GOOLE VIKINGS 80 NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 0
JAMES CHESTNEY, Victoria Pleasure Grounds
IT was a record-breaking day for the Vikings as they ran in 15 tries against the newly formed North Wales Crusaders and hit a club record win.
It was also a momentous day for prop Liam Watts who racked up his 400th appearance in what has been a great career.
They were up against a club who, not until Friday evening, didn’t even know if they would have a team to turn out for the fixture.
Yes 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.
Things didn’t start well for the visitors 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 13 attempts.
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 fullback Josh Guzdek went in as Miller converted.
Barley raced 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 went in at half-time with a satisfactory 32-0 lead.
It was much the same in the second period 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 ran 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 ticked over to 60-0.
Harman added another with ten minutes to go as the Crusaders began to tire
The final ten minutes certainly belonged to Watts who had been denied a first-half try.
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 (D)
2 Lewis Holgate (D)
3 Evan Rowlands (D)
4 Leo Skerrett-Evans (D)
5 James Farrar (D)
6 Bradley Billsborough (D)
7 Ben Dean (D)
8 Harry Coleman (D)
9 Jamie Billsborough (D)
10 Charles Tetley (D)
20 Eoin Bowie (D)
12 Will McCardle (D)
13 Connor Terrill (D)
Subs (all used)
14 Ben Fisher (D)
15 Matthew Lightfoot (D)
16 Logan Scott (D)
17 Jamie Fozzard (D)
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