New Brighton 40 Blackburn 10

 

Report by Paul Lewis

 

The Blues achieved their expected victory over the bottom of the table visitors but it was never as easy as the score line suggests.

 

Loa Tupou and Simione Mafi returned to the starting line up with Tevita Liku on the bench alongside new boy  Tom Charnley and back sub Andy Signal.

 

The visitors had lost some key players in the close season and although strong in some positions were clearly depleted in others, that said they deserve full credit for their positive attitude to the game choosing to run the ball whenever possible.

 

Neil Cross opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a well placed penalty, two minutes later a long range attempt was passed to new boy Luke Thompson who had no trouble slotting home a 50 yarder.

 

The Blues set the pattern of the game through the forwards who quickly took the game by the scruff of the neck, the visitors began to leak penalties in desperation and on the 21^st minute Cross took a quick penalty to find Lewis on the charge, a driving maul carried the ball to the five metre line held for a moment then flipped out to Mahon taking the ball on the burst to crash over close to the posts. Thompson claimed the extras and the blues were in front 13 – 0.

 

Further pressure from the Blues led to a penalty in front of the posts, skipper Birley chose to run the ball and although held on the line it was quickly spun out across the backs and that man Thompson touched down to extend the lead to 18 but was wide of the mark on the conversion attempt.

 

There then followed a rather strange passage of play when the visitors managed to  cross into the home half , the scrum half kicked towards the corner and then seemed to run into a New Brighton player, the referee adjudged this as  a deliberate act and awarded a fairly generous penalty try. The home player concerned was not yellow carded . Score 18-7.

 

The Blues responded with well placed restart kick, Hibbs and Tupou combined to dispossess the catcher and Buckley spun off the maul to reach the 22 metre line close to touch, the Blackburn wing was by then languishing in the sin bin leaving a gap in defence, Mafi seeing only green lights in front of him was the first to see the opportunity and flew in to pick up and cruise in unopposed to the corner.

 

The conversion was narrowly wide but the score on 40 minutes was now 23-7.

 

A return of kicks at the restart saw Buckley catch and drive forward before being buried in a mound of players, the referee adjudged he had been holding on and the hooker received his second yellow in as many weeks. The visitors scrum half, Paul Bleasdale made the kick and the half came to a close at 23 -10.

 

Tom Charnley was introduced to the game at the restart as the hooker replacement in the absence of Buckley with Hibbs having to come off.

 

Phil Gazzola who had earlier questioned the penalty try was yellow carded in the 50^th minute for an unclear infringement which meant that for a brief period the Blues were down to 13 men. Two minutes later Buckley returned to the field along with Hibbs  and Charnley stepped down, not long later Hibbs found himself, as ever, first to the break down and crossed the whitewash to raise the score to  28 -10, again the conversion was just short.

 

In the final 20 minutes coach Steve Dorrington introduced his substitutes, Liku Tevita coming on at the end of Gazzola’s 10 minute suspension, Andy Signal came into the left wing, Neil Cross came off to allow Thompson an opportunity at scrum half, and Charnley came on permanently for Phil Buckley.

 

The Blues continued to batter the visitor’s line but were held out by some resolute defence and suffered some passing difficulties in the developing wind.

 

Injuries had extended the game by 5 minutes in which time the home support were treated to two fine tries by winger Dutton. He had previously gone close twice in the first half showing a turn of speed unseen at Hartsfield for some years, in the 81^st minute he collected a beautifully weighted grubber kick by Birley and touched down in the corner and just before the end he chased another kick through that had been carried in the wind; to all present it seemed certain that the ball would be out of play or touched down by the visiting full back but in the time it took the ball to drop to ground Dutton was there and diving on the ball, another champagne moment from the winger. The conversion was made and the referee blew the final whistle.

 

Score New Brighton 40 Blackburn 10

 

An ebullient Steve Dorrington  said after the game ”Numbers at training are much improved, the input from the university boys is helping and we have a strength in depth that we have not had for quite a while, Kati is returning shortly and selection will be interesting to say the least.”

 

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There is at this stage no game next week as there is a break in the fixture list.

 

The Blues next game should be Broughton Park away on the 28/11/09, watch this space for transport arrangements. A coach will be arranged but we need a minimum of 20 travelling supporters.

 

Match Photos

ASPATRIA 16 NEW BRIGHTON 29

Report by Paul Lewis

Despite the absence of four Tongan regulars the Blues proved too strong for the Cumbrian side.

Following the debacle of the trip to Vale of Lune the team set out at 9am in anticipation of another horrendous journey up the M6 but it wasn’t to be, for once the roads were clear and the trip without incident. The team were changed and warming up before most of the home team had got to the ground.

The programme notes gave an indication of how seriously the home side were taking this match it was clearly to be their ‘pivotal’ game lets hope it does not prove to be as they are a friendly and hospital bunch who looked after us well.

The Blues saw the return of Steve Dean in the absence of Anthony Birley at stand off, Luke Thompson came in on the left wing and Vinny Dutton switched to outside centre. In the pack the Gazzola brothers’ slotted back in like a well worn glove and young Mohammed Mustafa debuted at tight head, Damien Cook made his first team debut on the bench alongside the returning John Williams, Steve Dorrington made up the third substitute but sadly did not grace the field.

The Blues opened the scoring with another try from Mahon spinning off the maul similar to the one he scored at Sandbach but with less ground to cover. Neil Cross missed the conversion. Within 3 minutes Aspatria had pulled 3 back from a well taken penalty by their stand off Stoddart, following a rare incursion into the Blues half. The referee was consistent in his interpretation of the laws at the ruck and maul and both sides gave away needless penalties, the Aspatria wing forward Beverley was dispatched to the sin bin following a number of such offences. This led to a resurgence in the home side and they lifted their game to take the lead with two penalties in 5 minutes, Steve Dean replied just before the interval to make it 9 -8 on the turn around.

Dean restored the Blues lead just after the restart with yet another penalty following an infringement at the ruck. A minute later the Blues were gifted a soft return of kicks from which the Blue back line countered, the ball was spun out to the wing where Luke Thompson was held up just short of the line, the supporting Dutton was quickly in support and carried the ball over the whitewash to crown an impressive return to the team, a well struck conversion from Dean stretched the lead to 9 – 18.

Both hookers were yellow carded shortly afterwards following a bit of a melee at the tight and the game was reduced to a series of messy rucks and mauls. The home side continued to leak penalties but the next yellow card went the way of the Blues with Mustafa adjudged to have been holding on at the bottom of a ruck.

Now reduced to 13 men the Blues raised their game and the champagne moment of the match arrived with a superbly placed chip from Dean being caught on the run by Luke Thompson who scorched over to extend the lead to 9 -23.

In the final 10 minutes Mike Gazzola came off allowing Paul Lewis to drop back to second row, and John Williams came on in the front row. Andy Signal came off allowing Damien Cook to take to the field.

The Blues were in full domination by now and another penalty in the 75th minute stretched the lead to 9 -29.

In the final minute the home side, for once opting to trust their backs released the ball early and their left wing showed what might have been with an impressive arcing run into the corner, the conversion ably made by Stoddart.

Aspatria are not as bad a side as the record book might indicate, if they can add some discipline to their enthusiasm they may yet avoid the drop.

Next week the Blues are at home to Blackburn, kick off is 2.15pm. With a full squad once again available selection will provide a different type of headache.

Job well done