GOOLE VIKINGS 80
NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 0
JAMES CHESTNEY, Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Saturday
It was a record-breaking day for the Vikings as they ran in 15 tries against the newly re-formed North Wales Crusaders and hit a club record win.
They were up against a club that, until Friday, didn’t even know whether they would have a team to turn out for the fixture.
It had been cobbled together without a single training session, but for effort and enthusiasm they could not be faulted, despite being on the back foot for much of this game.
It didn’t start well for the Crusaders, with the kick-off going straight into touch. And within five minutes Vikings winger Connor Barley was going in for the first of a first-half hat-trick of tries. Jack Miller, who dominated this game from start to finish, failed to add the conversion but ended the game with eight successes from thirteen attempts.
His halfback partner Shane Touhey then got in on the act and he too would end the game with a hat-trick of tries. This one saw him cut through from 40 metres. The Crusaders, backed by a superb and proud band of supporters, held the Vikings at bay until the 23rd minute when full back Josh Guzdek went in for Miller’s second conversion.
The half-hour saw Barley race through some paper-thin defence and added his third a minute from half-time, but in between winger Tom Halliday added another. Miller took his goal tally to four as the home side took a 32-0 half-time lead.
It was much the same in the second half, with early tries coming from Mackenzie Harman, who would end the game with four, and one from Cooper Howlett. There was one shining light for the visitors when hooker Jamie Billsborough was held up over the line, but not before Miller had run in for a converted try to make it 48-0.
Unfortunately after this it was very much damage limitation for the Crusaders as Tuohey twice went in again around the hour as the scoreboard clicked over to 60-0. Harman added another with ten minutes to go as the Crusaders began to tire very quickly.
The final ten minutes certainly belonged to veteran Liam Watts, playing his 401st career game, who had been denied a first-half try but was going to make up for it. He landed the touchline conversion to a Harman try before ploughing his way under the posts and adding the conversion before a late Harman 60-metre effort sealed the record win for the Vikings.
VIKINGS
1 Josh Guzdek
2 Tom Halliday
6 McKenzie Harman
3 Cooper Howlett
18 Connor Barley
20 Shane Tuohey
7 Jack Miller
10 Tyler Craig
31 Will Jubb
30 Liam Watts
11 Brett Ferres
4 Keenan Tomlinson
12 Nick Staveley
Subs: (all used)
5 Callum Shaw
9 Jeylan Hodgson
22 Callum Rutland
25 Bradley Bullock
Tries: Barley (5, 30, 39), Tuohey (13, 58, 61), Guzdek (23), Halliday (35), Harman (43, 70, 76, 79), Howlett (48), Miller (55), Watts (78)
Goals: Miller 8/13, Watts 2/2
CRUSADERS
1 Isaac Wheatley
2 Lewis Holgate
3 Evan Rowlands
4 Leo Skerrett-Evans
5 James Farrar
6 Bradley Billsborough
7 Ben Dean(D)
8 Harry Coleman
9 Jamie Billsborough
10 Charles Tetley
20 Eoin Bowie
12 Will McCardle
13 Connor Terrill
Subs: (All used)
14 Ben Fisher
15 Matthew Lightfoot
16 Logan Scott
17 Jamie Fozzard
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0, 26-0, 32-0; 36-0, 42-0, 48-0, 54-0, 60-0, 64-0, 70-0, 76-0, 80-0
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match:
Vikings: Jack Miller; Crusaders: Jamie Billsborough
Penalty count: 8-2
Half-time: 32-0
Referee: Lucas Seal
Attendance: 352