Wizards bow out of Challenge Cup

WARRINGTON Wizards bowed out of the Challenge Cup at the first hurdle as they lost out 18-28 to East Leeds despite a second half fightback at Wilderspool Stadium.
The tie could have gone either way in the second half as both sides gave their all in a high quality encounter but it was the extra composure of the Yorkshire side in the final ten minutes that saw them gain the win that keeps alive their hopes of meeting a Professional side later in the competition.
East Leeds opened the scoring after fifteen minutes when some sloppy play close to the Wizards line saw them manage to regain the ball and hooker Luke Tomlinson scooted from dummy half to score at the side of the posts. Stand off Nathan Conroy added the conversion.
The game was very evenly contested for the next twenty minutes with both sides’ defences being on top but East Leeds moved further ahead two minutes before the break when pressure on the Wizards line told when Tomlinson found substitute Donnal O’Reilly with a short ball and he powered over at the side of the posts. Conroy converted but a mistake from the restart by the visitors I their own twenty metre are saw the Wizards profit when the ball was whisked out wide to full back Troy Brophy who went over wide on the right to make the half time score 12-4 to East Leeds.
The Wizards started the second half strongly and six minutes into it great work by Brophy linking into the line saw him find winger Graham Healey on his shoulder to go over on the right but East Leeds hit back eight minutes later when a high kick to the corner by scrum half Tom Sheldrake saw winger Jason Priestley out jump his opposite number to collect and score in the right corner.
Just before the hour a fine handling move by the Wizards saw the ball swept along the line to create space for Brophy who went through a gap to score on the left. Healey goaled to reduce the deficit to just two points and six minutes later brilliant link up play saw scrum half Ian Stephenson and stand off Alan Reddecliff combine to send centre Paul Reynolds away and he found substitute Ryan Jones who managed to squeeze over in the right corner despite the attention of four defenders to put the Wizards ahead for the first time. East Leeds had winger Jordan Normington and Conroy sin binned following an altercation after the try was scored.
Despite being down to eleven men it was East Leeds who then took the game to the Wizards and they went back in front when loose forward John Carter profited from some Wizards indiscipline as he burrowed his way over at the side of the posts. Sheldrake added the conversion that gave his side a four point cushion and despite the efforts of the Wizards to snatch a win it was the away side who secured a trip to Blackbrook in the First Round when Carter went over for his second try minutes before the final whistle. Conroy converted to complete a hard fought 28-18 victory.
Man of the Match for the Wizards was full back Troy Brophy and he was very well supported by substitute Hayden James.

WIZARDS
Troy Brophy, Graham Healey, Mike Stout, Paul Reynolds, Craig Middlemore, Alan Reddecliff, Ian Stephenson, Dan Crampton, Warren Ayres, Christian Froggatt, Sean Conway, Martin Bradshaw, Paul Alcock.
Substitutes: Hayden James, Matt Clarke, Dan Faulkner, Ryan Jones.