Crosfields V Ince Rose Bridge Saturday 6Th April 2019 Crosfields ARLFC - Club Officials
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Kingstone Press National Conference League Division Two Crosfields V Ince Rose Bridge Saturday 6th April 2019 Crosfields ARLFC - Club Officials Life President Colin Webb Vice Presidents Pat Gibbons, Annette Parker, Tony Parker, Neil Stephenson Chair Mike Donnison Secretary Tony Parker Committee Dominic Caswell, Chris Hull, Matt Mahoney, Annette Parker, Steve Pickersgill Head Coach Ian Boden Assistants Chris Hull, Matt Wilson Alliance Coach Andrew “Franco” Campbell Assistant Lou Walsh Junior Section Chair Lewis Worthington Secretary Kate Hall Treasurer Jeanette Buller Subs Secretary Jackie Thomason Welfare Officer Tammy Smith Crosfields ARLFC – Chair’s Welcome Good afternoon and a warm welcome to Crosfields ARLFC at the Webb Security Recreation Ground. Today, we welcome the players, supporters and officials from Ince Rose Bridge, for today’s Kingstone Press NCL Division Two Round Six game. Ince Rose Bridge have had a great start to the season, winning four out of five games, including a 56-20 victory over East Leeds last week, which puts them top of the division. Daniel Cassidy has been their star player, so far this season, scoring 6 tries, 6 goals and a drop goal, whilst picking up 3 man of the match awards. In-form hooker Matthew Meaden has picked up 4 tries in 4 games, including a hat-trick last week. Crosfields returned to winning ways, with a well-earned win against previously unbeaten Hull Dockers. Billy Sheen scored a hat-trick on his return and Hayden James picked up his second man of the match award. The victory lifted Crosfields from sixth to second. So today’s encounter sees 2nd v 1st in what should be a pulsating match here at the Webb Security Recreation Ground, where Crosfields remain unbeaten at home this season and coach Ian Boden is determined to keep that record in tact. Today, we also welcome Golborne Masters as they take on Crosfields Masters and include an article published on rugby-league.com outlining the experiences of Crosfields Master, John Heritage. A couple of months ago, one of our players Dan Worrall had a serious accident. Further in today’s programme is information about forth-coming fund-raising events and a GOFUNDME page, as friends and colleagues of Dan look to raise funds for a prosthetic leg. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Crosfields winning the BNFL BARLA National Cup. Throughout the season, we will take trips down memory lane to celebrate the achievement and will hold a special re-union day, on Saturday 22nd June 2019. Today, Round Three, Crosfields v Villa (Hull). Our Sponsor Focus today is on Webb Security, who have supported the club over a number of years and provide a fantastic service to their customers. I thank Craig and his team and all our sponsors, for their continued support. Good luck to everyone involved today. Yours in Sport, Crosfields ARLFC – Next at the Webb Security Recreation Ground Sunday 7th April 2019 9:30am - U7s v Ashton Bears 10:30am - U12s Cobras v Leigh Miners Rangers 10:30am - U14s v Wigan St Jude’s 11:00am - U8s Adders v West Bank Bears 11:00am - U10s Cobras v Cadishead 11:45am - U11s Cobras v Ashton Bears 11:45am - U16s v Woolston Saturday 13th April 2019 NWML Division Three 2:30pm Alliance v Woolston Rovers A Saturday 27th April 2019 Kingston Press NCL Division Two 2:30pm Crosfields v Barrow Island Crosfields ARLFC – In My View, by Phil Hodgson RUGBY League – or any other sport – is easy, at least if you’re watching from the sidelines. There were plenty of folk around who will have expressed, some vociferously, their frustration when Paul McShane opted, when close to the Leeds Rhinos’ posts towards the end of Castleford Tigers’ Betfred Super League match at Emerald Headingley nine days ago, to drive for the line rather than pass the ball to halfback Jake Trueman, who was ready and waiting to land what could have been the winning drop-goal. The ploy didn’t work, the Rhinos holding the hooker out and going on to win the game through Brad Dyer’s unlikely golden- point drop-goal. McShane was as upset with himself as anyone afterwards, and may well have had in his mind what he might have said if any of his Hunslet Club Parkside players, who, with Martin Rowse and Sam Thorpe, he steered to last year’s Kingstone Press National Conference League title, made the same mistake. But I have to ask myself, am I being far too harsh in describing it as a mistake? If McShane had managed to dot the ball down for what would almost certainly have been the match-winner he would no doubt have been hailed as a hero, although I reckon his coach Daryl Powell might have had a quiet word. Maybe we have to get into Macca’s mind-set to seek to establish why he did what he did. First of all, the stance of Powell and his fellow coaches Ryan Sheridan and Danny Orr is that their players should play what they see. On that basis it’s likely that McShane, in that split second when he got the ball, thought he saw a gap, and went for it. Given how poor the Rhino’s goal-line defence had been in previous games (although not in that particular match, it has to be said) you can’t really blame him too much for going for the line. It strikes me, too, that one or two other issues may have come into play. Paul McShane is clearly more than good enough to play for England or Great Britain but it’s his misfortune that we happen to be very well off for hookers, with the likes of James Roby, Josh Hodgson and Daryl Clark, not to mention Danny Houghton, also in the frame. He is, in the opinion of many good judges, very unlucky to have been overlooked for so long and you can’t therefore blame him for wanting to come up with something special in an effort to impress the selectors. Then, of course, he happened to be playing against Leeds, who had deemed him to be surplus to requirements. He wouldn’t be human if he hadn’t wanted to take the chance to really make his mark against a Rhinos outfit that clearly made a mistake in letting him go. I’m sure that Paul McShane will put the episode behind him and, hopefully, get that international cap. Crosfields ARLFC – NCL Sponsors Crosfields ARLFC – Round Five – First Half Saturday 30th March 2019 - Crosfields 38 Hull Dockers 18 And the opposition just keep getting bigger. Following up against big sides from Bradford Dudley Hill and East Leeds, Hull Dockers lifted it up another level. The experience of the previous games was useful to Crosfields and key changes in direction play came to fruition, as Crosfields kept their 100% home record intact. It was an end to end opening as the teams traded sets and went close to scoring. Crosfields thought that they had drawn first blood, when Jack Reid switched the play to hit Phil Brazendale on the charge and over the line, only to be brought back for a forward pass. Hull Dockers pack made plenty of ground on each set. No missed tackles from Crosfields, but they had to work hard to ground their opposition. Dave Bade crashed over the line from close, but a great effort stopped him from grounding the ball. Minutes later, however Crosfields were caught cold on the wide, when a miss-pass hit winger Mike Gawan for the opening try and a nil-4 lead. After 15 minutes, Crosfields received the first penalty of the game and applied the pressure, but a loose pass was intercepted. The initial break was halted, but the ball was moved quickly to the left for Dan Suddaby to go over. Ben Rowan converted for nil-10. Just before the half hour, Billy Sheen was introduced to the fray, for his first game of the season. Crosfields applied the pressure and a penalty gave consecutive sets. Strong drives took the home side close, but they couldn’t break the solid pack. With Hull Dockers closely monitoring Reid, Sheen took full advantage a of a bit of space to step and force his way over the line. Reid converted to reduce the arrears at 6-10. Crosfields stepped up the pace. Quicker play the balls and more movement away from the ruck had the opposition on the back foot. An up and under was dropped and from the set scrum, Sheen outpaced the defence to go over. Reid’s conversion put Crosfields in front at 12-10. Unfortunately, Crosfields gave Hull Dockers the opportunity to hit straight back, by dropping the ball from the restart. The big pack had one last foray and ground the defence down, with Jon Eccles finally crashing over for a try. Rowan’s conversion gave the visitors the half time lead at 12-16. Crosfields ARLFC – Round Five – Second Half Saturday 30th March 2019 - Crosfields 38 Hull Dockers 18 An injury to Jack Lewis, early in the second half, forced a re-shuffle in the Crosfields’ ranks, with John Whittaker taking up the full back role. One of the Crosfields players lost his composure and gave away a penalty, when in possession. Rowan stepped up and gave his side a 12-18, but it was the last score in the game for his team. Defences were tight from both teams. Soap forced a knock on in the visitors’ 20 metres and set the platform with steady drives to the line.