Recap
The Hawks celebrated a 20-6 victory over South Wales and prove themselves worthy of their top spot place. The side had to dig deep as they competed in awful conditions at Blackwood but the effort was rewarded as they came away with another win and denied the Scorpions a bonus point.
Andy Ballard made an impact on his return from injury scoring the first try on 8 minutes. The winger found himself with plenty of space out wide and took advantage touching it down and converting his own to make it 6-0 in the first quarter. Barry’s outfit were operating well in defence with the Scorpions finding it difficult to break out of their own half, pressure on kicker Paul Emanuelli saw him make a number of mistakes and grant Hunslet strong position for the next try. Danny Grimshaw looked comfortable with his changed role at fullback, taunting the South Wales front rowers, he gave a pass to Liam Mackay who came close to crossing himself but it was Luke Stenchion who finally powered over the line to reward his side. The conditions worsened and it became almost impossible to keep hold of the ball. Liam Hood returned from injury the week before last and featured again today. Covering half the field in a break from dummy half he gave a late pass to James Coyle who struggled to take it in and turned over possession just metres from the line. The home sides fullback Jordan Sheridan eventually got the ball rolling for them late on slipping through the Hawks he slid over between the posts to get some points on the board before the break.
The final 40 minutes got off to a fiery start as two yellow cards were given out and both sides were a man down. Winger Lee Brickwood took his opportunity to extend the league as he sprinted down the touchline and reached out to put it down in the corner. The Hawks continued their prolific attack Haley and Houston were used as battering rams down the middle with the rain still hammering down the boys didn’t have the opportunity to showcase the exciting rugby we have seen in recent weeks. Jimmy Watson managed to spark some life into the dying minutes dancing through the waiting defence to bury his way over, Andy Ballard kicked the conversion to follow. John Oakes knocked the wind out of South Wales second rower forcing him to cough up possession with just seconds to go. The final whistle blew at a score of 20-6.
The weather caused for some difficult rugby in the South of Wales, the Hawks worked hard to secure the three points and kept fighting until the end. We face Gateshead Thunder at home next Sunday.
Hope to see you all there.
Hunslet RLFC Line up
1. Danny Grimshaw
2. Lee Brickwood
Sponsored by: Eric Simon
3. Jimmy Watson
4. Danny Maun
Sponsored by: Norty Forty
5. Andrew Ballard
Sponsored by: Barry & Norma Harding
6. Thomas Coyle
Sponsored by: Yorkshire Signs
7. James Coyle
Sponsored by: Yorkshire Signs
8. Michael Haley
9. David March
Sponsored by: A & R Construction
10. James Houston
Sponsored by: Stephen Bower Bespoke Joinery
11. John Oakes
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
12. Brooke Broughton
13. Liam Mackay
14. Liam Hood
Sponsored by: Colin & Kath Smith
15. Luke Stenchion
Sponsored by: J Mulkeen & Co Builders Ltd
16. Stuart Kain
Sponsored by: Beth Hampshire
17. George Clarke
Sponsored by: Bartercard
Timeline
00:07 Andrew Ballard Try
00:25 Luke Stenchion Try
00:26 Andrew Ballard Goal
00:47 Lee Brickwood Try
01:14 Jimmy Watson Try
01:15 Andrew Ballard Goal