Under 16s
West Riding Cupquarter final
West Bowling 10
Meltham All Blacks 24
THIS was a convincing win for the All Blacks against tough Bradford opposition.
It was always going to be an exciting encounter for the All Blacks, with West Bowling wanting revenge for a previous defeat earlier in the season.
The game began with massive hits from both sides, Baz Greenwood and Aidan Egdall being prominent in defence. However, it wasn't long before Meltham started to up the pressure. Mikey Wood was caught just short of the line but a quick ball allowed Tom Beaumont to dive over for the first score of the game, converted by Cameron Haigh.
With spirits raised, Meltham began to apply more pressure, but numerous errors put Bowling back in the game and they scored, just before half time, to equalise at 6-6.
The second half was a different game, Meltham settled down and completed their sets, putting Bowling on the back foot.
A barnstorming run by Elliot Clemson put the Blacks in a good position for Elliot Morris to scoot in and score his first of the match. Soon after, Toby King broke and was caught just before the line. Quick passing from Wood and Haigh enabled Morris to grab his second, putting the score at 14-6 to the visitors.
Bowling tried to hit back but Meltham's defence held firm, Oliver Kirk and Fraser Morris put in big tackles and Meltham began to dominate in attack. Toby King broke and off-loaded to Wood, who was caught inches from the line and Danny Hirst nearly raced the full length of the pitch but was also just caught. With gaps in the defence, it wasn't long before Morris completed his hat trick after some excellent passing from King and Haigh, who converted.
With the game now well in hand, Meltham relaxed and Bowling utilised this lapse by scoring their second try, reducing their deficit to 10 points at 20-10.
However, it wasn't long before a neat little offload from Morris saw Beaumont dive over to grab his second and clinch the game.
