Colts keep up pursuit at top
THE long trip to Staffordshire proved bountiful as after a slow start, Heaton Moor Senior Colts recovered to register another impressive victory in the Lancashire League, keeping the pressure on leaders Altrincham Kersal in the process.
From the off, the Moor boys were camped in their own half as the hosts made a bright start.
They got an early reward after seven minutes when after a few missed tackles, a sweet kick through by the fly half was touched down to open the scoring.
Newcastle should have stretched that lead but a missed penalty in front of the posts let Heaton Moor off the hook.
But the pressure increased and a rolling maul from a lineout provided another try left Moor trailing by ten points after fifteen minutes.
A spark was required and from Nick Tenney’s kick off, Bob Berry chased well and forced a knockon.
The scrum proved effective and a couple of passes later, Emilio Ramirez beat a couple of defenders and opened the Moor account, Nick with the conversion from a tricky angle.
Moor ten started to dominate proceedings and on the stroke of half time, a clearance by Joe Kilbride held up in the wind, Emilio Ramirez showed great strength, won the ball and from fifty metres sprinted away to score, the conversion a lot easier for Tenney on this occasion. So, a poor start had been turned around.
The visitors burst out of the traps at the start of the second half, five minutes in Joe Kilbride scored a beauty after a strong Moor scrum.
He still had a lot to do when Tenney passed but he expertly dropped a shoulder and scored, another routine conversion for Nick.
Moor were now rampant and a few minutes later, Trevor DansonChappell made a great break from midfield, just as it looked like he would get there, a great late tackle thwarted him but the ball recycled for Connor Bailey to score in the corner.
A testing kick for Tenney wide on the right, the attempt sailed between the posts keeping up his perfect record.
Moor had a commanding eighteen-point advantage now and it would get better.
From a defensive scrum in their own 22’, they managed to overturn a Newcastle scum, Rafferty feeding Nick Tenney and when the ball was transferred to Asa Bottomley on the left wing, there was only one outcome, another trademark try for Asa.
With fifteen minutes left on the clock, Moor took their foot off the gas slightly, Newcastle probing for openings although they found a defence that was determined to keep them out, some brilliant tackling by the forwards. Although, Newcastle did manage to breach inside the last five minutes with a well worked try which was duly converted.
All in all, it was a very good performance from the Senior Colts, confidence really high as they kept their unbeaten record in 2019 intact.