Match Report

Ionians Alligators v Malton U12’s

20^th March 2011

The Alligators travelled to Bridlington for an expected game against the home side, but found that Malton would be the only team facing them today as Bridlington couldn’t assemble an U12’s side. The pitch allocation was also less than desirable, only half their usual size.

G1: Malton kicked off and soon gained possession when the Alligator’s failed to catch the ball. However, the Alligator’s soon regained control but knocked-on, giving Malton the first scrum. With the ball out, it was George Boynton who came to the rescue with a great tackle.

A good penalty kick from Michael Walker gave the Alligators a line-out just over half way and although it nudged play well up field, Malton soon took control and kicked back down field.

Malton were quick to win a scrum, but George Boynton was even quicker to steal the ball and pass out to Leon Caplin who made some good ground before getting tackled.

Out from an Alligator scrum, the ball made its way across to Jack Hatfield and then Jack Green-Morgan who bravely weaved his way through several Malton players to almost make the try line before losing the ball.

Some great passing by the Alligator’s eventually saw the ball land in the hands of James Millington, who fought well to claw his way through the maul to keep the ball moving. Eventually he broke free and crossed the line to log the first try. The game restarted with a Malton kick, brilliantly received by Jack Hatfield who immediately drove it forward.

Malton made some good passes, and a great pass down the line was only thwarted when Jack Hatfield and George Boynton intercepted the wing man.

The Alligator’s maul work was certainly showing signs of improvement as they manipulated the ball with considerable ease at times.

Malton very nearly made it to the try line just before half time with some great passing down the line and out for the wing-man to sprint down the right-hand side. Fortunately, Michael Walker was faster, and caught up the wing-man just in time and brought him crashing down, and with a dropped ball in the process. A scrum to the Alligator’s gave them a chance to get the ball out and kicked deep into Malton territory right on half time, ending the first half 7-0 to the Alligator’s.

The Alligator’s got the second half started, followed by an immediate charge forward by Malton and a brilliant tackle by George Boynton. Malton kept the pressure up by forcing their way through using their biggest player, who was then taken down by James Millington and Ian Shimmels.

A scrum close on the Alligator try line gave Jack Hatfield the opportunity to kick deep and allow James Millington to position himself perfectly to take the ball and barge his way through several Malton defenders to cross the try line for the second time.

A great drive by the Alligator’s ended with a knock-on and a scrum to Malton. A deep kick by Malton then landed neatly with Ethan Canet-Baldwin before Malton could make the tackle.

Malton again stepped up the pressure with a well placed ball to one of their fastest players closing in on the try line. Michael Walker and Finlay Hills quickly bolted their way across and brought him down before any damage could be done.

The Alligator’s made some great deep kicks to keep play in Malton’s half and when James Millington gained possession, a quick off-load to Leon Caplin, who struggled with several Malton players in his quest to retain possession and make it over the try line, very nearly paid off but Malton made the tackle and prevented the try.

Finlay Hills proved he could stand his own after catching some lovely high kicks, often with quick thinking off-loads as Malton closed in. Charlie Webster also made light of catching the odd ball or two as he patiently waited out on the wing for the loose ball to come his way. When it did, he caught it perfectly, quickly and accurately passing out.

The last play of the game came from an Alligator line-out in Malton territory. Malton gained possession and soon after, Charlie Cartmell lunged at the player and sent him into touch, ending the game 14-0 to the Alligators.

G2: The second game got under way after a dramatic change in the Malton squad. This time, the Alligator’s were going up against a tougher, more experienced side.

The Alligators’ kicked off and play concentrated around centre pitch for a while before a penalty to Malton moved it up field and gave them the first line-out. A sudden push from Malton edged closer to the try and eventually secured them the first try.

Although Ian Shimmels’ efforts to control a maul and get the ball out was exemplary, Malton still gained the upper hand, got possession and off-loaded to their biggest player who crashed through the Alligator defenders to cross the try line and score.

A Malton pass that went astray gave the Alligator’s a glimmer of hope, but after a successful reprisal, Malton again mastered the off-load and barged through to cross the try line.

Even with Malton notching up the try’s, the Alligator’s kept fighting back and with a great line pass by Malton thwarted by Jack Green-Morgan’s wonderful try-stopping tackle.

A breather came for the Alligator’s when Malton almost made it over the try line again but was prevented from scoring to give the Alligator’s a scrum. Malton’s final attempt to score before half time came when they received the ball and dropped it, giving the Alligator’s a half way line penalty before ending the first half 21-0 in favour of Malton.

Malton restarted the second half with a kick that sent the ball immediately out of play for an Alligator line-out. Malton won the line-out and nearly made a clean break for the try line but a knock-on gave the Alligator’s the advantage with a scrum awarded in their favour.

Malton soon gained a scrum and didn’t waste any time deploying the ball. They passed out well but the Alligator’s soon made the tackle before Malton regained possession and forced their way across the try line to score. The restart was chased well by Malton and tackled equally as well by the Alligator’s to stop another sure try.

The game had its fair share of quality kicks from both sides and when Malton won an Alligator scrum, they kicked deep and chased well, eventually gaining possession and passing with great accuracy that allowed them to cross the try line yet again.

The Alligator’s made a conscious effort to keep the ball away from Malton and passed almost as accurately as Malton. Ethan Canet-Baldwin did his utmost to stop his opponent, clinging on as if his life depended on it and, with the help of Jack Hatfield, the Malton player went down.

A maul well into Alligator territory ended with a scrum to the Alligator’s after becoming lifeless. Even with the Alligator’s winning the scrum, Malton soon regained control and with another push towards the try line, they crossed the white wash to score. Fortunately, the Alligator’s quickly pounced and prevented the grounding.

Malton gave a final burst of energy to claim another try and fought through the tiresome Alligator’s to cross the try line for the final time, ending the game 42-0 to Malton.

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MAN OF THE MATCH: James Millington for another courageous and eventful performance that contributed towards the Alligator’s successful win during their first game. James’ presence on the pitch and his participation in the squad has become a major asset for the Alligator’s. His consistency is a real pleasure and one that is well worth the viewing.

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MATCH SUMMARY:

Results:

Alligators 14 - 0 Malton

Alligators 0 - 42 Malton

Try Scorers:

James Millington 2

Total Alligator Tries: 2

Conversions:

Jack Hatfield 1

Michael Walker 1

Total Alligator Con’s: 2

Attendance:

16/21 - (86%)

Away (Bridlington)