Match Report

Ionians Alligators v Goole & Hull U12’s

9^th January 2011

G1 - Goole: Playing on a half size pitch, Goole got the game under way with a hefty kick caught by Oscar Cavill who went neatly into a maul with Kyro Kelly and James Millington immediately exerting pressure on Goole as they entered the maul. It was then George Boynton who tried to regain possession but unfortunately Goole were delighting in the pressure and retaliated with a well deserved try in the first five minutes.

A volley well up field by Jack Hatfield gave George Boynton the opportunity to thunder deep into Goole’s half. An Alligator scrum just a few yards from Goole’s try line gave them a chance, with a great tackle by James Millington, virtually on the try line, and a well placed pass by George Boynton to Jack Green-Morgan, on to Jack Hatfield then back to Jack Green-Morgan to eloquently deposit on the try line.

The Alligators had to fight hard to prevent Goole’s penetration, and with play close to the Alligator try line; George Boynton came to the rescue and took his opponent crashing into touch before Goole almost sneaked a try in the top corner. Just as George had done in one corner, when Goole pressurised, Jack Hatfield rescued the Alligators and sent his man flying into touch.

An Alligator line-out, neatly put in by Max Smeaton, made its way to George Boynton who wellied it up field and straight into touch for a Goole line-out just beyond half-way. Now in Goole’s half, Jack Green-Morgan and Leon Caplin maintained pressure with instant and effective tackling that nearly gave Jack Hatfield a clear run through having successfully gained possession.

Goole hastily began kicking at every opportunity, but fortunately for the Alligators, Matty Gill played his full-back position brilliantly as Goole desperately tried to get the ball back up field with a high kick. He homed in and caught the ball flawlessly, instantly charging forwards.

The Alligators’ ball manipulation was excellent and a great pass from George Boynton to Jack Hatfield and across to Sam Howard very nearly gave them another try but alas, Sam was taken down before he could reach the try line ending the first half 7-7.

Jack Hatfield got the second half under way and the Alligators gave immediate chase and tackled Goole but they still managed to get the ball out. James Millington and Jack Hatfield quickly responded, pounced and sent Goole into touch.

A Goole penalty very nearly cost the Alligators a try, and things didn’t improve when a scrum was lost to Goole’s swift intercepting skills. Luckily, the scrum was restarted and George Boynton wasn’t about to let them get the upper hand again as he ran to safety.

A little knock-on by Goole on the half-way line gave the Alligators an opportunity to take the lead. It was unfortunate that an otherwise lovely diving pass by George Boynton to Jack Green-Morgan went slightly forwards as it made its way across to Charlie Webster, giving Goole an opportunity to thunder towards the try line before crashing into a wall of Alligator defenders.

An unfortunate line-out for the Alligators on the half way line bounced back and was tapped into touch giving Goole the advantage with a line-out. The Alligators exerted a mass of energy putting up a tough defence against an eager Goole side as they came close to securing a winning try after a tense and aggressive maul in which James Millington, Leon Caplin and Oscar Cavill displayed immense stamina trying to retain possession. Eventually, the ball came loose and made its way across to Jack Hatfield who impulsively began barging his way through several Goole players before succumbing to their tough defenders.

With minutes to go, the Alligators, trying desperately to win a Goole line-out, got a break when the ball went straight back out for an Alligator line-out. A sneaky pass by George Boynton to Leon Caplin was enough to end the game in a draw, with neither side scoring in the second half.

G2 - Hull: A Hull kick-off saw the ball go immediately dead, giving the first scrum to the Alligators. Some accurate and well placed passing kept Hull at bay for a while but a sudden lapse in concentration meant that Hull very nearly made the try line first. Fortunately for the Alligators, a held-up call was given and spared them an early deficit. However, it wasn’t long before Hull gained the advantage, with a scrum just five yards out enabling them to quickly deploy the ball and charge over the Alligator try line to score.

High kicks seemed to be the order of the day, and Hull made no exception with their high volley deep into Alligator territory. It was newcomer, Finlay Hills who bravely called for the ball and made a concentrated and successful effort to grab it from the air and immediately off-load it to Ethan Canet-Baldwin to make an audacious attempt at scoring. The ball went wide and was quickly taken by Jack Hatfield who made the stunning dive across the try line to score.

Following a Hull scrum where George Boynton managed to steal the ball, a maul gave Sam Howard the chance to rip the ball away from his opponents, get it out to Oscar Cavill and back to George for a magnificent try in the top corner. The first half ended with a scramble of a maul and a scrum to Hull with no real threat to the Alligators.

The second half got under way with several long and high kicks from both sides. However, the Alligators had now mastered the art of receiving the high kick, and when Hull tried to outplay them with one such kick, an optimistic Sam Howard, whilst galloping up field, caught it perfectly. Although tackled, Sam was still able to off-load to Charlie Webster who took it into the maul.

The Alligators managed to keep play within Hull’s half for quite a while before another of Hull’s high kicks headed directly towards Sam Howard again. He wasn’t as lucky this time and the ball escaped his grasp but still went safely backwards.

Hull maintained a strong kicking game and their next volley went clean into touch for an Alligator line-out. Put in by Max Smeaton and taken by James Millington, the ball was taken straight into a maul and the Alligators tried frantically to cling on to it, but unfortunately Hull eventually gained possession and, following a penalty, immediately secured their final try.

With only two points in it and only a few minutes of play left, Charlie Cartmell hit a maul and made a sudden grab for the ball, passing it out to Sam Howard who made a quick bolt for the try line. Although Sam made the try line he was unlucky to have dropped the ball, but a great effort nevertheless. Seconds later, with no second half try’s, the game ended 14-12 to the Alligators.

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MAN OF THE MATCH: Jack Hatfield for his magnificent and courageous effort throughout both games. Jacks’ enthused attitude and his commitment to the game is a constant reminder why he is regarded as a high calibre player. Jacks’ tackling ability and his kicking skills have always been tremendously impressive. Against Hull in particular, he ensured the Alligators had maximum points to win the game by successfully converting all the Alligator try’s.

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MATCH SUMMARY:

Results:

Alligators 7 - 7 Goole

Alligators 14 - 12 Hull

Try Scorers:

Jack Green-Morgan 1

Jack Hatfield 1

George Boynton 1

Total Alligator Tries: 3

Conversions:

Jack Hatfield 3

Total Alligator Con’s: 3

Attendance: 19/22 - (86%)

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