MIDLANDS HURRICANES coach Mark Dunning is happy to have finally been able to hand backrower Louis Beattie his senior debut.
It’s a sign of the squad the Birmingham club’s boss has built that he was able to make seven changes to his 17 for the Challenge Cup second-round clash with Aberavon Fighting Irish.
Along with 20-year-old Beattie, the son of Dunning’s assistant Leigh Beattie, there were club bows for Cian Tyrer, signed from Oldham, and Owen Restall (Halifax) on the wings, Isaac Shaw (Salford) at prop and Oliver Roberts (Sheffield) in the second row.
Dunning also included frontrowers Elliott Morris and Kieran Moran after they missed out on the opening league game, a 28-10 home defeat by Newcastle.
Four new club records, going back to when the original Coventry Bears joined the professional ranks in 2015 (the Midlands rebrand and move to Birmingham came in 2022), were established as the Welsh amateurs were thumped 110-0 to clinch a third-round visit to Keighley this weekend.
It was a highest-ever score, beating Midlands’ 72-6 victory at Cornwall in April 2024, while Restall’s five tries and Sully Medforth’s 14 goals and 28 points in total also surpassed the previous marks, set by Liam Welham (four tries) and Jake Sweeting (twelve goals and 28 points), also in 2024.
“We felt the best way to show respect to the opposition was to do our jobs as well as possible,” explained Dunning.
“If we’d taken our eye off the ball it could have been sticky, so we challenged the boys to be as professional as they could be.
“It was all about keeping to the task, and I was pleased with the way they did that.”
Midlands signed former Bradford Academy player Beattie a year ago, but he struggled with injuries last season.
“Louis did it tough, and his confidence was dented a bit, but we know the potential in him, and it was good to see him out there,” said Dunning.