NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 18 MIDLANDS HURRICANES 56
IAN GOLDEN, Stadiwm Eirias, Sunday

MIDLANDS had eleven different try-scorers as they took the spoils in ‘El Expansico’ – and while it took the Birmingham team a time to get going, once they started, they couldn’t stop.

The match was generally played in good spirits, with the first penalty not until the 24th minute.

The visitors had gone ahead seven minutes earlier after North Wales lost the ball in the tackle after a scrum, with Ryan Johnson crossing wide out.

As Crusaders looked to level, the high winds led to something rarely seen – a 100-metre goal-line drop-out, leading to a 20-metre restart.

From the resulting attack, North Wales went close again. Junior Westwood’s grubber wasn’t collected, leading to another goal-line drop-out. This one only went half the length of the pitch, and the home side looked to have scored, but obstruction was called.

That was where the match turned Midlands’ way. They took just three tackles to go from one end of the field to the other, scoring after Sully Medforth sold a neat dummy to cruise over.

The third try came from the kick-off as Todd Horner opened up the defence, slipping the ball to Lewis Else, who had time to place the ball between the sticks. Medforth landed the first of six conversions from his eleven attempts.

Midlands continued their scoring spree by going back-to-back again as Zeus Silk crashed through the Crusaders’ line, and six minutes after being 4-0 up, it was 20-0.

North Wales really needed to get the first try after the break and it didn’t take them long, as following a penalty, Pat Moran scored under the bar and Dec Patton goaled.

But it didn’t take Midlands long to respond. Following a six-again, Toby Warren slipped in under the sticks and Medforth added his third conversion.

The second-city side were now making it look easy. Aidan McGowan made a 50-metre run where he should really have been stopped a few times and that ended with Oliver Roberts placing the ball over the line.

It wasn’t quite from kick-off, but Midlands soon scored their seventh try. They regained the ball from a scrum on North Wales’ ten-metre line and Luis Roberts found the going easy to score and make it 36-6.

A good passing move created their eighth as McGowan scored wide out, then after winning a penalty, then a six-again, Midlands continued to punish the undisciplined hosts by scoring their ninth try. Jon Luke Kirby twisted his way over and Medforth added the two.

Try number ten came from kick-off. Matty Chrimes created space down his wing to run home and bring up the half-century.

Again from kick-off, Aiden Roden cantered through a now-deflated North Wales defence for the next try, which Medforth improved for 56-6.

Patrick Ah Van did give the scoreline a slight bit of credibility as he notched two late tries, both wide out but well converted by Patton, but that didn’t detract from Midlands’ celebrations.

GAMESTAR: It’s tough to select one when there were eleven different scorers, but Midlands secondrow Toby Warren put in a good shift.

GAMEBREAKER: Try numbers six. Oliver Roberts try was the second in a long spell of second-half scoring for the Hurricanes and maintained their momentum.

MATCHFACTS

CRUSADERS
18 Junior Westwood
26 Patrick Ah Van
3 Lucas Tyrer
23 Greg Eden
5 Luke Forber
6 Dec Patton
7 Jordy Gibson
21 Huw Worthington
14 Joe Baldwin
16 Mark Ioane
11 Brad England
12 Cole Oakley
13 Pat Moran
Subs (all used)
10 Tomo Clark
19 Maciu Nabogi
17 Ashton Robinson
27 Bailey Pemberton

Tries: Moran (45), Ah Van (78, 80)
Goals: Patton 3/3

HURRICANES
1 Todd Horner
2 Matty Chrimes
3 Ryan Johnson
5 Luis Roberts
23 Aidan McGowan
19 Sully Medforth
7 Lewis Else
8 Jon Luke Kirby
9 Aiden Roden
10 Tyler Dickinson
20 Toby Warren
12 Oliver Roberts
14 Brandon Moore
Subs (all used)
11 Tom Wilkinson
13 Mikey Wood
16 Zeus Silk
28 Isaac Shaw

Tries: Johnson (17), Medforth (30), Else (32), Silk (35), Warren (49), O Roberts (54), L Roberts (58), McGowan (64), Kirby (70), Chrimes (73), Roden (75)
Goals: Medforth 6/11

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-8, 0-14, 0-20; 6-20, 6-26, 6-32, 6-36, 6-40, 6-46, 6-50, 6-56, 12-56, 18-56

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Crusaders: Joe Baldwin; Hurricanes: Toby Warren

Penalty count: 6-6
Half-time: 0-20
Referee: Matty Lynn
Attendance: 300