Yorkshire Cup

 

This week a depleted Morley U11s team travelled to Sandal, Wakefield for a taste of Yorkshire Cup action. The opposition being two other Leeds based sides, Roundhegians and Leodiensian (try saying that late on a Saturday night), with only one side to progress through to the next round.

 

In the first game Morley played Leodiensian giving match debuts to new forwards Oliver Ayres and Rhys Sharp, and playing several players out of their normal positions throughout the team.

 

This was always going to be a hard match on paper, as Leos were firm favourites to progess through and coupled with what Morley could cobble together, so it proved to be.

 

In the first half Leos dominated from start to finish with Morley’s inexperienced pack at sixes and sevens and being out played in all areas on the pitch, maul and ruck departments, and the set piece scrums and line-outs. Morley were always on the back foot and struggled to keep Leos from scoring at will.

 

The half-time interval gave Morley the chance to regroup and improve things for the second half. With a little more fire in the belly the team’s performance was a lot better, but still couldn’t stop Leos’ relentless onslaught. Leos managing to run in ten converted tries to none by the final whistle.

 

Although Morley were never in this game, they never stopped trying and kept going right up until the end.

 

 

FINAL SCORE:            Morley 0 – 70 Leodiensian.

 

 

Team:

Thomas-John Cook, Luke Metcalfe, Tyler Harrison, Benjamin Clay, Oliver Ayres, Rhys Sharp, Alex Stevenson, Ryley Wan, Joe Horner, Richard Hall, Lawrence Earnshaw, Sam Hood and Cameron Wallis.

 

 

 

In the second game Morley played Roundhegians who had previously suffered a similar fate to Morley by losing heavily to Leos, so all at stake for this game was team pride.

 

Morley looked a different side against Roundhegians and started very well, with good contributions from the prop powerhouses Tyler Harrison and TJ Cook, winning good ball from the rucks and mauls, and gaining the upperhand in the first few minutes. This enabled the backs to try and break through the Roundhegians defence, with various running options only to be well matched by their opposite numbers.

The minutes ticked by and Morley looked well in command of the game, and the defence coping with what little Roundhegians could muster. But then Roundhegians managed to get the ball out to their winger who ran flat across the pitch from right to left, evading Morley’s tackles. Eventually he found space down the left-hand side and out running Morley’s cover of Lawrence Earnshaw scored the first try which was converted.

   

At half time Morley were unlucky to be behind with Roundhegians leading an evenly matched game 7-0.

 

In the second half Morley had the advantage of the slight down-hill slope and used this to apply more pressure on the Roundhegians defence. More and more as the half went on Morley were tightening their grip on the match with little to show for their dominance.

 

But, eventually the opening came. From a Morley maul Tyler Harrison worked the ball loose for lock Benjamin Clay to quickly way up the options, seize the ball and run down the unprotected blindside, showing a clean pair of heels to out run the Roundhegians cover defence and score. Unfortunately scrum-half Alex Stevenson just pushed the conversion wide of the posts.

 

Again Morley pressed on trying to find another score to win the match. With time running out a dramatic finale was in stall, when back Joe Horner went on a run dummying past the Roundhegians’ defenders, getting closer and closer to the try-line, and wing man Cameron Wallis available on the outside. Near the line the Roundhegians defenders seemed to have stopped Joe, who then went to ground, over the try-line and with a big vocal roar from the Morley spectators, surely he had scored. A few seconds passed to build the tension and confuse everybody until the referee disallowed the try for a knock-on and this time it was the Roundhegians’ players and spectators celebrating as the referee blew to end the match.

 

Morley were very unlucky not to be victorious in this game and deserved more out of it, being the better side overall.

 

 

FINAL SCORE:            Morley 5 – 7 Roundhegians.

 

Try scorer:

Benjamin Clay

 

 

Team:

Thomas-John Cook, Luke Metcalfe, Tyler Harrison, Benjamin Clay, Oliver Ayres, Rhys Sharp, Alex Stevenson, Ryley Wan, Joe Horner, Richard Hall, Lawrence Earnshaw, Sam Hood and Cameron Wallis.

 

 

Special thanks to Luke Metcalfe who played while not being very well (really big effort on his part and much appreciated) and a big warm welcome to the new players Oliver Ayers and Rhys Sharp who can only get better