Morley 14 - Westoe 7
Jan
THIS was a mistake-strewn display by an utterly out-of-sorts Westoe (writes Clive Crickmer).
In mitigation, the absence of four key men which also forced director of rugby Andy Howells into a positional reshuffle was always going to have an impact..
Inspirational captain and prop Gareth Nesbit and centre David Haswell, his shrewd lieutenant, were unavailable.
Paul Bird, a tower of strength in the second row, badly damaged his knee in training and could be out of action for several weeks, while lithesome winger Gareth Kerr exacerbated a calf muscle strain in the pre-match warm up and so spent the whole match on the bench.
Even so, this could not justify such a ragged performance, almost totally bereft of the flair, spirit and slickness that had brought the Shieldsmen 13 wins from the previous 14 games and third top spot in National 2 North.
For it wasn’t just a case of a wheel coming off; the axle had snapped as well.
Yet despite this, with just six minutes remaining Westoe won a penalty mid-way in the Morley half which presented a gilded opportunity to at least snatch a draw from a kick into touch in the enemy 22 and a drive from the lineout.
And it was squandered by futile backchat to the referee who promptly gave the kick to the home team instead, so capping a wretched afternoon.
The defeat meant that at the halfway stage of the 30-game campaign Leicester Lions, who beat visitors Caldy 17-5, have now pushed Westoe into fourth place - though they remain a comfortable 12 points ahead of fifth-placed Luconians.
Afterwards, Howells admitted: “It was a bad day at the office, a game full of mistakes in which we lost our own lineouts and scrummages. Morley just seemed to want it more that we did.
“But we must regard it as one of those blips that do happen and make sure we now put things right in training.”
Dunes Adventure Island-sponsored Westoe had the better of early play but shoddy handling prevented them capitalizing and was an augury of what was to come with attacks breaking down and possession lost.
Credit, though, where it was due and as the Maroons gained in confidence and dominance they were repelled by quality defensive play, though penalties were conceded with full back Charles Spon-Smith converting three to give his side a 9-nil half time lead.
Soon after the resumption the Westoe blockade was breached for the only time with the best moments of the game, number 8 Craig Fields, tall, strong and athletic, storming from the halfway line and evading three attempted tackles to score in the left corner.
This at last galvanized the Shieldsmen and twice they forced their way over only for it to be adjudged that the ball was held up.
In between came their only success, and that needed a slice of luck when an attempted clearance from inside the 22 by a Morley defender struck a teammate and cannoned back over the try line, centre James Clark winning a race to touch it down, with Mark Bedworth converting..
Home team head coach Peter Seabourne said: “We will gain strength from this result to take into the second half of the season when we are determined to rise out of the relegation zone.”
The Westoe gloom was not lightened by the results of the club’s other teams.
*The Seconds fought hard and well but were narrowly beaten 22-20 in their Candy League clash with Mowden Park at Oakleigh Gardens. The visitors were a point behind as time ran out but snatched victory with a drop goal after which they hung on to possession.
Westoe’s tries were scored by flanker Ryan Foster, prop Jordan McKay and centre Ryan Beattie which was converted by fly half Chris Hitchcock who also kicked a penalty.
*The Thirds lost 17-0 to Durham Junior League opponents Sunderland Seconds in a contest at Harton Technical College which was much more evenly fought than the scoreline suggests.
*The Colts made it an all-lose afternoon when they went down 12-5 in their Under-18 League match with Wigton although they, too, gave a good account of themselves against big and robust opponents. Their try was scored by prop and captain Dominic Connolly.
