Aldwinians lose season opener at Liverpool St Helens

ADM Premier Division: Liverpool St Helens 42-26 Aldwinians

Ten tries scored in the opening game of the league season ,but in the end , the only consolation for the plucky Audenshaw team is a bonus point for scoring four of them.

The outcome of pre season warm up games and a cup game last week suggested that this match would be a difficult start to the league campaign for this young side.However, the opening minutes gave encouragement as Tom Hughes reacted to a penalty award with a quickly taken tap and deep kick to keep the team on the front foot.

LSH mounted their first attack down the left flank on five minutes and found the defence wanting - good support play engineered an easy try to go 7 -0 up. LSH forwards took the restart ball and used the left side to develop another drive.They were held and forced back by the Aldwinians pack but widened the play with a deep kick to midfield on the visitors 22 line but then knocked on. Scrum half Dan Martin kicked deep from the base to clear downfield but from the catch good hands and running lines from the home backs, engineered a two man overlap to score the second converted try on 10 minutes for a 14-0 lead.

The balance then started to change as key elements of a rugby game started to reveal themselves with more continuous phases of contact. Dan Martin reduced the deficit with a penalty on 13 minutes after the LSH pack were put under pressure. Over the next 10 minutes it was clear that the Aldwinians pack led by captain Connor Prendergast had the edge over their opponents in the scrum, the home side were having difficulty in securing their own line out throw possession, and were going offside in midfield. From a loose line out ball Aldwinians' back row Lewis Quinn took play downfield to set up a forward drive, which encouraged a further penalty offence for offside. Dan Martin converted and the score narrowed to 14-6 on 24 minutes.

Aldwinians kept on the front foot as full back Tom Hughes kicked the restart deep down the left. LSH retreated and gave away two more penalties as the away forwards attacked the try line, but not releasing the ball in the tackle enabled LSH to clear to half way. Another misfiring lineout gifted the initiative back to the visitors and a positive right to left cross field movement pressurised a high tackle offence taking the pack forward to a line out near the LSH try line. Pounding the line with a number of mauls and scrums, the forwards couldn’t make the line but it was Martin at the base who took his chance to dive over to take his team in at half time with a try and a respectable 14-11 scoreline.

With renewed confidence stand off Alex Hughes kicked off the second half and with second row Alex Mooney putting in a thundering tackle on the defender. LSH were contained in their 22 area. Play was forced right and the reward was a try for Prendergast, taking Aldwinians into the lead for the first time at 14-16. With LSH unable to command much set piece control they had to focus on broken play positions to recover their poise. Step forward their scrum half and captain Darren Wilson - a wily and experienced campaigner. He took a ball deep in his half and went on a pacy ,e vasive run upfield that left Aldwinians' players startled and out of position.This run led to a missed penalty kick at goal on 48 minutes but a moment later a quick tap penalty and he was off again, evading tackles and linking with his right wing who scored their third try to retake the lead at 21-16. The fire and concentration seemed to have left Aldwinians at this stage and further tries came in the 57th and 64th minute to extend their regained lead further to 35 -16.

Recovering their poise, a typical barnstorming run from Quinn was rewarded with a try on 71 mins followed with an excellent break and try by Wade Martin to secure a try bonus point, narrowing down the deficit to 35 -26. An anxious final nine minutes was in prospect. The ball was passed through the Aldwinians backs out to the unmarked left wing with the line beckoning, but the referee adjudged the final pass to be forward. LSH then conceded yet another penalty and Martin stepped up on 79 minutes to attempt to bring the score into losing bonus point territory. Sadly, the kick went wide and to compound the agony it was the LSH scrum half who again spearheaded a breakout downfield leading to sixth try to finish off a roller coaster of an afternoons rugby.

Aldwinians will take heart from their abilty to get back into and stay in the game and earn themselves a winning opportunity. 

By Trevor Hulmes