Accomplished Win for 1sts

Goole produced a superb performance at Leos on Saturday with two devastating period of play in which they scored six of their seven tries to win the match, however not before being pressed all the way by Leos. From the kick off Goole tried to work the ball out of their 22 but strong tackling from Leos, a lost line out followed by a conceded penalty put them under pressure. A quick tap from the penalty and Leos were over for a converted try to take a 7 – 0 lead after just three minutes.

Goole responded well but found it hard going against a very lively and committed Leo's defence with the game being played at a cracking pace. George Marwood looked to have got over the Leo’s line from close range but the crowd of bodies obstructed any clear view so a scrum resulted. The scum was lost and Leos cleared with their high tempo game causing Goole some problems. It was therefore no surprise when Leos scored again after 16 mins with a try in the corner, the conversion was missed and Goole trailed 12 – 0. The first quarter of the game certainly belonged to Leos as they forced Goole to lose possession both in the loose and in set plays.

After this initial pressure, the game settled down as Leos struggled to maintain the fast pace that they started the game with. As a result Goole came into their own with three quick tries in a 6 minute burst between the 22nd and 28th minutes. Jamie Shand was the first try scorer after receiving the ball 22m out from quick tap penalty. James Walton was next on the score sheet barging over from a metre (his favourite distance). This was followed by a quality try from Sam Smith as he outsprinted the cover defence to score under the posts after receiving the ball from Moore who found space behind the Leo's defence as he recovered his own grubber kick. Disappointingly only one try was converted but Goole were now in the lead and looking strong, 12 - 17. However back came Leos after their winger gathered a high cross kick under pressure and although Goole held out a charge to their line they conceded a penalty, plus another 10 m following a comment to the referee. Leos opted for a kick at goal with the last play of the half to narrow the score but the ball hit the post and with the Goole defence caught napping, retained possession and following another quick tap from a penalty went over for an unconverted try to level the game at 17 – 17. The half time score being a fair reflection of the performance of both teams in the entertaining first half.

The second half saw Will Townend come on for Jamie Lamb and Matty Lill for Jamie Shand as Leos started the 2nd half as they had started the first with a high tempo game. This early pressure resulted in a well worked try as their off-half looped and fed the winger to score in the corner to retain the lead with an unconverted try, 22 – 17. This could have been a repeat of the first half as Leos pushed to stretch their lead as Goole defended resolutely all around the pitch but Leos gradually started to run out of steam. As a result, Goole put the Leos line under tremendous prolonged pressure as the home side conceded a number of penalties, so it was no surprise when the referee produced a yellow card for persistent infringements and Leos were down to fourteen players. From a resulting 5m tap penalty Green powered over to level the scores at 22 – 22 with 18 mins to go.

Goole were now taking control of the game as the forwards lined up as first receivers to power into the Leo's defence. With Leos now on the back foot and struggling to contain the charging Goole forwards it came as no surprise that the lively back line took advantage. With Leo's defenders sucked in and defensive lines stretched, the Goole backs went into overdrive with a superb 11 minute spell of precise passing at pace straight out of the coaching manual. Danny Holt started the spell with a super run after gathering a Leo's high ball and after a passage of play involving both forwards and backs, Matty Lill sidestepped the last defender to score under the posts and Goole now lead 22 – 29. With possession retained from the kick off Matty Lill then showed his first team credentials after receiving the ball on the half way line. He set off on a run past bewildered defenders to pass to the supporting Sam Smith to run under the posts and score his second try, 22 – 36. Leo's defenders were now struggling to contain the rampant Goole side and they conceded their third try in this final spell when Jamie Shand celebrated his return on the pitch with his second and Goole’s seventh try of the game. The conversion from Moore bringing the final score to 22 – 43.

This was probably Goole’s most accomplished team performance of the season as every player in the squad played to their potential and contributed to a resounding victory over a very good and lively Leo's team. Every forward did a great job and when the backs got the ball they showed what a superb attacking force they can be. Difficult to pick a man of the match with so may contenders, but for me, a try scoring Walton that can catch, pass, tackle and run with the ball is enough for him to get the nod.