BARLA COUNTY TRI SERIES MATCH REPORTS

[Honor James]

YORKSHIRE ARL UNDER 19’S 14 - CUMBRIA ARL UNDER 19’S 30

It was agony and ecstasy at Elmpark Way as Yorkshire lost their final game of the BARLA Counties Under 19’s Tri Series Championship to an impressive Cumbria side who led 81-4 at the break. The defeat see’s Yorkshire finish with the wooden spoon and a Tri Series decider next Sunday 25th November at Wath Brow Hornets ARLFC when Lancashire will be going for the sixth title.

For Yorkshire it was the same story as last week starting strongly giving away a try and conceding back to back tries in last six minutes of the half. Although the sides swapped back to back braces of tries in the second half man of the match Cumbria hooker Nathen Lewcock’s double on either side of the whistle saw the visitors home were their pack and backs shaded it. Yorkshire gave everything and things looked good when they got back into the game and the pack went well as did diminutive winger Arnold Mawere who took every hit dished out at him, got up for some more and then went to hooker and showed that he could tackle the Cumbria forwards as he could tackle their backs.

Yorkshire dominated the opening exchanges and thanks to penalties put the pressure on Cumbria but their defence held firm. They were rewarded with a break out try on their opening attack on six minutes when centre Jack Clarke cut looser and went through a large hole to break away and score from 40 metres and also add the extras.

Following a penalty Cumbria sniffed a second ten metres from the tryline but as Lewis Beckwith passed out wide to Mathew Holmes winger Ged Goddard intercepted and streaked 90 metres to score in the corner to cut the lead to two points. Both packs went for it Jorge Fairbank, Callum Lane and Billy Grimmer for the home side and Gary Tierney, Ethan Kelly, Leon Crellin and Perry Singleton to the fore in making giant yards on the back of Lewcock who made some great busts and breaks with ball in hand.

There was a bit of biff on 24 minutes which saw Tom Hall and Bradley Smith of Yorkshire and Cumbria have a ten minute rest and seconds prior to thirteen aside Cumbria struck to double their points after Yorkshire had lost the ball on their own five metre line following a scrum and gave a penalty away. On the third tackle Beckwith found Crellin who passed out wide for Ryan Barns to score out wide. Clare added the extras as he did on the stroke of half time after the supporting Lewcock went in from 20 metres after a superb bust downfield by Tierney.

Yorkshire began brightly and it looked game on when Dan Cure scored out wide on 42 minutes after Mason Bailey had put the ball out to Will Milner and Milner added the extras to cut the lead to eight points. Yorkshire indiscipline let them down as they were trying to get another foothold five minutes later and Lewcock made them pay as he drove over from close range by the posts.

The home side scored their final try of the campaign when Dougie Foster took Scott Collinson’s pass out wide to score in the corner to cut the gap to ten on 53 minutes but Cumbria had the last word with fifteen minutes to go when they pressed the Yorkshire line and Beckwith found Singleton to crash over out wide for a try with was superbly converted by Beckwith from the touchline.

YORKSHIRE ARL UNDER 19’S: 1. Will Milner, 2. Ged Goddard, 3. Dan Cure, 4. Declan Tomlinson, 5. Arnold Mawere, 6. Mason Bailey, 7. Scott Collinson, 8. Callum Lane, 9. Billy Grimmer, 10. Jorge Fairbank, 11. Troy Anderson, 12. Jed Carter, 13. Tom Hall. Subs: 14. Dougie Foster, 15. Matt Faulkner, 16. Richard Sansan, 17. Travis Jones.

Tries: Goddard 9, Cure 42, Foster 53

Goals: Collinson 0/1, Milner 1/2

CUMBRIA ARL UNDER 19’S: 1. Nial Miller, 2. Ben Garner, 3. Jack Stainton, 4. Jack Clarke, 5. Ryan Barns, 6. Lewis Beckwith, 7. Bradley Smith, 8. Gary Tierney, 9. Nathen Lewcock, 10. Ethan Kelly, 11. Mathew Holmes, 12. Leon Crellin, 13. Perry Singleton. Subs: 14. Steven Smith, 15. Reece O’Neil, 16. Ryan Watson, 17. Les Saunders.

Tries: Clarke 6, Barns 24, Lewcock 40, 47, Singleton 65

Goals: Clare 4/4, Beckwith 1/1

Man of the Match: Nathen Lewcock (Cumbria)

YORKSHIRE ARL 14 CUMBRIA ARL 32

Another day of disasters for Yorkshire as their dramatic fall from grace was confirmed after this comprehensive defeat from current champions Cumbria who after three tries in each half recorded their first away win in the ‘White Rose’ county for ten years. The loss saw Yorkshire lose both games in a series for the first time in ten years which also saw them collect the wooden spoon for the first time in a decade.

The home side were hoping to recover from the heavy loss in Lancashire seven days ago but the side were outplayed for the majority of the game, although a late flourish saw them have the last in the final seven minutes as Cumbria led 32-4. But for Sam Dowsett’s three from six conversions for Cumbria the defeat could have been larger.

It now sets up a winner takes all in the BARLA Counties Open Age Tri Series Championship at Wath Brow Hornets ARLFC next Sunday 25th November. Cumbria were outstanding from one to seventeen but the game breaker and man of the match was Adam Nicholson who scored a brace of tries at centre after having played as a prop for his country two months earlier. For Yorkshire all the side battled gamely for each other with Carl Puckering standing out with his kicking game and trying to get the pack and backs moving.

Although there was no scoring in the opening quarter the game was mainly played in the Yorkshire half with Cumbria pack getting on top on the back of penalties and poor Yorkshire ball retention in their own half. The Yorkshire defence held out well but the dam was finally breached on 21 minutes following another penalty against them. Cumbria moved downfield as a result and Dowsett found Sam Forrester who passed out wide to Nicholson on the crash and his momentum saw him blast over to score to make it 4-0.

Three minutes later Cumbria thought they had doubled their lead when following quick hands down the line saw Stuart Tippitt score but to everyone’s astonishment the try was chalked off for a forward pass. On 28 minutes though they increased the lead following another penalty on the fourth tackle as Nicholson completed his brace after taking a drop off pass from Dowsett and driving over despite defenders in front of him, and Dowsett added the extras. Cumbria were in complete command as Yorkshire struggled to make inroads into the Cumbria half and the visitors increased their lead with a slice of luck which summed up the home side’s day.

On 34 minutes after Marcus O’Bren and Richard George had orchestrated the move Dowsett put an angled grubber ingoal, fullback Pat Foulstone over-ran back to recover the ball and slipped in a wet ingoal area and Tippitt chasing the grubber touched down for another six pointer.

Then on the interval Dowsett kicked a penalty to make up for his previous miss to send his side into the break with a commanding 16-0 lead. Yorkshire need to score first to have any hope of a comeback and it looked on after 42 minutes as Jack Ridsdill got on the end of a Puckering angled grubber on the last to score in the corner to leave them two converted tries behind.

The comeback was short lived with two Cumbria tries in eight minutes. Following another penalty Cumbria went downfield and from the play the ball George sliced through the Yorkshire defence for a fine individual effort and Dowsett added the extras. They got some luck on 56 minutes when Nicholson perhaps should have been penalised for a double movement as he attempted to complete his hat-trick. It was ignored and on the next play George’s run-around with Nicholson found Tippitt to score his second in the corner to make it 26-4.

Yorkshire got more ball but Cumbria’s defence put the big tackles in and they increased the lead on 67 minutes when they attacked down the right channel and Lee Edmondsen burrowed over in the corner and Dowsett converted superbly from the corner.

Although it was still to be their heaviest ever defeat to Cumbria, Yorkshire finished off with some pride with a brace of tries. On 73 minutes following back to back sets Chris Vogel barged his way over withy Puckering adding the extras from the touchline and three minutes later Stuart Smith put a cut out pass for Ridsdill to score his second all too little too late.

YORKSHIRE ARL: 1. Pat Foulstone, 2. Jack Ridsdill, 3. Stuart Smith, 4. Adam Sellars, 5. Tom Moorby, 6. Danny Rouse, 7. Carl Puckering, 8. Zak Johnson, 9. Tommy Harrison, 10. Tom Richardson, 11. Jon Eccles, 12. Tom Radley, 13. Scott Mountain. Subs: 14. James Delaney, 15. Chris Bingham, 16. Lee Cator, 17. Chris Vogel

Tries: Ridsdill 42, 76, Vogel 73

Goals: Puckering 1/3

CUMBRIA ARL: 1. Sam Forrester, 2. Stuart Tippitt, 3. James Duran, 4. Adam Nicholson, 5. Richard Donaghue, 6. Richard George, 7. Sam Dowsett, 8. David Lowery, 9. Lee Edmondson, 10. Jonny Goulding, 11. Paul Lowery, 12. Paul Carter, 13. Tom Spedding. Subs: 14. Marcus O’Brien, 15. Jack Sutherland, 16. Steve Scholey, 17. Daniel Laisby.

Tries: Nicholson 21, 28, Tippitt 34, 56, George 48, Edmondson 67

Goals: Dowsett 4/7

Man of the Match: Adam Nicholson (Cumbria)

Steve Manning

BARLA Media Manager