Midlands Hurricanes 42-4 Midlands Hurricanes
Betfred Championship Round Twenty
By Tom Kiernan-Wilson
After a steady 38-22 win over Goole and a pulsating 30-34 away win over Batley at Mount Pleasant, Men’s Head Coach Mark Dunning looked to last Sunday’s clash with Rochdale Hornets as an opportunity to secure a third successive Betfred Championship win.
It only took the Canes four minutes to break the deadlock, as during our second set Luis Roberts – making his first appearance in a few months due to HIA protocols – made a break and skipped through a tackle before passing right to Lewis Else who raced away to score under the sticks and haunt his former club (4-0). Sully Medforth would add the extras with an easy conversion (6-0).
Rochdale almost struck back in their very next set, but some good defending dragged the Hornets winger into touch before he got the ball down. Only a few minutes later we would strike again as Luis Roberts would take a ball in and crash over in the left-hand corner (10-0). Medforth was unable to convert.
Just before the 15-minute mark, Captain Jon-Luke Kirby would extend our lead as he barrelled through a gap in the Rochdale line and ran over the Hornets full-back to score left of the sticks (14-0). Medforth had no issues adding the extras from the kicking tee on this occasion (16-0). The Canes would also lose prop Elliot Morris to a head injury shortly thereafter.
After a small period of pressure from Rochdale coming off the back of good kicking by veteran half-back Jamie Dallimore, the Canes would make their possession count as a good run by Tom Wilkinson would set up Lewis Else to carve through some weary defence and score in the left-hand corner (20-0). Sully would nail an impressive conversion from out wide (22-0).
Proceedings would slow for the next ten minutes, but tensions would boil over just under ten minutes before halftime as Lewis Else would be the recipient of a swinging arm from Ethan Wood, who would be sin-binned once a melee between several players from both sides had been quelled. Lewis Else would fail his subsequent head-injury assessment, which would entitle the Canes to activate Zach Jebson at 18th man.
It would take the Canes five minutes to make the extra man count, as some good hands from left to right allowed Ross Oakes to feed Aidan McGowan in space to dot the ball down (24-0). Sully would nail the conversion just after the half-time hooter sounded, and the Canes would end the first half with a commanding lead.
The second half would start badly for the Canes, with prop Isaac Shaw landing heavily after a tackle just a couple of minutes in and failing his head-injury assessment, meaning Midlands were down to a single prop on the bench for the second game in a row. Rochdale would also initially apply some pressure and force a goal-line drop out.
Despite that initial adversity, the Canes would once again be the side to turn possession into points as James Woodburn-Hall – watched on by his new sponsor (Monarch Mutt’s Dog Rescue) – glided through a gap in the Rochdale defence to extend our lead (30-0). Sully once again added the extras (32-0).
Another ten minutes of back and forth action yielded few results for either side, but the Hornets looked certain to have scored from dummy-half but somehow spilled the ball over the line. Just a couple of minutes later, Woodburn-Hall would bag a brace by squeezing through the Hornets defence to stretch out and score (36-0). Sully would once again convert (38-0).
The Canes weren’t looking to slow down, as only a couple of minutes after that Tyler Dickinson broke through the line and charged down the field before passing right to Sully Medforth who managed to get himself over the line despite the efforts of two Hornets defenders (42-4). In a surprising turn of events, Medforth could not convert his own try.
A couple of minutes later Matty Chrimes looked certain to have scored his 35th try for the club after racing down the left-edge, but unfortunately was deemed to have put his foot into touch following a last-ditch push before diving over in the corner.
Rochdale would have the last say of the afternoon, as some sustained pressure on our line would eventually lead to Dan Nixon finishing off a break down the right edge despite Matty Chrimes doing his best to push him into touch (42-4). Flanagan would be unable to convert from out wide.
The full-time hooter would ring out shortly thereafter, and the Canes had earned a third successive win that would also see the club earn the most points it had ever obtained in a season since entering the professional leagues. A tough test awaits the Canes this Sunday, as the undefeated league leaders London Broncos make their second trip to Avery Fields this season.
Man of the Match:
Zeus Silk (Sponsored by This is Warrior)
Tries:
Else (2), L Roberts, Kirby, McGowan, Woodburn-Hall (2) and Medforth
Cons:
Medforth (5/8)
