Rishworthian start their season with a win over local rivals
Match report Sunday 13th September Friendly
The first 20 minutes of the match characterised the game with some strong play by both teams but with Rishworthians having to soak up a lot of pressure. This they did with good tackling in the forwards and the backs and when they got possession, the team worked together to move the ball wide. This paid off when Hayes went over for the first try of the season after a well worked team move. Kelly was unlucky with a well struck conversion from out wide. YMCA pressured after this and worked their angles well in the backs in attempts to break down Rishworthians' defence but Rishworthians held up well and strong play by the forwards and good tackling all round kept the score to a respectable 5 - 0 at half time. Half Time: Rishworthians 5 - 0 Huddersfield YMCA YMCA came out strongly in the second half with their pack starting to dominate the scrums. The lineouts were a bit of a lottery as both teams come to terms with the new skills required for lifting. Some reshuffles amongst the subs saw a changed team playing for Rishworthians for most of the half and it took a while for the forwards to settle down and the backs lost a little of their confidence to run possession. YMCA worked hard in this period to get back on terms and the pressure eventually paid off. A good break by their excellent Number 10 created space for the backs to move the ball and despite some strong last minute tackling by Rishworthians, the opposition bundled over for their first points. A good conversion from close to the line tipped the balance in favour of YMCA who played the next period of the game with a 5-7 lead. This is where YMCA would have pressed their advantage home last season and they mounted attack after attack though all 15 players. Good defensive play by Rishworthians forwards kept them out and excellent kicking from hand under pressure by Ledgard and Kelly relieved the pressure time and time again. The good defensive play paid off as Rishworthians got back into the game and, once in possession, they broke out of their half and into the oppositions 22. A series of well worked set pieces by the forwards with good support from the backs saw Ledgard slice through from 15 metres for the decisive try close the posts. The conversion by Kelly put Rishworthians 5 points ahead with YMCA needing a try to level the match with five minutes to play. Rishworthians kept up their excellent defensive work and never looked like relinquishing the lead a second time and ran out winners of an excellent, competitive match. Final Score: Rishworthians 12 - 7 Huddersfield YMCA Man of the Match: Joel Broadbent
This was a perfect start to the season for the Rishworthian U16s with a good squad turnout and a well deserved win against local rivals Huddersfield YMCA. Over the past two seasons, YMCA have dominated this fixture but on the back of a good end of season run, Rishworthians turned up with the right attitude, an excellent defensive line against a strong running team and some incisive rugby in their opponents 22.
Click here to view Huddersfield YMCA website
| Team | ||||
| 1. Fowles | 2. Illingworth | 3. Thomson | ||
| 6. Mansell | 7. Broadbent | |||
| 4. Zientek | 5. Collett | |||
| 8. Seleznev | ||||
| 9. Cowey | ||||
| 10. Ledgard T | ||||
| 12. Kelly C | ||||
| 13. A Watkins | ||||
| 11. Percival | 14. Bottomley | |||
| 15. Hayes T | ||||
| Subs | ||||
| Floyd | Smart | Effenfield-Nann | Jones | T Hurst |