Huddersfield Academy v Guisborough
Lockwood Park
1st December 2013
HRUFC’s Academy team met top of Yorkshire Senior Colts Premier League Guisborough in the second round of the Keith Dyas Yorkshire Cup at Lockwood Park, the second meeting in only a few weeks after Huddersfield had triumphed at Guisborough in the league.
Always going to be a close affair, however Huddersfield confident in fielding not far off a full strength squad, started well, Guisborough failing to field the high kick off. Guisborough with good individual runners around the 10 channel made the Huddersfield back row tackle in the early exchanges. Huddersfield maintained some pitch position and from a phased play moved the ball right to left, finding outside centre Lewis Berry, who showed excellent footwork to stand up his defender to cross the line around the 15m line on the left hand side. First try inside the first ten minutes. Although Lewis Workman missed the conversion, it was not long until he made amends, a typical break from the Academy 10, following another period of sustained pressure from the Huddersfield running forwards, saw him show and go in between the Guisborough 10 and 7 to cross the white line. Workman duly converted his own try. 15-0 and only 16 minutes played!
Huddersfield continued to battle around the ruck area against the narrow Guisborough game plan and in excellent back row and inside back drift defence, snuffed out the rather lateral Guisborough back line attacks. As usual prominent in the objective in making yardage was Elliot Clemson, the loose head prop carrying strongly and making inroads into the Guisborough areas every time he had the ball. With Miles Prescott dominating the front of the lineout, Guisborough reverted to kicking in field for pitch position. It was as a result of a well taken high ball from Gypsy Black that the Huddersfield crowd witnessed one of the best individual tries that may every have been scored on the senior pitch. Fielding the ball just around his own 22, Black beat the kick chase defence and through the Guisborough forwards, running out of half tackles with sheer strength and power. One in the open he turned on the gas and down the right hand side of the field, stepped past the full back, handed off covering defenders and place a cherry on the cake with a dummy pass and go to step out of the last tackle to score with a dive over the line. A truly outstanding try from this very strong and exiting winger. Workman nailed the conversion to put Huddersfield out of sight at half time.
Half time – Huddersfield 19 – Guisborough 0
Although the message at half time to the Huddersfield lads was to keep the foot on the gas, the second half proved a much closer affair, some of this possibly due to a dip in continuity following a number of changes made in the Huddersfield ranks at half time. Guisborough are not top of the league for nothing and played well to cause Huddersfield defensive problems, but with confidence high and a real pride in their defence Huddersfield line remained un breached. Typical was a relieving run from second row Sam Crompton, who following a period on the Huddersfield line, won the ball and carried the ball 10 metres out to ease pressure on the Huddersfield line, a mammoth effort.
The final score of the game came shortly after the break from a well-executed set piece back row move off the scum allowing Callum Swift to canter over the line more or less unopposed.
All in all Huddersfield were good value for the win, executed some things well and were a little more clinical in the “danger” zone. A very good natured game between two teams who are on very good terms both on and off the field.
Man of the match for Huddersfield was awarded to Gypsy Black, not only for the outstanding try but for an overall solid game in attack and defence. New centre partnership of Danny Randall Grainger and Lewis Berry went well, minimising the impact of the missing Chris Cooper, but it was the forwards who again, to a man worked their socks off in the close exchanges to provide a good source of ball for the excellent Huddersfield Academy backs to show their wares.
With a number of the Huddersfield Academy players formally selected to take part in First XV training on Tuesday nights, the development pathway is very much alive and working.
Full time – Huddersfield Academy 26 – Guisborough 0
The Huddersfield lads take on Doncaster at home on 8th December 2013.
