WOOLSTON Rovers will be looking to bounce back from their opening day defeat when they entertain Wigan St Judes in the National Conference League Division Two at the Limestone Construction Field, Monk Sports Club on Saturday kick-off 2.30pm.
Rovers Head of Rugby Mal Holt said, “We were bitterly disappointed not to get anything from the Clock Face game but we have to put that out of our minds now and look forward to this coming weekend. Even though we lost we can take heart from the way that we performed in the second half and if we can take that forty minutes into the St Judes game then we will give ourselves a great chance of winning. We will be working hard in training to make sure we are fully prepared and able to put in an eighty-minute display.”
Despite a sterling second-half fightback at the Limestone Construction Field, Monks Sports Club Rovers went down 20-24 to Clock Face Saturday afternoon.
Rovers started brightly but were unable to make their territorial advantage count and it was Clock Face who opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute when half-backs Jordan Cresser and Jack Highcock combined to find winger Luke Leyden who scored in the left corner and then eleven minutes later Jones made a break and he found second row Alex Burke who scored on the left. Scrum-half Jack Highcock added the conversion.
Two minutes before the break Miners increased their lead when a little chip into the in-goal area by hooker Lewis Geraghty saw centre Brandon Lewis react quickest to score on the left to make the halftime score 14-0 to the visitors.
Rovers come out firing in the second half and three minutes into it when prop forward Harry Files went on his own from dummy half and forced his way over under the posts. Centre Ben Dixon converted and twelve minutes later a lovely ball from standoff Theo Holt found prop forward Paul Alcock at speed out wide and he powered over on the right to narrow the gap to just four points.
As the game entered the final quarter a break by Clock gave themselves a little bit of breathing space when Cresser put second row Luke Forber through a gap to score on the right but then a lovely cut-out ball from Rovers full-back Morgan Williams created room for winger Wil Maudsley to score wide out on the right.
Clock Face looked to have wrapped up the game when centre Karle Hunt broke clear down the right and he found full back Michael Carney in support to race over under the posts. Cresser converted but then with two minutes remaining Rovers gave themselves late hope as Dixon intercepted a Miners pass and raced twenty-five metres to score under the posts. Scrum-half Chris Forster took a quick ‘drop goal’ conversion but it was too little too late as Clock Face managed to hold on for a narrow 24-20 win.
Best for Rovers were prop forward Harry Files, loose forward Ryan Brown and prop forward Paul Alcock.
After the game Rovers Head of rugby, Mal Holt said, “It was disappointing for us to lose our first game of the season; the classic ‘cliché’ of a game of two halves was definitely the case. Clock Face took their chances in the first half which we didn’t but the second half was completely different with us coming out firing and getting an early try before we had a perfectly good try ruled out with the referee apologising for his mistake in blowing up too early. Another try then would have really put us in the ascendancy but we still managed to keep plugging away although we were unable to get our noses in front and despite our best efforts we just ran out of time. We will dust ourselves down and go again next week.”
WOOLSTON ROVERS
Morgan Williams, Wil Maudsley, Dan Fearnley, Ben Dixon, Olly Parr, Theo Holt, Chris Forster, Paul Alcock, Adam Files, Harry Files, Alex Smith, Ryan Hickman, Ryan Brown.
Subs: Scott Whiteley, Sam Roberts, Wez Lawton, Sam Wood.
