Having toiled up the slope, & against a blustery wind, yet still managing to score 3 tries, Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby were dealt a cruel blow as visitors Wath Upon Dearne 3rd's literally ran out of players forcing the official to abandon the game after 51 minutes, agonisingly just 8 more minutes short for the result to stand. Stocksbridge were well on their way to their 3rd bonus point victory in 3 games, & the league will now have to make a decision as to whether the result stands or the fixture will have to be replayed.
With several 1st choice players: 'clock tower' Beal, slammin' Sam Whitaker, Sam 'DF' Porter, Gary 'pecker' Woodcock, Jack 'big rig' James, Max Bevan & veteran fly half Scotty Bowskill injured or unavailable, Head Coach Aaron Kaye was forced to dig deep into his squad. There were season debuts for Lewis 'eggsy' Bowman, & Mikey 'vegas' Hartley fresh from his honeymoon in the front row, with Watts & Dodsworth forming a smaller but more mobile 2nd row. Jack 'crazy feet' Spencer was recalled to fly half & Cole Staley-Howson was handed a start on the wing. Australian import Owen Thompson would be given his Stocksbridge debut from the bench.
A minute's silence was impeccably observed by the players & supporters, as club legend Mick 'grov' Gribbins was remembered before the start of the game at the newly named Grov Park Arena.
The weather conditions made any kind of free-flowing rugby almost impossible however, playing up the slope & against these conditions, the home pack began to dominate from the first whistle & Bowman, Martin & Dodsworth were soon making inroads into the visitor's defence. As the home team dominated both territory & possession Bowman celebrated his season's debut with a try from short range, in the stormy conditions goal kicking was almost impossible. Dodsworth was next on the score sheet, latching onto a loose ball & winning the footrace to the try line. Centre George Leary , kindly sponsored by Mrs GM George, grabbed a 3rd try for the home side as he underlined his growing potential with a jinking run in, after further good work from the dominant home pack. Wath did enjoy a period of possession as the half came to a close however, the blue wall stayed firm & all attacks were repelled. Half Time : Stocksbridge Rugby 15pts - Wath Upon Dearne 3rd XV nil.
Injuries reduced the visitors to 14 men for the start of the 2nd stanza, so the scrums became uncontested. Debut Owen Thompson managed to cross the whitewash for what would of been the 4th try of the day after gathering a Wath knock on, but the whistle went to end the match just directly after the knock on. Further injuries meant that Wath had only 9 fit players in the 52nd minute forcing the official to abandon the game. Both clubs will now have to wait for the league to rule on the outcome. An unsatisfactory end to a game were Stocksbridge would have surely gained a 5pt victory. Other results mean Stocksbridge remain in the top 4 of the Counties 4 Yorkshire C league ladder, with potentially a game in hand.
Young Aussie Owen 'roo' Thompson was given the Victoria Motors man of the match award for a promising debut, & sang his welcome song in the clubhouse as is traditional with players on debut for Stocksbridge Rugby. Dodsworth, Martin & Bowman all played their part too.
Stocksbridge are on the road again next week when they travel to the East Coast to take on league newcomers Barton & District RUFC with a 2,15pm kick off. The next fixture at the Grov Park Arena will be on 7th November when Hallamshire RUFC will be the visitors, for a 2.15pm kick off.
Talismanic skipper Andy 'clock tower' Beal said afterwards 'it's a shame about the finish, but we did our job on the park, & would have completed the victory' , before adding, 'the league will decide what happens but we will focus on our game & preparing for the next challenge.'
Written by Andrew Tyers
