In the final round of the league fixtures, Counties 4 Yorkshire South champions Maltby RUFC rolled into the Coal Pit Lane Arena at the weekend & delivered a comprehensive 41pts to nil victory over Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby. Missing influential scrum half, that man Adam Frith, Head Coach Aaron Kaye was forced to shuffle his squad, with veteran flier Joe 'cockney' Jones partnering Callum 'whippet' Green in the centres, & promising youngster Cole Staley-Howson slotting in at full back. On a beautiful early summer afternoon, & roared on by a sizable crowd, Stocksbridge made a poor start from the kick off & the visitors soon had 2 scores on the board in double quick time. Staley-Howson was winded in a tackle & Rugby League convert Dan Burt replaced him at full back. Maltby are an aggressive, abrasive, physical side & it was no surprise that a brawl occurred involving Laurence Heys, before the visitors breached the blue wall again just before the break. Half Time: Stocksbridge Rugby nil - Maltby RUFC 19pts.
The luckless Reece 'diesel' Aspin had to be replaced at half time due to a knee injury, & as the visitors secured a try bonus point, a back injury forced evergreen playmaker Scotty Bowskill out of the action. Maltby scored a further 2 tries, sandwiched by a penalty & young Jack 'unit' James raised a cheer with a steamrolling drive, demolishing the opposition back row in the process. The match ended with a final score of: Stocksbridge Rugby nil - Maltby RUFC 41pts. Stocksbridge confirmed as runners-up in the league ladder.
Despite great individual performances from Staley-Howson, Burt & Heyes the Fox Catering Man of the Match award went to talismanic skipper Andy 'clock tower' Beal, kindly sponsored by Mr Mick Gribbins. Beal has lead from the front during a long season, & the recently turned 38yr old shows no sign of slowing down.
Head Coach Kaye said afterwards, 'I'm proud of what the players have achieved during the season & the improvements in our game, we have made a lot of progress', before adding, '12 wins is the most for us for a few years now, so this sets us a target to beat for next season'.
The April Man of Steel sponsored by Bradfield Brewery has been confirmed as young Laurence Heyes, for a string of gutsy performances during the Month. Heyes just pipped hard working back rowers Reece 'diesel' Aspin & Joss Kerr to the award.
The club's presentation evening is on Friday 8th May from 6pm, & tickets priced just £10 are on sale from the Manchester Road Clubhouse. There is much speculation about who has won what & there are a couple of new awards to present this year.
This Sunday, 3rd May, the popular artist Hannah Hudson will be performing in the club from 4.30pm, singing a selection of songs new & old.
Written by Andrew Tyers
