Match Reports
Away form continues
Wednesday 16th April 2008 7:31PM
Caldy 43
Morley RFC 23
AFTER travelling across the Pennines with big hopes of a win that could steer them away from relegation danger, Morley found themselves plunged right back in the bottom three on Saturday after a disappointing display at Caldy.
Morley RFC 23
AFTER travelling across the Pennines with big hopes of a win that could steer them away from relegation danger, Morley found themselves plunged right back in the bottom three on Saturday after a disappointing display at Caldy.
Having already lost twice to Caldy this season, the Maroons knew what they were up against and were reasonably pleased to be well in the contest at half-time when only trailing 17-13.
But a disastrous spell early in the second half when they conceded three tries and lost key player Scott Benton to injury put paid to their chances and left them now needing to win their final game and hope relegation rivals Macclesfield slip up.
The Morley side showed two changes from the one that had produced a crucial win at home to Harrogate in the previous game with Tom Gray in at hooker and Craig Field returning in the back row in place of hamstring injury victim Ian Spence. in front of a large crowd they started well enough and were ahead on eight minutes as centre Mark Pease landed a penalty goal.
A great kick and chase by winger Jon Hampsey then forced the Caldy defence to take the ball over their own line. The resulting five metre scrum was won by Morley, but players were too slow to support when the ball was taken into the centre.
It took Caldy some time to get a real foothold in the game, but there were a few ominous signs as breaks by home backs showed a surprising fragility at the first tackle and on 24 minutes they scored the first try when centre Ben Lyon broke through the visitors' defence and Gavin Roberts added the conversion.
Morley replied with a second Pease penalty, but were soon on the defensive again and cracked on the half hour as prop Gavin Woods took advantage of weak tackling to cross the line. Full back Roberts again kicked the conversion to make it 14-6.
However, the home lead was back down to one point when the Maroons roared back. Hampsey was almost through only to turn inside rather than chance his speed on the outside, but the ball was kept alive and a rare Simon Chippendale try brought the visitors back into the game.
Pease kept up his good contribution with the boot by tagging on the conversion.
Right on half-time Roberts kicked a penalty to make it 17-13, but everything was seemingly set for a competitive second half.
So it was looking as Caldy scored again on 42 minutes, winger Craig Ross going over after crucial turnover ball had left the visitors' defence at sixes and sevens, and Morley quickly replied, through Scott Evans, following a great run and simple pass by Craig Rika, to make it 24-18.
But it all started to go wrong for the visitors once their opponents grabbed their fourth try on 50 minutes as Ben Lyon easily intercepted a pass to run in unopposed and Roberts added the conversion.
The Maroons' tackling, which had been so committed in recent weeks, was poor and Caldy continued to find holes in the defence, scoring again on 55 minutes through scrum half John Broxson.
Roberts' conversion made it 38-18 and to compound Morley's problems they were now without their original half backs as Dave Evans had been taken off and Benton then followed him off the field after suffering a recurrence of his back injury. This meant they had substitute hooker Leon Treco playing on the wing with Pease having to go to scrum half for the final quarter.
They lost replacement back Craig Emmerson for 10 minutes after he was yellow carded for retaliation and conceded again on 76 minutes with centre Marcus Coast going over. Player-coach Matt Holt was given the opportunity in his last home match before retiring to kick the conversion, but he missed.
At least the Maroons kept going right to the finish and were rewarded with a third try when Field we nt over again, brushing two tacklers off on a typical burst. There was too little time, however, to add a fourth and collect a bonus point and it was a very disappointed Morley contingent that travelled back home empty handed.
Caldy: Roberts; Devaney, B Lyon, Coast, Ross; Pennington, Broxson; Woods, Holt, Salisbury, White, Bradshaw, Mercer, J Lyon, Dickinson. Replacements (all used): Murray, Dowridge, Renfry, Wise.
Morley: S Evans; Ash, Pease, Murphy, Hampsey; D Evans, Benton; Gabriel, Gray, Benn, Rika, Chippendale, Field, Hewetson, Challinor. Replacements (all used): Dodgson, Wilson, Treco, Emmerson.
Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice
Scorers: Caldy: Tries, B Lyon 2, Woods, Ross, Broxson, Coast. Conversions, Roberts 5. Penalty, Roberts. Morley: Tries, Chippendale, S Evans, Field. Conversion, Pease. Penalties, Pease 2.
Right on half-time Roberts kicked a penalty to make it 17-13, but everything was seemingly set for a competitive second half.
So it was looking as Caldy scored again on 42 minutes, winger Craig Ross going over after crucial turnover ball had left the visitors' defence at sixes and sevens, and Morley quickly replied, through Scott Evans, following a great run and simple pass by Craig Rika, to make it 24-18.
But it all started to go wrong for the visitors once their opponents grabbed their fourth try on 50 minutes as Ben Lyon easily intercepted a pass to run in unopposed and Roberts added the conversion.
The Maroons' tackling, which had been so committed in recent weeks, was poor and Caldy continued to find holes in the defence, scoring again on 55 minutes through scrum half John Broxson.
Roberts' conversion made it 38-18 and to compound Morley's problems they were now without their original half backs as Dave Evans had been taken off and Benton then followed him off the field after suffering a recurrence of his back injury. This meant they had substitute hooker Leon Treco playing on the wing with Pease having to go to scrum half for the final quarter.
They lost replacement back Craig Emmerson for 10 minutes after he was yellow carded for retaliation and conceded again on 76 minutes with centre Marcus Coast going over. Player-coach Matt Holt was given the opportunity in his last home match before retiring to kick the conversion, but he missed.
At least the Maroons kept going right to the finish and were rewarded with a third try when Field we nt over again, brushing two tacklers off on a typical burst. There was too little time, however, to add a fourth and collect a bonus point and it was a very disappointed Morley contingent that travelled back home empty handed.
Caldy: Roberts; Devaney, B Lyon, Coast, Ross; Pennington, Broxson; Woods, Holt, Salisbury, White, Bradshaw, Mercer, J Lyon, Dickinson. Replacements (all used): Murray, Dowridge, Renfry, Wise.
Morley: S Evans; Ash, Pease, Murphy, Hampsey; D Evans, Benton; Gabriel, Gray, Benn, Rika, Chippendale, Field, Hewetson, Challinor. Replacements (all used): Dodgson, Wilson, Treco, Emmerson.
Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice
Scorers: Caldy: Tries, B Lyon 2, Woods, Ross, Broxson, Coast. Conversions, Roberts 5. Penalty, Roberts. Morley: Tries, Chippendale, S Evans, Field. Conversion, Pease. Penalties, Pease 2.
The full article contains 460 words and appears in Morley Advertiser newspaper.
