West 73 Upper Eden 0

By Dave Picken - September 29 2024
West 73 Upper Eden 0
Four Tries
Four tries for the skipper and 11 for the team as West  recorded their biggest home win since the 91-13 trouncing of Durham City back in 2011.   It was a similar score for the Stags who beat Upper Eden Boars 77-7 in the CaNDY leage game ..

The visitors were missing a few regulars, but to their credit still brought two teams with the Stags having to lend the Boars a front row forward in the best tradition of CaNDY league rugby.

On the pitch the club scored a total 150 points with similar success off it - Charlotte Turner and her willing band of helpers providing another highly successful Ladies Day, with the first team wearing their charity pink strip.

The only negative was the first half injury to winger Max Tennant, which saw him dazed after a high tackle and off to hospital for a check-up. The good news is that he was able to set off on a holiday to Egypt on Sunday with brother Jake.

Rollo Try Upper Eden

West’s try scoring began as early as the third minute with prop Andy Rollins reading a pass on the halfway to intercept. He promptly set-off in the direction of the Upper Eden posts while looking for support on his shoulder. It wasn't immediately there,  so the player coach put his head down (above)  and made it to the posts for a try he will long remember.

Siddle’s conversion was one of his easiest of the day as he went on to miss only two of the  ten attempts. The other big points scorer on the day was skipper Ryan Painter who matched the four tries scored by Max Tennant at Guisborough last week.

His first came after ten minutes from a catch and drive. Then five minute later he was the first to react as the West pack pushed Upper Eden off their own scrum ball ten metres out.

The bonus point wasn’t long in coming and it was a legitimate hat-trick try for Painter as he made it three in a row. This time it was an excellent team try with Jay Corbett going through a gap in the visiting defence to send Liam Pennick into the 22, where he timed his pass to send his skipper over with Siddle taking the score to 28-0.

Connolly TRy Upper Eden

With only a quarter of the game gone the result was effectively sealed when Ollie Connolly added the fifth as he took a pass from Peter Youll to sell a dummy just outside the Upper Eden 22 (left).

Having been in a similar position against top of the table Northern in the first home game, and then going on to lose, West kept up the pressure with second rows Will Corbett and Jake Linighan dominating.

It told when Upper Eden second row Rob Dent was yellow carded for coming in at the side but, as Upper Eden finally got into the game, West failed to add to the score until just before the break.

 

The sixth score of the game came in the form of a penalty try as full back Josh Alderson tried to stop Tennant as the winger cut inside as he raced up the left wing.

The high tackle was an unfortunate reaction to Tennant’s swerve inside the full back and was reckless, if not intentional. It left both players needing lengthy treatment resulting in Tennant having to be helped from the pitch with referee Shaun Cox’s red card also ending Alderson’s game.

With Upper Eden permanently down to 14 men and West leading 42-0, the second half looked very much a formality. To their credit Upper Eden played their best rugby while a man down and would certainly have deserved a consolation score.

However, West weren’t in the mood to take their foot off the accelerator and started the second period with a fine team try. Smart interplay between Siddle, Rollins and Alex Barker through the middle sucked in the defence. Sam Knight was waiting in space on the right wing for the killer pass and made no mistake when he received it. Siddle once again accurate from out on the wing.

Barker was in the thick of the action again when he pinched Upper Eden’s lineout throw to power his way towards the line. His grubber kick was chased by Jake Linighan, who was able to keep the ball going towards the try line where Painter was once again first to the ball to finish his scoring for the afternoon.

This time Siddle’s conversion attempt was wide but with twenty minutes left of the game he was to get three more opportunities.

Zac Southern was the next try scorer as he gathered to touch down after Knight was stopped on the line after taking a cross kick from fly-half Siddle.

For the second week Jay Corbett was able to show his speed as he raced clear up the left wing with Siddle’s kick coming back off the post.

And finally, Andy Rollins finished what he’d started. This time he was spared the 50-metre dash as he finished from a catch and drive after a penalty kick to the corner.

The result puts West on equal footing with second place Middlesbrough - both having won three and lost one and with a points difference of 108.

There’s a much-needed rest week coming up with West hoping that Chris Atkins, Will Hilditch, Adam Hutchinson and Isaac Robinson will all be back in contention for the tricky trip to Aspatria.  Competition for places is certainly playing its part in the positive start to the season.

A win in Cumbria could move West up at least one place as the top two play each other at Northern.

West: Zac Southern, Sam Knight, Ollie Connolly, Peter Youll, Max Tennant, Matt Siddle, Ryan Painter (capt), Liam Pennick, Tom Robertson, Andrew Rollins, Will Corbett, Jake Linighan, Alex Barker, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Jay Corbett.

Reps (all used): Ben Reed, Connor McLurg, Charlie Kay.

Tries: Rollins (2), Painter (4), Connolly, Knight, Southern , J. Corbett, penalty try.

Cons: Siddle (9)

Upper Eden: Josh Alderson, Matt Williamson, Liam Fox, Harley Sowerby, Will Simpson, Dan Todd, James Bowman, Matt Sanderson, Tom Mooney, David Birkbeck, Rob Dent, Travis Simpson, George Johnstone, Will Birkbeck, Andy Major.

Reps (all used): Cameron Dickinson, Isaac Dent, Jay Elliott.

Red: Alderson. Yellow: Dent.

Referee: Shaun Cox (Durham Society).

 
West 73 Upper Eden 0
Posted by: Official West Hartlepool RFC (IP Logged)
Date: 29/09/2024 11:31


Re: West 73 Upper Eden 0
Posted by: Dave Picken (IP Logged)
Date: 29/09/2024 16:17

Academy complete a very good weekend beating Tynedale Colts 27-17

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