leythers stap unbeaten : Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:18 pm
The leythers mb team met up at 6 am yesterday to take a long winded trip down to bridgend in there 3rd game of the campain to take on the newley formed celtic crusaders barbarians in what was both teams teams first international match. After stopping at the services and getting stung by the services prices for breakfast we then got back on the road into wales.
when we arrrived at the venue of were we was playing (a primary school) we were then told there were no changing facilities or showers so it was back to under 9s level of getting changed in the back of cars and getting straight out on the field that was one of the smallest fields ive played on.
after being told the ref had cancelled on them we got the game under way with the celtic team organiser with the whistle and before the first set was compleated we knew what we were in for, they were a team of rugby union lads that were up for the game and before the leythers could get into the swing of things they found themselves 4-0 down and things wernt looking too good. after some stern words behind the posts the leythers stormed up field and took a grip of the game and with some good handleing skills they put danny dodd in the corner for what was his first try of the season with the conversion missed made the scoreline 4-4. from the kick off the leythers showed once again thay they had a proud record of 9/9 in the tag league going back to the loss at halifax in july last season being the only loss of the 2008 season as they forced the error and completed the set with forcing a drop out. With matt thomas being a thorn in the celtic side throughout the game with runs from dummy half the arm wrestle kept both teams in the game going into the 2nd half.
With celtic coming up with another score early in the half made the scoreline 8-4 to the hosts with the leythers looking shocked. form the kick off the celtic team tried a few things but the leythers held there defence and stopped them.with the ball being in leighs hands and the gaps starting to open, halfback and gareth burrows showed one of the most outragous dummies to send him over the line to tie up the scores at 8-8 then gareth burrows made sure of the conversion to make it 8-10 to leythers. Within minutes the leythers were on the scoresheet again with gareth burrows using a well worked move straight from the training pitch to send him in at the corner, the leythers now with the belief that they could go on and win the game being 8-14 and after the conversion 8-16 due to a goal by burrows. Celtic didnt stop coming and fair dues to them when they managed to get over the whitewash with 3 mins to go in the game making the scoreline 12-16 only for the leythers to make the final score of the game with a drop goal from the old man paul wilcock making the final score 12-17 to the leythers.
man of the match for the leigh team chosen by the celtic side was matt thomas
FINAL SCORE
CELTIC CRUSADERS BARBARIANS 12-17 LEYTHERS MB TEAM
leigh team
1 andy lally
2 corinna crosby
3 martin
4 bowers
5 danny dodd
6 gareth burrows
7 paul wilcock(C)
8 adam
9 matt thomas
10 alastair crosby
11 danny clark
12 jason
13 si reynolds
14 jordan