Sat 11 Feb 2023
A short trip over the hill to Rotherham to face 2ndplace Phoenix ended in defeat for Globe Holidays sponsored Stocksbridge Rugby, but not before they gave the home side a real scare with a robust & committed performance. With Rees ‘diesel’ Aspin unavailable due to a wok incident, Head Coach Andy Lawrence shuffled the versatile Liam O’Leary into the back row, whilst Jordan ‘spud’ Fletcher was recalled to the engine room to cover for ‘slammin’ Sam Whittaker struggling with an ankle problem. Stocksbridge also fielded six under 20’s in their starting line up : Crosby, Norman, Hannah, young Christopherson & 2 x Martins, who all gave a good account of themselves, & will no doubt feature more often in the 1st XV. The game, at Herringthorpe playing fields was very even for the first 30 minutes or so, both sides enjoyed territory & possession in equal measures, & you could sense the frustration from the home side, of not having all the game their own way. Several Phoenix players earned the wrath of the official, leaking penalties & being marched a further 10 metres for some backchat, so it was a surprise & completely against the run of play when Stocksbridge talisman, skipper & scrum half, that man Adam Frith received a yellow card & 10 minutes in the sin bin for a ruck offence. The visitors also lost prop Ricky ‘rooney’ James (back) & bustling centre Ben Tyers (groin) to injury before the break, to be replaced by rampaging bull Joe Smith & Pat O’Leary respectively. Just as Frith returned to the fray, centre Jack Pearson received a further yellow card, & Stocksbridge faced another 10 minutes with 14 men. The blue wall creaked, & eventually the home side found some fluency & crossed the line for 2 scores late in the first half, to leave the half time score : Rotherham Phoenix 14pts – Stocksbridge Rugby nil. Coach Lawrence rallied his troops during the interval, & Stocksbridge again took the game to their illustrious opponents, matching them in almost every department. A breathtaking line break by Smith was supported by ‘clock tower’ Beal & the ever eager Pat O’Leary, & nearly resulted in a 45 metre score, but the cover defence kept Stocksbridge at bay. More good defence from the visitors lead to pressure on the home defence & eventually Liam O’Leary forced his way over from close range to get Stocksbridge back in the contest, the trusty boot of Jack Pearson, sponsored by Hamshaw Plumbing adding the conversion. Was there a shock on the cards ? The power of the Phoenix pick & go, & their close support game had Stocksbridge scrambling in defence, but the home side managed 2 further scores to take the game away from the plucky visitors. Nearing the final whistle, 2nd row Whittaker clearly grounded the ball for a further Stocksbridge score, astonishingly & annoyingly unseen by the over officious official ! Whittaker’s subsequent comments earned him a yellow card, the 3rd for the travelling Stocksbridge squad. Final score : Rotherham Phoenix 24pts – Stocksbridge Rugby 7pts, a scoreline which doesn’t do justice to the effort & character displayed by the visitors. The Fox Catering Man of the Match went to centre Jack Pearson for a battling display, Beal, young gun Crosby & that man Frith also featured heavily in a pretty solid team performance. ‘they know they’ve been in a tough game’ said Head Coach Andy Lawrence afterwards, adding ‘we showed a lot of grit & determination here, & the young lads in particular worked hard, we move onto next week’. Stocksbridge Rugby will travel in good spirit to Hessle next week, to play under the shadow of the Humber Bridge, before the next home fixture against lowly Knaresborough at Coal Pit Lane on 25th February, kick off 2.15pm.
Report written by Andrew Tyer
