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Batley Boys U12s take home the Dacia cup

Batley Boys U12s take home the Dacia cup

Paul Smith16 Apr 2017 - 10:55
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Success in the North East

With no games scheduled for the Easter Weekend Batley Boys U12s travelled to Kingston Park, the home of Newcastle Thunder to take part in the Dacia Cup.

As the only Yorkshire club in the tournament it was very much a step into the unknown for the team, although the aim was to get through the group stage and have the opportunity of playing in the final on the main pitch during half time of the Newcastle Thunder V Barrow Raiders game.

Game 1 – Gateshead Storm 12 – 8 Batley Boys
The first game for Batley came against a very physical Gateshead team, Batley started well as Charlie Schofield opened the scoring before Finlay Fearn increased the lead with his first try for Batley Boys. Gateshead hit back before half time with their danger man bursting through to leave the score at 8-6. A tense second half saw both teams trying to break down each others defence and it was Gateshead who made the breakthrough, a series of penalties eventually told on the Batley defence and a quick tap allowed Gateshead to take the win.

Game 2 – Cramlington Rockets 4 – 26 Batley Boys
With the pressure on, Batley needed a good response and after absorbing early Cramlington attacks good defence forced an error from the North East side. From the resulting scrum a set move put Jordan North in space and no-one was catching him as he raced clear to score. From that point Batley never looked back as crisp attack paid off and further tries came from Stefan Dumitru (2), Lewis Young and Jordan North. Cramlington to their credit never gave in and played some good rugby shifting the ball around the pitch hoping to find the gaps in the Batley defence.

Game 3 – Catterick Crusaders 0 – 34 Batley Boys
Backing straight up from the previous game Batley were high on Confidence and were able to carry on where they left off. Against a quick but smaller side it was good to see Batley didn’t resort to one up rugby and were intent on moving the ball around, tries from Callum Smith, Adam Ditta (his first for the club), Finlay Fearn, Jordan North, Charlie Schofield and Daniel Goodlad saw Batley into the final and a chance to play again against Gateshead Storm.

Final – Gateshead Storm 4 – 8 Batley Boys
In a shortened game both teams agreed to forfeit the conversions to allow more game time, it was Batley who won what they hoped would be a vital coin toss as they opted to receive the ball, however a smart kick-off saw the ball bounce into touch and gave Gateshead the ball in good field position. Aware of what Gateshead would be throwing at them Batley stood strong in defence and after a few sets for both teams Batley got the break they needed, on the last tackle of the set, a cross field kick from Callum Smith was picked up by Jordan North who ran almost half the length of the pitch to score. Gateshead soon levelled matters up as back to back sets and pressure told on the defence and it looked like the game was heading for a draw, however in the last play of the game, a break from Jordan North caught the Gateshead defence unaware and he scored in the corner to settle the game.

The tournament was a great advert for rugby league in the North East, and was played in a great spirit, Batley are hoping to welcome the teams to Yorkshire in the not too distant future.

The Squad

Lewis Young – A full length try and 7 conversions for the influential full-back, never put a foot wrong all tournament
Adam Ditta – Solid in defence and lightning quick in attack, a first try for the winger capped off a great day

Finlay Fearn – 2 tries and caused the opposition problems every time he got possession, one of the candidates for player of the tournament

Stefan Dumitru – 2 tries, moved from centre to prop in the final to deal with the threats of the Gateshead pack, an outstanding tournament all round

Anthony Newsome-Brennan – Vital runs scattered the defences and stood his ground against anyone who came his way, a player who can always be relied on

Lewis Stafford – Organised the early plays in the sets and marshalled his defence, behind a lot of the good things Batley did,

Callum Smith – Led the team around superbly, a try against Catterick and 2 assists in the final, made sure the moves were organised and crisp

Sol Haldenby – Terrified the defences with strong running and aggressive defence, a rock.

Logan Hinchliffe – Captain led by example, unlucky not to score on several occasions, a colossus in defence.

Kamran Wilby – Made the hard yards, ran drop off lines to perfection and was a real handful all day, superb tournament

Jordan North – Electric pace that the opposition couldn't handle, 5 tries for the tournament including 2 in the final worthy of the pitch and the players that have played on it.

Charlie Schofield – Player of the tournament, 2 tries and a huge influence on his team all day. Outstanding.

Dylan Rhodes – Played equally well at loose forward and Stand off, executed the plays to perfection and put in some bone-crunching hits, very influential.

Daniel Goodlad – A brick wall in defence and almost unstoppable in attack, a try against Catterick and a great tournament overall

Further reading