RU: Glad to move on

Nov 15 2008 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

NO-ONE would have been happier if Huddersfield had beaten Bradford and Bingley a week ago than winger Adam Sutcliffe.

The 21-year-old (right) produced another strong display as the men from Lockwood Park battled their way to a 25-25 National III North draw at Wagon Lane.

But with Sutcliffe living just five minutes away from the Bingley-based ground, he admits he would have loved to have strolled home as part of another triumphant Huddersfield team.

“Having played at Bradford and Bingley as a junior I would have loved to have come here and won,” said the Bradford welder, who has also had spells at Bradford Salem and Keighley.

“But I suppose a draw is obviously far better than a defeat, and with the result helping us keep hold of our mid-table position we can’t be too upset.

“To be honest, our season really couldn’t have gone much better, and I have to admit I’m thoroughly enjoying the experience of playing at this level.

“I’m the first to admit I didn’t really know what to expect this season – both as a team and individually.

“Having previously played at Keighley in the Yorkshire League, this was clearly a massive step up for me. But, overall, I’m fairly pleased with the way things have been going up to now.”

And it’s clear the Huddersfield coaching staff are pleased with him, too.

Sutcliffe arrived at Lockwood Park 11 months ago and spent the second half of last season playing for the Falcons.

But with the departure back to Australia of Tim Collins, the path was clear for Sutcliffe to step up.

The Bradford youngster was well aware Collins would be a hard act to follow, although he admits he has enjoyed the challenge of trying to fill his powerful shoes.

“Tim’s a fantastic player and I always knew he would be the hardest of acts to follow,” added Sutcliffe.

“He was already an established player when he got here, while I’m still pretty inexperienced at this sort of level. As I said, this time last year I was playing in the Yorkshire League.

“But since coming to Huddersfield I’ve been delighted with the way things have been progressing. In fact, 12 months ago I never imagined I’d been here playing in the national leagues.

“A year ago I was at Keighley and not really enjoying my rugby.

“But it was when I was at the Dubai Sevens with my dad that this opportunity to come here came along.

“My dad works with Mark (Sowerby) and we bumped into him during the tournament. We got talking and that’s when I was offered the chance to move to Huddersfield.

“And it’s the best thing that’s happened to me. There’s better training, better facilities and an absolutely fantastic team spirit. I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going.

“The only real disappointment is that we couldn’t win last weekend. That would have been perfect!”