Queensbury ARLFC U12’s 40 – 0 Brighouse Rangers U12’s

Queensbury ARLFC U12’s 40 – 0 Brighouse Rangers U12’s

Bradford and Keighley Challenge Cup Quarter Final.

Player of the Match: Riley Knapton
Coaches Player: Austin Hines
Coaches Player: Dylan Greenwood
Grafter: Kurt Fisher
Grafter: Right Center
Grafter: Jacob Dewhirst
Opposition P.O.M.: Jacob Dewhirst

It’s important to emphasise that the score, although substantial, does not reflect whatsoever on the effort and performance that the boys put in. This is often an overused statement but in this case, it’s relevant and relates to the game.

For the second week in a row, the team went up against opposition from the division above and it’s been a testing but valuable experience. We are looking forward to getting back to work in our division this Saturday against Elland.

The game plan was to play uphill in the first half and defend like their lives depended on it. Within the first 15 minutes, it was obvious that the Rangers were focused and the defence was solid, particularly at the edges where we’ve been exposed in the past.
Riley Knapton was on fire on the right wing and delivered fire and brimstone to anything that moved, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Rangers held Queensbury out for a decent period before some indifferent defence in the middle let one of the Queensbury forwards over. This came after some tenacious line defence, led by Vice Captain Dylan Greenwood.

With defence being the order of the day, every player made that extra effort.
Kurt Fisher was superb in defence, again, showing some out-and-out commitment to his tackling and as the only specialist prop-forward available on the day, he led from the front, earning a Grafter award.

A re-jigged half-back partnership worked well with Joel Thurtle stepping in at scrum-half. Thurtle’s defence was again, outstanding, bringing down forwards for fun with solid leg-tackling.
Jacob Dewhirst worked tirelessly at the gain line and showed good vision with his kicking game, also earning a Grafter award.

In a late, first-half attack, quick hands from Thurtle and Dewhirst put the ball left to Flynn who found hard-working second-row, Christian Williams.
Williams took a chance to attack the Queensbury centre and made good yards, causing problems but a strong defence wrapped him up 5m short.

At half-time, Queensbury were 3 tries in front with the slope to defend. This wasn’t a devastating position to be in and Rangers opened the second-half confidently. The big Ranger’s right centre continually troubled the Queensbury line and his hard work set up Dewhirst to float a kick to the left-hand corner. Queensbury scrambled to defend it but it was fullback, Daniel Greenwood who collected and grounded the ball.
Disappointment came when this try was disallowed for being short of the line… contentious, we all agreed.

Queensbury scored early in the second half after pressuring the Rangers’ line and after a couple of medical changes in the three-quarter line, the Rangers made changes on the left. Domas Flynn moved from Loose-forward to centre with the ever-improving Dominic Brooke outside him on the wing.
After a good stint in the middle, the Rangers’ hooker was rested and Sam Lee took over the acting-half duties. Lee is improving every week and this game showed that his communication and hand speed is really coming on.

Pack leader Austin Hines playing in the front row, again, led from the front and took the opportunity for early taps after penalties in the Queensbury 10m area. The blue defenders held Hines out on several occasions but having played the full 40 minutes, he came away with a Coaches Player award for leading his pack with confidence and performance.
George Terry waited patiently on the bench for his opportunity and it came in the second half when Flynn was rested. Terry, usually a wingman was asked to go straight into the mix at Loose-forward and he didn’t disappoint. Terry carried the ball well and showed an aggressive appetite for defence. Terry enjoyed the move from wing into the middle and the future looks bright for him.

The left flank was returned to the original configuration with the re-introduction of another Coaches Player recipient, Dylan Greenwood and fiery wing-man, Connor Gleeson.
Gleeson had a strong game on the left and with Greenwood and second-row, Will Young working together, we have found some real strength down the left.

Towards the end of the match, Rangers fought to keep their heads up and continued to play with confidence until the final whistle. With the result now a foregone conclusion, the focus changed to not getting nilled. A final, sustained Rangers attack to the posts saw Dewhirst attempt a drop-goal but he didn’t get the contact he wanted and the kick fell short. The opposition coaches, however, rewarded Dewhirst’s efforts with their Player of the Match award for his persistence and organisation.

Queensbury are a sizeable and mobile team and will give many teams problems this year, but for Rangers, we regroup and go again.
The team should be proud of themselves, as are all the staff and parents.
Onwards and upwards.