Midlands Hurricanes 36-4 Whitehaven
Betfred Championship Play-offs: Eliminator
By Tom Kiernan-Wilson
The Canes ended their regular season with a league record 98-0 win over North Wales Crusaders, but their Play-off Eliminator would see them face a much tougher challenge in the form of a Whitehaven side who had held the Canes to a draw in Cumbria and turned them over at Avery Fields just three months earlier.
The Canes would come out of the blocks full of energy, with Whitehaven unable to handle a largely relentless first 25 minutes from the home side. Midlands would break the deadlock on eight minutes after a nice break by Lewis Else would eventually see him feed Ryan Johnson to cut through a gap and score (4-0). Sully Medforth would slice his conversion attempt, dragging it wide.
Johnson would be involved in the set-up for Midlands’ second try just sixty seconds later, as a nice break down the left edge allowed him to pass to Liam Sutcliffe, who in turn fed Matty Chrimes for a relatively ease run down the wing to double our lead (8-0). Once again, Medforth could not add the extras from out wide.
Just two minutes later, we extended our lead as Lewis Else – less than 24 hours after his contract extension to 2029 was announced – danced and skipped his way through the Whitehaven defence to score behind the sticks (12-0). Medforth would nail his first of four conversions from in front of the posts (14-0).
Just before the 20-minute mark we would get our fourth try of the afternoon. After making good ground, a smart chip kick by Medforth would kindly bounce backwards – away from the Haven full-back and into the arms of Aidan McGowan who stepped past his defender and scored left of the posts (18-0). Once again, Medforth would extend our lead further from the kicking tee (20-0).
Just sixty seconds later, we’d go back to back again. Some deft hands from right to left would eventually see Sutcliffe feed Chrimes to race down the left wing before passing inwards to Lewis Else who would race away to score his second of the afternoon (24-0). Medforth would once again be on hand to add the extras (26-0).
Play would then slow down for the best part of ten minutes, with Whitehaven getting their first and only real chance on the Canes line just before the thirty-minute mark, and Liam Sutcliffe being unlucky not to add his name to the scoresheet after spilling the ball during a contested kick.
With seconds to go before the half-time hooter, the Canes produced some magic that will almost certainly be a contender for try of the season. McGowan would collect a kick on the last and take the ball in, swerving the chasing attackers and passing to Medforth who turned several players inside out before feeding Lewis Else to race away diagonally left and pass to Matty Chrimes. Chrimes – realising he may be wrapped up by the incoming defender – kicked a tidy grubber back to Else who pounced on the ball and dived over for a sensational score (30-0). Whilst Medforth was unable to convert, the Canes went into the sheds with a commanding lead.
Whilst the visitors clearly had a fire lit under them in the changing rooms at halftime, it would be the Canes who would score first to extend their lead. Lewis Else would go from scorer to provider as a high bomb would be plucked out of the air by Chrimes who crashed over just left of the sticks (34-0), with Medforth nailing the conversion (36-0).
This would seemingly wake up Haven further, who took advantage of some lapses in concentration to secure back-to-back goal-line drop outs. However, some strong defending would force Haven into touch and give us the ball back. The Canes would also be unlucky not to score again, with Tyler Dickinson spilling the ball just before the line and Matty Chrimes denied a sublime hat-trick opportunity for a perceived forward pass by Lewis Else.
From that scrum we would concede a goal-line drop out, and from that resulting set Haven would finally break the Canes resolve as a pass from Ciaran Walker would be neatly offloaded back to him to crash over and prevent a nilling (36-4). Walker could not convert his own try.
The game would quieten down once again, with Else routinely kicking the ball dead on the last to wind down the clock as some tired bodies from both sides were waiting for the game to end. We would have one final opportunity to score before full-time, but Johnson would spill a tricky contested high bomb.
As the full-time hooter went to the joy of the home crowd, Men’s Head Coach Mark Dunning will have been proud of his lads winning their first round of the play-offs for the second time of asking under his tenure. A little over 24 hours later we would learn our fate in the next round, with a trip to Boundary Park ahead of us as we go on to face Oldham in the Elimination Final.
Man of the Match:
Lewis Else (Sponsored by Wigan Electrical Ltd)
Tries:
Johnson, Chrimes (2), Else (3) and McGowan
Cons:
Medforth (4/7)
