Match report: Huddersfield YMCA 13 Moortown 12

Feb 15 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Stead seals thriller

Huddersfield YMCA 13 Moortown 12

YMCA made it an unhappy return to Laund Hill for ex-coach Carl Thewlis as they beat his new club Moortown in a nail-biting clash at Salendine Nook and gain some measure of revenge for defeat at Leeds earlier in the season.

Despite the one-point difference it was never a classic – there were far too many mistakes by both sides – and too much interference from the referee who contrived to award 26 penalties (15 to Moortown, 11 to YM) which was surprising, given there were no serious altercations on the field.

But YM were good value for their win, and with a bit more patience and the occasional cool head, they would surely have triumphed by a bigger margin.

The only thing that Moortown had to offer was some reasonably good defence and the boot of Andy Eastham, who kept them in the game with four penalties.

It was Moortown who provided the early pressure, only relieved by a fine individual break from YM scrum half Josh Marshall, and it was no surprise when Eastham put his side ahead with his first place kick after 20 minutes following a Gavin Stead drop-out which went straight into touch.

Former YM player I’Anson was sin-binned for a late hit on full-back Tim Horner and two minutes after his removal, YM scored the game’s only try – and what a beauty it was!

With Moortown attacking only 10 yards short of the tryline, the ball went to ground, and Alex Shaw scooped it up into the arms of his winger Adam Ryder who charged off down the touchline almost up to the visitors 22, where he was caught by the cover, but succeeded in off-loading to Andy Lyon, who in turn fed Gavin Stead to whip out the try-scoring pass to stand-off James Swift for a tremendous try that covered over 85 yards.

Stead added the conversion, and the home supporters waited for the next surge.

But it never came as defences got on top and the only other points-scoring opportunities came from the respective kickers, Eastham adding two more penalties to his tally, while Stead ignored the constant loud blast of noise from a visiting air-horn to knock over an injury time penalty and send YM in 10-9 up at the break.