The players were met with fine conditions at Coal Pit Lane as Stocksbridge hoped to push on from a positive performance away at Castleford to take their first win of the season against travelling side Leeds Modernians.

Stocksbridge had made excellent preparations for the game with a well-executed warm up and were ready to take the fight to the Mods early on. They threatened several times with good field position but persistent errors with ball in hand meant Leeds were constantly able to clear their lines and play in the Stocksbridge half of the field.

An early injury in contact to ‘the Deepcar Express’ Stefan Kazmierski handed a first run out to debutant Will Archer in the centres, looking to impress during his first appearance for the club.

It was the away side that drew first blood despite early pressure from Stocksbridge. Leeds had created a number of overlaps in the wide channels without any joy, however a nicely weighted kick through towards the line provided an opportunity too good to miss for the chasing full back. A missed conversation left the score at 0-5.

For the second week running Stocksbridge showed excellent character to respond immediately with a score of their own; well controlled phases in the forward pack successfully attracted defensive players from out wide, and once the space was there fly half Paul Kelly pulled the trigger and fired the ball out left for Will Archer to dot down on debut. The two points were added by returning full back Scott Bowskill to nudge Stockbridge into a slight lead.

Errors continued to plague the home side during the first half and it was Leeds who came closest to adding a further score before the break. As with their first try, the space was seen in behind and the ball was stabbed through into the in goal area for pursuit. Mike Quinn was able to win the foot race and ground the ball safely to see Stocksbridge hold a slender lead into the break at 7-5.

Stocksbridge were able to increase their lead shortly after the restart; a cross-field kick was expertly gathered by Joe Jones (sponsored by Phillip Watts) 50 metres out and, with the full back still to beat, he was able to race away to score under the posts. Again, the extras were converted to take the scoreline to 14-5.

It was at this stage in the game Stocksbridge began to utilise their bench, bolstering their grunt in both the forward pack and the back line with the additions of Joe Smith to the front row and Liam O’Leary into the centres.

There began an exchange of penalty goals between the two battling sides throughout the second half, and with Bowskill proving more potent with the kicking tee Stocksbridge saw their lead grow to 12 points with just over fifteen minutes left on the clock. 20-8 the score.

A commanding position for Stocksbridge, however Leeds were not prepared to go down without a fight. Good support lines around the fringes of the ruck saw them edge closer and closer to the whitewash, and a well taken pick and drive saw Leeds register their second try of the afternoon. The game resumed at 20-15.

Having controlled the game well through the second half errors began to creep in Stocksbridge’s play, and the penalties came against the home side at the breakdown. Leeds took advantage of the possession in positive territory to get across the line a third time with a non-converted try to level the game.

With a few minutes left to play there was time for Stocksbridge to regain their lead. However, too eager to force the ball out of contact the ball was spilled into the path of the Leeds full back, who danced through the broken defensive line to take what proved to be the decisive points on the day for his side with a try out wide.

With 45 seconds on the clock the home side rallied and were able to secure possession from the kickoff via a Pete Newton turnover. Route one rugby was adopted with the forward pack carrying hard from the base of the ruck, advancing to the opponents 5m line thanks to powerful surges from the tireless Andrew Beal and Ben Brown, but as the ball became unplayable there was no time for the scrum and the match ended 25 points to 20 in favour of the travelling side.

Back rower Ricky Rowett (sponsored by The Gentleman Fox Barbershop) was deservedly awarded Man of the Match for his dogged performance in the loose, his presence was certainly missed after he was forced off the field with an ankle injury on the hour mark.

As has been the story for Stocksbridge in the opening fixtures, long periods of excellent play in both attack and defence highlight the ability within this team to win matches, however they are still waiting for that complete 80 minute performance to bring 4 points to the bridge.

Match report by Michael Quinn