Match Report

Driffield Festival

Ionians Alligators v Sleaford, Old Rishworthians, Driffield, Sandal Bears & York U12’s

17^th April 2011

G1 - Sleaford: Jack Hatfield kicked off and immediately gave chase and tackled Sleaford into touch. With a line-out to the Alligator’s, James Millington gained possession and took the ball into a maul before off-loading back to Jack. The Alligator’s did well to keep the ball contained in the Sleaford half to avoid an early deficit.

Sleaford ploughed their way through and entered Alligator territory for the first time, weaving their way through a lapsed Alligator defence, and crossed the try line to secure the first try.

As Sleaford piled on the pressure, a knock-on gave the Alligator’s a scrum and a chance to regain possession just over the half way line. A great effort was taken by Matty Gill as he took his man into touch and gave his team the line-out.

Sleaford maintained the pressure with some great ball work and tackles that gave them repeat chances to steal the ball. Eventually, they escaped the clasps of the Alligator’s and scored.

The Alligator’s very nearly got free from Sleaford, for a clear path to the try line, but the referee blew for a knock-on, depriving the Alligator’s of a great opportunity to register a try.

Ethan Canet-Baldwin showed no mercy as he charged towards the wing to prevent Sleaford’s wing man from making it to the try line.

As half time approached, the Alligator’s took possession but were soon taken into touch for a Sleaford line-out. Sleaford quickly gained the advantage and made a sudden dash for the try line, scoring right on half time with a 15-0 lead against the Alligator’s.

Sleaford kicked off the second half and thundered forwards to keep the Alligator’s at bay. The Alligator’s returned it with a high kick, but the ball went into touch for a Sleaford line-out.

James Millington showed brute force as he waded through several Sleaford players but was tackled before he could reach the try line.

Sleaford managed to gain possession and outwit the Alligator’s by weaving their way through and over the try line to score.

The Alligator’s tried desperately to regain control and keep play concentrated in Sleaford’s half, and for while, they did and almost crossed the try line but the Sleaford defenders were more aggressive and kept the Alligator’s at bay.

The full-time whistle was now imminent and the Alligator’s had one last chance to make use of a Sleaford kick but, alas, they dropped the ball. Although the referee called for them to play-on, it seemed the momentum had gone and even a last minute scrum to the Alligator’s couldn’t help them gain a try in this game. Sleaford went on to win graciously by 20-0.

G2 - Old Rishworthians: Rishworthian’s kicked off and the ball went straight into a maul and out down the Alligator line to George Boynton who gave one of his brilliant sly little flicks of the ball to Guy Whittaker. Unfortunately, a perfect piece of ball work was intercepted by Rishworthian’s before Guy could lay his hands on it.

The Alligator’s were relieved when a dropped ball went in their favour and gained them a line-out. As the ball fell clear of the line, Ian Shimmells began slinging players aside, like bags of rubbish, in his attempt to help his team mates steal the ball.

Rishworthian’s continued to make mistakes and the Alligator’s were quick to take advantage when a scrum was awarded in their favour. With a swift pass to Michael Walker, the ball was kicked deep into Rishworthian territory and chased well by the Alligator’s.

A Rishworthian scrum later gave them a chance to escape, with ball in hand, and bolt over the try line to score.

The Alligator’s displayed some good ball work with a great pass from George Boynton, perfectly received by Ethan Canet-Baldwin as he balanced precariously near the touch line, and off-loaded to Guy Whittaker who went into the maul for James Millington to lend his hand and help heave the maul forwards.

Guy Whittaker later regained possession and eluded several Rishworthian players, who all failed to hold on to Guy’s forceful presence, and crossed the try line in spectacular style to even the score just as the half time whistle sounded.

A good kick and chase by Jack Hatfield got the second half under way and Charlie Webster got straight to work, entering a maul and trying to steal the ball.

The Alligator’s won the first line-out as the ball made its way across the pitch and cleared touch. It was quickly followed with a scrum to the Alligator’s and a brilliant effort by Ethan Canet-Baldwin to charge down the wing in an attempt to cross the try line before a Rishworthian player caught him up and sent him crashing into touch.

A lovely tackle was made by Jack Green-Morgan to stop a Rishworthian wing man from getting through. Later, a bolt for the try line was made by Jack, as he chased and caught a lovely kick from Michael Walker. Jack almost made it over the try line, but an army of Rishworthian players just managed to catch him up and brought him down a whisker away from scoring.

James Millington, determined to score for the Alligator’s, pushed his way through a maul and exerted all his energy to cross the line and touch down the winning try.

In their attempt at a quick kick-off, Rishworthian's kicked the ball dead and the Alligator’s had a scrum to their advantage and a chance to retain possession until full-time.

A little knock-on by Rishworthian's after they regained possession finally ended the game 10-5 to the Alligator’s.

G3 - Driffield: Driffield kicked off and a keen Ethan Canet-Baldwin tried so hard to catch the ball but could only manage a fingertip stroke as the ball fell into touch, giving Driffield the advantage.

The Alligator’s did all they could to keep Driffield out of their half but a successfully manipulated maul by Driffield gave them possession and with a nice little weave through the Alligator’s, they got the try.

Driffield continued to keep the Alligator’s at bay and took every opportunity to land a penalty. The Alligator’s kept retaliating and with James Millingtons’ and Ian Shimmells’ combined efforts, Driffield were prevented from getting through and the ball went into a maul.

George Boynton made a real effort to cunningly duck and dive his way through Driffield’s excellent defending, but could not steer a clear path to the try line, ending the first half 5-0 to Driffield.

With the Alligator’s kicking off the second half, Driffield were soon to respond and hold the Alligator’s off in a maul. As Driffield gained possession, they kicked high. Jack Hatfield was ready and keen to catch it, brining it straight back into another maul and another half way line challenge for both sides.

Driffield's attempt to sprint down the wing came unstuck when several of the Alligator’s stampeded towards the wing and lunged at the Driffield player, sending him crashing into touch and preventing the escape over the try line. Jack Hatfield also got stuck in with his own forceful approach to knock his player clean off his feet.

A good deep kick up field by Jack Hatfield sent Matty Gill and Guy Whittaker in hot pursuit, ready to intercept the Driffield wing man, before concluding the game 5-0 to Driffield.

G4 - Sandal Bears: Sandal kicked off and with Jack Hatfield under the ball, a pass out to Jack Green-Morgan and and off-load to Charlie Webster on the wing, ended with a little knock-on to give Sandal the advantage.

Sandal demonstrated some great ball work, dodging through the Alligator’s with ease to log the first try directly under the posts. The re-start was caught by Sandal and brought back into Alligator territory where Benji Smales was ready to take his man down.

With Sandal in possession, the ball was kicked into the Alligator half where Matty Gill was ready to reclaim lost ground.

After a successful Sandal line-out, they dropped the ball and lost a chance to nick a quick try. Ethan Canet-Baldwin was quick to grab the ball but a scrum was awarded to the Alligator’s nevertheless. With a quick deployment, the ball was kicked and went into touch.

Sandal, despite Guy Whittaker’s try line tackle, was outplaying the Alligator’s and squeezed across the line for another try. With a quick re-start by the Alligator’s, Sandal immediately hit back with an almost full length pitch sprint to score again. Not content with stopping there, Sandal got the fourth try after a long sprint down the wing to cross the try line. To everyone’s amazement, Sandals’ punishment on the Alligator’s was not yet over as they executed some fantastic passes to successfully register a fifth try just before half time, giving them a comfortable 25-0 lead on the Alligator’s.

The Alligator’s kicked off the second half and Sandal were quick in responding, very nearly penetrating the Alligator defence, but a fortunate tackle by the Alligator’s held them up.

James Millington’s line-out grab of the ball was quickly intercepted by Sandal as they forced him into touch. With Sandal now in possession, they clawed their way through a weakening Alligator side to cross the try line for the sixth time. Just as they did in the first half, Sandal immediately took advantage on the unsuspecting Alligator’s and charged down the wing within seconds of the re-start to record their seventh and final try of the game.

The Alligator’s got the ball out to Jack Green-Morgan who made a concentrated effort to break through the Sandal defence but couldn’t escape their brilliant tackling.

A breath of fresh air came when James Millington gained possession from a penalty and barged his way across the try line to register the Alligator’s one and only try against Sandal.

Ethan Canet-Baldwin, waiting out on the wing, took a great pass and began his sprint down the touch line. Although Ethan bravely managed to keep the ball in play, he had to off-load to Guy Whittaker who succumbed to the might of Sandal with an unorthodox tackle that gained a penalty and ended the game 35-5 to Sandal.

G5 - York: York kicked off and the ball went immediately dead for an Alligator scrum. York soon regained possession and saw a clear run for their wing man and made the pass for him to sail down the wing and log the first try. A sense of déjà vu was felt by the Alligator supporters as York were quick to respond to the re-start with a sudden bolt down the wing to record their second try in less than a minute.

Matty Gill tried his best to make some ground and again passed out to Guy Whittaker, but with a severe lack of support, Guy was taken down by York.

Jack Green-Morgan single handily prevented York from getting through with a great try-saving tackle that kept play in York’s half a little longer.

As the first half drew to a close, a pass from Charlie Webster to Oscar Cavill slipped away and ended the first half 10-0 to York.

The Alligator’s kicked off the second half, immediately giving chase and with a good tackle landed by Charlie Webster.

York didn’t waste time in getting a penalty for a high tackle, and the Alligator’s were just as quick to respond with a penalty to keep play concentrated in York’s half.

A scrum to York gave George Boynton a chance to pounce as soon as the ball came loose. York, however, still managed to get the ball into Alligator territory with some quick thinking and cunning evasion tactics to elude Charlie Webster and score in the top corner.

Another York scrum enabled them to keep possession, maintain momentum and cross the try line for the fourth and final time.

Charlie Cartmell almost came to the rescue with a real effort to reach the try line and ground the ball. He managed the first bit successfully but was held up trying to make the grounding.

An Alligator scrum now gave them a chance to do something positive with the ball. Oscar Cavill grabbed the ball, went into the maul and tried desperately to land it in Alligator hands.

Charlie Cartmell gave a great off-load in his attempt to get the ball moving up field but, alas, it fell into the hands of York who weaved through several Alligator’s before Jack Hatfield stopped them dead with a hard hitting tackle.

A double penalty to the Alligator’s gave James Millington one of the final touches of the game as he held off York in his attempt to off-load the ball.

The final touch of ball came with a great wing pass to Captain George Boynton, who high-tailed it down the wing and over the try line to secure the final try of the season, concluding the game 20-5 in favour of York.

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MAN OF THE MATCH: Jack Green-Morgan for a persistently good performance throughout the day. His tackling was often quite flawless and prevented the opposition from breaking through on several occasions. His courageous attempt to bolt down the wing and elude his captors very nearly secured Jack a stunning try. Jack has always been a valuable member of the Alligator’s and his inclusion in the squad is crucial when faced against some of the more challenging sides.

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MATCH SUMMARY:

Results:

Alligators 0 - 20 Sleaford

Alligators 10 - 5 Old Rishworthians

Alligators 0 - 5 Driffield

Alligators 5 - 35 Sandal Bears

(4^th Place Play Off)

Alligators 5 - 20 York

Try Scorers:

James Millington 2

Guy Whittaker 1

George Boynton 1

Total Alligator Tries: 4

Conversions: None Taken

Attendance: 16/22 - (73%)

Away

Match Report

York Festival

Ionians Alligators v Otley, York ‘A’ & Selby U12’s

10^th April 2011

G1 - Otley: The Alligator’s got the game underway and soon gained a penalty to keep possession. James Millington and Michael Walker got stuck in straight away with some excellent and forceful tackling to keep Otley at bay.

Ethan Canet-Baldwin stepped up to the mark in a concentrated effort to grab the ball and charge down the wing before getting tackled.

A little over a quarter of the game had gone when Otley took advantage of a lapsed opening in the Alligator defence and bolted through to score the first try.

The first line-out went to the Alligator’s and with the ball quickly deployed, it made its way over to Michael Walker, who weaved his way through several Otley players, tugging at his shirt, to cross the line and score.

Oscar cavill made light of catching the high ball and taking it into the maul and placing it out well. Newcomer Benji Smales also made a good first impression with some well thought out tackling, close on the try line to stop Otley from scoring.

As half time approached, a maul close to the try line was held well by the Alligator’s as they prevented Otley from stealing the ball. The half time whistle sounded as the maul broke away, ending the first half in a draw.

Otley kicked the second half off with a long ball, well caught by Benji Smales, blending in well with his new teams mates.

The Alligator’s executed some good line passing and when the ball came back across the line and onto the wing, Matty Gill made every effort to outrun the opposition but was taken into touch for an Otley line out deep in their half.

Jack Hatfield quickly spotted Otley making a clean break for the try line and gave chase, knocking their player into touch and preventing an otherwise try.

A knock-on by Otley gave the Alligator’s a scrum and a chance to keep possession. George Boynton very neatly back flicked the ball out to Michael Walker, who charged forwards and into a maul with a well executed lay-off to get the ball out.

Otley piled on the pressure and challenged the Alligator’s to a sprint down the wing. Unfortunately, Otley just managed to elude the Alligator’s and make it over the try line to score.

Michael Walker gave a good kick and chase in his attempt to recapture the ball, but Otley once again managed to force their way through and scrape over the try line for the third and final time. The game ended soon after with a dormant maul that concluded with a 15-5 win to Otley.

G2 – York ‘A’: The Alligator’s kicked off and although taken well by York, James Millington charged in a snatched the ball and took it straight into a maul.

A good effort was made by Guy Whittaker to keep the ball away from York as he tried to off-load going into a maul.

York’s line-out didn’t go as planned when James Millington leapt high and grabbed the ball and passed out.

York took advantage of a loose ball and weaved their way through to cross the try line and score. Almost straight after securing their first try, York capitalised on their rush of adrenalin with another charge down the full length of the wing to record a second quick try. Fortunately for the Alligator’s, York dropped the ball on the try line and the try was chalked off. However, soon after, a similar and more successful attempt was made by York and this time they touched down the second try without dropping it.

An unfortunate injury to Joseph Bradley right on half time ended the first half 10-0 to York.

York kicked off the second half and chased well, preventing Charlie Cartmell taking, what would have been a lovely catch. As York tried to penetrate the Alligator defence, Benji Smales and Guy Whittaker were immediately on hand to prevent them from getting through. Despite the efforts of both these players, the Alligator’s couldn’t stop York from eventually getting through and cementing another try.

Even with the odds against them, the Alligator’s remained focused and channelled all their energy into executing the perfect mauls. With James Millington’s courageous and forceful approach, the mauls were moving nicely for the Alligator’s. As the ball found its way out of a maul, Oscar Cavill and Ian Shimmels were ready to barge their way through and cross the try line. Eventually it was Guy Whittaker who received an off-load that would allow him to weave nicely through York’s defence and touch down the try.

The Alligator’s maintained the pressure on York with some excellent try-stopping tackles until the full time whistle ended the game 15-5 to York.

G3 - Selby: The Alligator’s kicked off and the ball soon found its way back into Alligator territory for Ethan Canet-Baldwin to take possession. Selby were quick to attack and took Ethan straight into touch for a line-out. Roles were quickly reversed as James Millington’s attempt to grab the ball prevented Selby from keeping it in play and a line-out was awarded to the Alligator’s.

Selby’s ball control was quite a delight to watch, as they managed a succession of perfect passes along the line and out to the wing. Unfortunately for them, Benjamin Smales was also on the wing and pounced as the last man caught the ball, sending him flying into touch. Selby soon regrouped, regained possession and tried another line pass across the wing and this time, succeeded in getting the ball up field and over the try line to score.

Ethan Canet-Baldwin made sure that Selby did not secure a second try this half, with a brilliant try saving tackle that sent Selby crashing into touch and giving the Alligator’s a well deserved line-out. Charlie Cartmell caught the ball and tried desperately to get through the Selby defenders but was nudged into touch before he could get far.

James Millington’s effort to keep momentum in a maul was quite commendable, having lost his boot and going into a maul barefooted. The first half came to a close soon after the maul on the half way line with a 5-0 lead for Selby.

Selby gave a high kick to get the second half under way but Michael Walker made light work of catching the ball and charging forward.

A knock-on on the half way line gave Selby a scrum but then a dropped ball, which didn’t do them any favours, gave a scrum to the Alligator’s.

Selby hit the Alligator defence hard, eventually sneaking through a forced opening to cross the line and pinch a second try.

Not content with a blank score sheet, the Alligator’s hyped up the pressure on Selby, casting aside players, as George Boynton so eloquently did when Selby attempted to pick up a discarded ball. George pounced in an instant and slung the Selby player to one side before grounding the ball for the Alligator’s.

Jack Hatfield’s quick thinking try-stopping tackles paid off once again for the Alligator’s when he prevented Selby from gaining a third try with a lunging tackle near the try line. The Alligator’s were quick to gain possession and it was Guy Whittaker who bolted back into Selby’s half before getting tackled and ending the game 10-5 to Selby.

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MAN OF THE MATCH: James Millington for yet another magnificent performance. The Alligator’s may not have achieved any silverware at York, but the standard of playing was exceptional, especially that of James who never lets the side down and never shy’s away from a tough situation. James’ ability to edge a maul several yards is one of his biggest assets and a real challenge for the opposition to stop him. His contribution in this Festival most certainly helped prevent the Alligator’s from suffering a heavy deficit.

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MATCH SUMMARY:

Results: Alligators 5 - 15 Otley

Alligators 5 - 15 York ‘A’

Alligators 5 - 10 Selby

Try Scorers:

Michael Walker 1

Guy Whittaker 1

George Boynton 1

Total Alligator Tries: 3

Conversions: None Taken -

Attendance: 16/22 - (73%)

Away