Sun 12 Sep 2021, 12:00
U16 Ormskirk 7-71 Eccles
Eccles under 16’s made the journey over to Ormskirk on Sunday to take on a developing Ormskirk side with a 20-man squad hoping to continue where they left off following victory over Heaton Moor in the last game.
Eccles didn’t take long to get into their work and following some strong defence Jack C put some excellent pressure on the kicker when Ormskirk tried to clear their lines. Eccles gathered the ball and Joe threw an outrageous dummy to go in under the posts giving Jack L an easy kick to make the score 0-7.
Eccles continued to dominate and almost scored a second try straight away but dropped the ball near the line which allowed Ormskirk a period of possession although more tenacious defence forced the knock on. From the subsequent scrum Joe picked the ball cleanly and fed Jack L who this time went over himself and added the 2 points to make it 0-14.
Max took the restart expertly and carried the ball back into the Ormskirk defensive line. Eccles were unlucky when Raff was denied a certain try when the referee awarded a penalty for crossing , the next score wasn’t far away when the penalty kick didn’t find touch and Joe collected and returned the ball aggressively which resulted in a penalty for a high tackle, from the line out that followed Jake dived over the line innthe corner and Jack narrowly failed to add the conversion making the score 0-19.
The restart was gathered by Harry who retained the ball and James cut through the defence, Jack L carried on the momentum by picking the right pass to Lucas who showed the cover defence a clean pair of heels to score under the posts 0-26. A great team try with 20 mins played.
The second third of the game saw the introduction of the second pair of Eccles props and it didn’t take long for the next score when James broke through again and a flowing move allowed Leighton to go over in the corner, Jack added the extras from the tricky angle to make it 0-33.
Eccles were really finding their stride now and certain try was ruled out due to a forward pass but this only delayed the inevitable when Matt worked hard to turn the ball over , Heath made inroads through the defence and Jack C again put the try on a plate for Jack L who strode in for this second to move the score to 0-40.
Eccles continued to dominate from the restart and a couple of kicks from Joe kept the pressure on the home side in their own half which again forced the error allowing another set move from an Eccles scrum when Heath fed Leighton who again scored in the corner 0-47. The final score of this 20 minute period came when Jack L produced a lovely flick pass to Joe D who sped over giving Jack L another straightforward kick 0-54.
The Eccles props were rotated again for the final 20 mins with Abraham and Chayse entering the fray. Cael and Josh moved over to the Ormskirk side to beef up their front line and it didn’t take long for Cael to take the game to his Eccles teammates with a strong drive which resulted in a penalty and lineout to Ormskirk giving them good field position although this was short lived as Eccles turned the ball over again through some excellent defence.
Matt H seemed surprised at the amount of space he was given following a dummy and proceeded to score next to the posts although the kick was unsuccessful 0-59. Jack C continued his excellent form setting up yet another try for teammate Jack L who again romped over to complete his hattrick following some nice passing and added the extras to make it 0-66/
Eccles almost scored straight from the kick off when more excellent passing opened up the home defence but a little over eagerness meant the ball went to ground giving Ormskirk the chance to regroup. The respite was short lived though when Ormskirk kicked deep to Leighton who returned the ball at pace and Joe D completed the scoring in the corner to also complete his hattrick 0-71.
The final try of the game deservedly went to Ormskirk who despite the score line kept driving forward, committing tackles and never let their heads drop and went over in front of the posts with the final play of the game , the extras were added to make the final score Ormskirk 7 – 71 Eccles
Eccles will face tougher tests this season but they maintained their discipline and processes to deliver a comprehensive performance which will stand them in good stead for their next test.
Team
B Court, J Harrison, M Allcroft, J Edwards , H Gregory, M Houghton, J Costello, J Lightbown, J Davies , L Reeveley, R Pickavance , H Clark, M Gardiner, E Glynn, L Strand. O Fleming, C Curran, J Murphy, C Quigley, A Moncada.
