Rossendale U14s 29 - 24 Leigh U14s

Rossendale hosted Leigh U14s last Sunday on a heavy pitch but otherwise on a day that was perfect for rugby. Leigh kicked off and were into the game far more quickly that the home side, applying the pressure from the kick, and keeping Rossendale under the cosh. With the slow start, and too many mistakes, it was only a matter of minutes before the visitors breached the defence with a converted try. A few minutes later, Leigh would have scored again, had it not been for a try saving tackle from James Willetts. This seemed to galvanise the Dale lads into action, and they started to build up a rhythm and get some momentum. From a scrum just inside the Rossendale half, Isaac Cornwall picked up from the base and made inroads into the Leigh half before passing out to Mark Rutherford-Shaw in support. This was followed by a short pop out to Tom Haigh, who turned on the afterburners to burst through to score. Fairly soon afterwards, Rossendale used another set piece to deliver quick ball from a lineout just outside their own twenty-two and gain 40 metres territory, before creating 4 quick phases to set up Mark Rutherford-Shaw to go over for his first try. With the extras added by James Willetts, Rossendale appeared to be getting the upper hand. However, the Leigh lads had other ideas, and broke through the Dale defence to score another converted try, ending the half Rossendale 12 - 14 Leigh.

Dale had a nice start to the second half; the kickoff was fielded by Leigh, returning the kick with interest deep into Rossendale's half. Ciaran Campbell picked up the ball from the full back position and, with a lovely strong run, pushed up into the Leigh half before passing out to James Willetts. His run saw him evade several tackles before he crossed the whitewash to score. Again, Dale appear to be building up their momentum, with Leigh pinned in their own twenty-two and Rossendale moving the ball left to right and back again, looking for holes in the defence. However, Leigh's defence was excellent, and Dale were unable to break through and eventually turned the ball over after knocking the ball forward. Leigh then used their hard-running back-line to escape their own half and pressurise Dale's defence. After a couple of missed tackles, Leigh went over to score, not once, but twice in a couple of minutes. With the danger of the match running away from them, Mark Rutherford-Shaw secured a lineout and drove his way through the visitors' defence to score. With the game in the balance, and just a few minutes left on the clock, it made for an exciting end for the coaches and spectators, and Dale sneaked the win with another try from Mark Rutherford-Shaw, converted by James Willetts, and end the game Rossendale 29-24 Leigh. It was a shame that either team had to lose, as it was a close contest between two well-matched teams that kept going to the end. Rossendale's man of the match was awarded to Jordan Fortune, for his aggressive defence and several try (and match) saving tackles.