Moor avenge LSH Cup loss
LANCS/CHESHIRE DIVISION TWO LIVERPOOL SH .............. 22 HEATON MOOR ............. 26
IN their final away league match of the season, Moor travelled to Liverpool St Helens last Saturday, having already played them at their Moss Lane ground once this season in a League Cup game.
Unlike this latter encounter, when Moor were very much secondbest, the outcome of Saturday’s game was in the balance right up until the final whistle, with Moor ending up with the spoils in a closely-fought game.
With the visitors receiving the kick-off, play was confined to the Moor half of the field for the first few minutes, with the home side looking as if they might open the scoring at any point.
Moor did manage to keep them out however, and on their first real encroachment into opposition territory on 10 minutes, LSH had a man sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle.
Following the resultant penalty, the ball was passed along the Moor back line and after a couple of subsequent rucks, centre Alex Tupou managed to squeeze over in the corner to open Moor’s account with an unconverted try.
With the advantage of an extra player, Moor continued to press and looked as if they might increase their lead when, from a lineout following a penalty kick to touch, they produced a 15-metre rolling maul which took play to just short of the LSH five-metre line.
However, the home side managed to hold this charge up, the first of at least four such turnovers during the game, and from the resulting scrum, the LSH scrum-half made a break down the blindside and following a couple of interchanges, as well as half-hearted tackles from the Moor defence, their outside centre was on hand to take a return pass on the halfway line to sprint in and score under the crossbar, making the conversion a formality.
Shortly afterwards, the home side returned to a full compliment of players and both sides then had more or less an equal amount of attacking ball, but solid defence and perhaps a few too many mistakes by either side, meant that play was confined mainly to midfield.
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Moor did produce possibly their most sustained attack of the game so far, with the ball being recycled on a number of occasions, ending up with flanker Sam Dolling, playing in only his second game following a long layoff, making a good angled run into the line and breaking through a couple of tackles to run in from the LSH 10-metre line to score a try under the posts, converted by skipper and fly-half, Danny Child.
This lead lasted all of one minute as, from the kick-off, two Moor players allowed the ball to bounce between them, enabling an opposition player to run through and gather it up and take play to just short of the Moor try-line.
The ball was then quickly recycled ending up with their No. 8 crossing for an unconverted try and with no further scores, the break was reached at 12-12.
For most of the third quarter, Moor did have territorial advantage, and were awarded a couple of, what looked like, kickable penalties, but chose instead to go for touch. However, the resultant catch and drives were held up by LSH, allowing them to regain possession.
Eventually, the pressure did tell and from yet another attacking scrum, scrum-half Mike Ingham went down the blind-side to score in the corner, followed by an excellent conversion by Child. Advantage then switched to LSH in the final quarter, as play was almost entirely in the Moor half of the field.
It was started by a breakout from their leftwinger and only a lastgasp, try-saving tackle by evergreen full-back, Chris Ogden-Smith, prevented him from scoring.
This set up a series of attacks by the home side, as Moor were unable to break out and eventually a well-timed pass along the LSH back line, which took out two of the visitor’s defenders, allowed their inside centre to run in under the sticks for a converted try.
Moor did briefly set up another attack following a strong run out of defence by Ogden-Smith and then winger Trevor Chappell, but the visitors were unable to capitalise on this and yet again, allowed LSH to break out, courtesy of ineffectual tackling, and ended up with the home side kicking a penalty goal and taking the lead for only the second time in the match.
With only a minute of normal time remaining, Moor did manage to put in one final push and following a scrum deep in opposition territory, the ball was repeatedly recycled, allowing flanker and MOM, Sam Shepherd to cross for a bonus-point try, converted by Child.
This set up a grandstand finish to the game, as LSH threw everything at Moor in an attempt to retake the lead and were camped on the Moor line for what seemed an eternity and deep into injury time, did appear to have scored on a couple of occasions, but in both cases, the referee adjudged the ball to have been held up and Moor held on to win a hardfought game, 26-22.
Moor’s next league game is on 16th March at home against West Park (St. Helens), kick off 3pm.