Missing at least 6 first XV regulars, the depth of the squad was severely tested, on a pleasant, sunny Day in West Yorkshire.
Receiving kick off, the Stocksbridge forward pack failed to catch & spilled up possession almost immediately, & after a couple of phases were behind their own sticks waiting for the Castleford goal kicker to convert the first score.

The warning sirens were sounding, but the next 10 minutes belonged to the visitors, as fly half Scotty Bowskill cleared the lines with an astute punt, big Sam Whitaker rose highest in the line out to claim the ball & set up the rolling maul with skipper Keenan controlling the forward movement. Hard working flanker Ricky Rowett drove on forward, & winger Mikey Quinn who made some good contributions offensively, was on hand with just enough space to squeeze into the corner from a deft Frith pass for Stocksbridge Rugby’s opening score.

For some reason goal kicker Bowskill had left his kicking tee in the changing room, presumably thinking there would be no need for it, so couldn’t convert. This was collected for the next raid on Castleford territory, when after good work from powerhouses Ricky James & James Lambert, the visitors won a penalty, the offending kicking tee helped Bowskill nudge Stocksbridge in front. The lead was short lived as Stocksbridge infringed from the restart & Castleford opted for the three points, showing genuine respect for the plucky visitors.

Stocksbridge tried hard & had good territorial advantage with O’Leary making good ground at every opportunity, Aspin was ferocious in the loose working well to turn ball over, just when the final pass or right decision was required, Stocksbridge Rugby coughed up possession, this allowed Castleford to clear their lines & even worse score three long range tries, to give the score board a fairly flattering look for the home team. Veteran Ricky Christopherson, playing at full back this week, showed he still has the right skill set with some neat touches & return kicks, & started the move which lead to a fantastic try for the visitors. Christopherson pounced on a loose ball & fed Westby in space who showed great footwork & acceleration to leave several defenders in his wake, O’Leary backing up looked to have broken the line, but was stopped just short. The supporting pack recycled the ball & right winger Joey Jones, with a clean slate from his clash with the coach in the previous week, scorched over in the left centre position for an excellent score, & Bowskill magic tee helped the conversion. There was still time for Castleford to score a further try before the break to give them a half time lead of 43 points to 15.

This Stocksbridge vintage have a never say die attitude, typified by the courage & commitment of back rowers Aspin & Rowett, & a rolling maul early in the second half brought a welcome reward for Rowett, who touched down after just 4 minutes to keep Stocksbridge Rugby in the game.

The try of the game, Year, Century, ever was scored by the rampaging bull that is Joe Smith. Frith took a quick tap from a penalty & found the wrecking machine in full cry, Smith powered his way fully 40 yards, smashing everything & anything in his way, & taking several defenders over the try line with him for a barnstorming, & bonus point gaining score, which Bowskill converted. Smith later claimed ‘it was a full length try’ after some refreshment. The home side were clearly rattled & had a forward sin binned for foul play, with 20 minutes left & just 16 points behind, could the valiant Stocksbridge Rugby produce an unlikely finish? The answer was an emphatic ‘NO’, the visitors just ran out of steam, the interchange bench emptied, giving Callum ‘whippet’ Green a rare first XV appearance & injuries left the team with just about enough gas to finish the game intact, as the home side produced 4 further tries to give a perhaps unrealistic final score of Castleford 71 points – Stocksbridge Rugby 27 points. Rugby can be a cruel game & the scoreline certainly doesn’t reflect the efforts of the visitors, & flatters the home side somewhat.

Stocksbridge Rugby finished a creditable 8th in Yorkshire League Division Three, in their first season back at this level, with 13 wins including victories over the Champions in the process. Afterwards Skipper Keenan paid tribute to his men ‘we have all stuck together through the good & bad of this season, & we will be stronger next Year for it’ he growled.

Head Coach Tyers commented ‘I’m proud of the lads, I don’t always tell them, but I want them to know’ adding ‘we’ve mixed it with some good Teams this season & passed most tests, there is still room for improvement, but this is a young squad & we will improve over the summer’. Tyers also paid tribute to his coaching team Mick Shouler, Steve Allott & S&C Coach Paul Pashley for their important contributions during the campaign.

Report by Andy Tyers, Head Coach