yellow card for the visitors after a deliberate knock on almost certainly saved a further Stocksbridge score however, the visitors hit back again, breaching the blue wall to take the lead just before the interval. Half Time : Stocksbridge Rugby 7pts - Hallamshire RUFC 12pts.
The 2nd stanza started badly for Stocksbridge with burly prop forward Gary 'pecker' Woodcock fortunate to receive just a yellow card for an intentional trip. As the home side gradually gained some momentum, Bowskill added a penalty to close the gap, then after a miss, he added a further penalty to give Stocksbridge a narrow 1 pt lead. Another yellow card reduced the visitors man power again, & Bowskill kicked his 3rd penalty of the afternoon as Stocksbridge ground out a touch victory. Final Score : Stocksbridge Rugby 16pts - Hallamshire RUFC 12pts. Stocksbridge actually drop a position in the Counties 4 Yorkshire South league ladder to 3rd, as Sheffield Medics benefit from a walkover result. The JGP Group Man of the Match award went to 'slammin' Sam Whitaker, kindly sponsored by S&M Pipework Ltd, offering a touch of class in the turnover battle from his new position at No 8.
Player/Coach Aaron Kaye was pleased with the result, but believes his team will gain momentum with regular fixtures. 'it was a hard-fought game, & Hallamshire certainly brought it to us' he said, before adding, 'we needed a game after a long spell, & we will be better for it'.
Talisman skipper Andy 'clock tower' Beal said the team had shown character & massive heart during this clash, & asks for more of the same as the season builds.
Stocksbridge will be looking for back-to-back wins when they entertain Withernsea RUFC from Humberside in Round 14 next Saturday, with a 2.15pm kick off.
Saturday 7th February will see Stocksbridge Rugby entertain the Fire Service in a charity match, kick off is 2.30pm & all are welcome for a good cause.
Written by Andrew Tyers
