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Under 16s: Lancashire 25 Cumbria 0
Sunday 21st October 2007, at Preston Grasshoppers
Two missed Cumbrian penalties in the opening ten minutes, both relatively straight-forward kicks, should have awakened an over-eager Lancashire side to the danger of giving away penalties. Profligate in-discipline cost the Under 16s’ side a number of scores, the eventual 25 – 0 margin hiding a far greater dominance in Sunday’s opening Northern Counties 16 Group match, played at Preston Grasshoppers.
Befiore the quarter-hour, skipper Ryan Glynn changed the mood of the game, a delightful chip and chase almost bringing the opening Lancashire try. Andrew Dauncey’s work in the ensuing ruck ensured that fly-half Andrew Abraham was well-placed to float the ball along an attacking three-quarter line, for Nick Costello to establish a five-point lead in the corner.
Twice Lancashire were penalised within inches of the line, forwards fighting for the ball whilst off their feet, but eventually John Pape cut through the line successfully, the full back extending the lead, before David Markham then crashed over the line in injury time to register an emphatic first half.
In essence, whilst the Cumbrian back row, particularly Nathan Morris and Matthew Howarth, was holding the visitors’ game together, the only threat came from the early penalty kicks.
Prop Lewis McKay enjoyed an impressive performance, both sides of the interval finding himself in attacking positions and offloading to support runners. Kyle Manson-Kullin and James Mawdsley entered the fray after half-time and the tempo immediately increased, but again as Lancashire moved forward, both referee Andy Dawson and touch-judge intervention caused the home side to stutter backwards.
James Morris and Dauncey crafted a clever move and were held short of the line, and Glynn almost put in winger George Skofic for a try, but it was a grubber kick from Pape that gave winger Costello a run in for Lancashire’s fourth try. With replacements coming on, the Cumbrian tackle count was not about to reduce, but their opportunities to attack significantly rose. Some key tackles, by Skofic, Richard Newman and Ross O’Neill, all kept Cumbria away from the danger zone and for the visitors the try-line was rarely in site.
After Scott Redfern was dragged back just short of the Cumbrian line, unable to finish off Kelham O’Hanlon’s incisive run, Glynn rounded off a solid ‘red-rose’ performance with a kick for touch landing just short of the try-line. The resultant catch-and-drive resulted in Mawdesley smuggling the ball over for the fifth try, but with the Lancashire side realising that the adverse penalty count needs some thought before facing Yorkshire (who beat Cheshire 30 – 3) in seven days time.
Lancashire Under 16s
Max Ashcroft (Hutton GS & Tarleton), Chris Thompson (Merchant Taylors & Ormskirk), Lewis McKay (William Hulme GS & Sedgley Park); David Markham (Rainford HS & Ormskirk), Richard Newman (Bolton School & Sedgley Park), James Morris (Stonyhurst College), Alasdair Sutherland (Burscough Priory & Ormskirk), Andrew Dauncey (Manchester GS & Sedgley Park)
Ryan Glynn (Sedbergh School & Ormskirk), Andrew Abraham (Lancaster RGS); Nick Costello (Arnold School), Chris Schofield (Liverpool College & Widnes), Ross O'Neill (Merchant Taylors & Ormskirk), George Skofic (Hutton GS & Tarleton), John Pape (Rainford HS & Ormskirk)
Replacements:
Kyle Manson-Kullin (Clitheroe RGS & Preston Grasshoppers), Chris Tribley (Hutton GS & Preston Grasshoppers), Christian Cudd (Stonyhurst College), Nicholas Watson (St Michaels, Chorley & Preston Grasshoppers), Ben Vernon (Hutton GS), James Mawdesley (Our Lady's, Preston & Preston Grasshoppers), Kelham O'Hanlon (King Edward & QM & Fylde), Scott Redfern (Oulder Hill HS & Rochdale), Tom Lancaster (Hutton GS & Preston Grasshoppers).
