NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 74 NEWCASTLE THUNDER 0
IAN RIGG, Stadiwm CSM, Sunday
NORTH WALES rampaged their way to the top of the table by scoring 14 tries – four of them by Ollie Brookes – kicking nine goals, and shutting Newcastle out.
Thunder almost scored from the kick-off as the ball came back off Lloyd Roby and George Birch collected, but he was held just short of the line, and then the chance went as the ball was lost in the next tackle.
Roby started the home points procession on three minutes as from a Newcastle kick, he raced away and went over wide out.
Newcastle had another chance but again the final pass let them down in a good position with Tom Siddle the unlucky man.
Toby Hughes put North Wales further ahead on 14 minutes from a scrum move and Jordy Gibson kicked the first of his conversion haul.
Six minutes later they were in again when Sam Wilde brushed off defenders to score on the left.
Newcastle loose-forward Tyler Walton had a good opportunity, but strong defence thwarted his efforts.
North Wales hit a purple patch from 27 minutes, when Hughes added his second from a good passing movement on the right, snd Gibson was good from the tee.
Ex-Widnes man Brookes scored the next after brushing off a couple of tacklers to score wide out, and there were two more tries just before half-time.
Shaun Costello and Josh Eaves each crossed close to the posts and Gibson converted both to take his tally to four.
From the start of the second half, Newcastle were hit by five tries, all converted, in 16 confidence-sapping minutes.
Brookes scored his second in chasing a Gibson kick, and this was followed when Brookes made a break and Paddy Jones finished it between the posts.
Then Brookes scored his third after being fed by Cole Oakley close in, Eaves struck after some good play by Gibson and Roby capitalised on a Newcastle handling error to score centrally.
Now 66-0 up, there could have been further tries for the home team, but Gibson was held up, Jack Holmes knocked on in a good position and there were a couple of forward passes before Jones was denied between the sticks.
However the scoring resumed when with seven minutes left, Brookes grabbed his fourth from a nice pass by Gibson.
The final try came on 77 minutes when powerful prop Jack Houghton couldn’t be stopped and notched out on the right.
GAMESTAR: North Wales winger Ollie Brookes contributed four well-taken tries and an assist.
GAMEBREAKER: Crusaders were just too strong in attack all game.
MATCHFACTS
CRUSADERS
1 Lloyd Roby
2 Jack Holmes
3 Kieran Taylor
12 Cole Oakley
21 Ollie Brookes
6 Toby Hughes
7 Jordy Gibson
8 Jack Houghton
14 Joe Baldwin
10 Chris Barratt
17 Matt Unsworth
11 Sam Wilde
28 Jordan Case
Subs (all used)
15 Shaun Costello
19 Josh Eaves
32 Anthony Walker
23 Paddy Jones
Tries: Roby (3, 56), Hughes (14, 27), Wilde (19), Brookes (31, 44, 49, 73), Costello (37), Eaves (40, 52), Jones (47), Houghton (77)
Goals: Gibson 9/14
THUNDER
1 James Farrar
2 Leo Bradley
3 Michael Hansen
4 Lewis Hagan
5 Sean Croston
6 Alex Donaghy
7 Charlie Yeomans
8 Tobias Gibson
9 Tom Siddle
10 Jamie Gill
11 George Birch
12 David Weetman
13 Tyler Walton
Subs (all used)
14 Will Linton
15 Lloyd Hall
17 Harry Price
16 Jacob Rennison
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0, 24-0, 30-0, 36-0; 42-0, 48-0, 54-0, 60-0, 66-0, 70-0, 74-0
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Crusaders: Ollie Brookes; Thunder: Will Linton
Penalty count: 9-2
Half-time: 36-0
Referee: Luke Bland
