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1
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April 22, 2012 - 07:24 PM
Fylde 10 v Eccles 21
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Eccles Seconds Celebrate Promotion in style
With promotion secured Eccles travelled to the Fylde coast to start the party celebrations. Buckets and spades were a compulsory item for the trip to the seaside.
With another strong side the Eccles team started in a far too complacent attitude and allowed the home side to open the scoring with a converted try. This impoliteness by the home side clearly shuck some sense into the visitors as they responded in style and ran in two unconverted tries by James Cunningham and Nick Spooner. Just before half time the Eccles lead was extended with a penalty kick by Pete Jones.
The second half saw the same free flowing rugby with Nick Spooner scoring his second try of the day which was again unconverted. With an apparent comfortable lead Eccles took the foot off the gas and allowed the home side into the game resulting in a penalty for Fylde. This brought another response from the visitors and the game was closed with another penalty by Pete Jones.
With the season ending with four away games on the bounce and many points still needed to secure the promotion spot what the team has achieved all bodes well for next season in what will be a very tough league. The cake was baked with a draw at Orrell and a win at Penrith, last week’s win at Ormskirk was the icing on the cake, and this week’s win puts a cherry on top.
Much partying was had after the game with far too much energy being dissipated on the coach coming home.
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2
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April 16, 2012 - 07:08 PM
Ormskirk 0 v Eccles 18
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Eccles Seconds Secure Promotion
With all three sides playing this week it was back to familiar faces in the seconds. Four of last week’s team having been elevated to the first’s so the Eccles team was looking a bit like the side we have come to know, and love. We also had the reappearance of Morton the Scott, timing his end of season run to perfection. And so it was that Gaz Haymer took the Eccles Seconds Show on the road again to the Kirk of Orm to try and gain the points needed to secure promotion.
Any danger of last minute nerves that the lads might have shown as they approached the finishing line was quickly washed away as Eccles took control of the game and never let to go. There was going to be no Devon Lock performance on Grand National Day. Eccles established an 8 point lead in the first half with a penalty and Try by Scott Morton and this was after losing one of the young colts early on when Matt Parkinson had to retire with a poorly leg.
In the second the lead was extended when Scott Morton decided this was definitely his day and kick a drop goal. That might well have been the first DG of the season for the seconds. The game was finally secured when snake hips himself, Pete Jones, weaved his way over for a try which he converted himself.
It’s difficult at this stage to pick out anyone for praise because they all did well and delivered just what was asked of them, well done lads.
Final score Ormskirk 0 – Eccles 18.
Well at the start of the long journey home it was four away games needing at the very least two wins to secure promotion. Now with one game left the lads have done it in style, registering two wins and a draw. This has put Eccles in an unassailable second place in the league, barring some mind blowing implosion of the league, the boys are up.
Well done to all who have contributed to the success of the seconds this season, especially part time player/manager/reserve captain Gary Haymer. He might be a bit too old, his playing ability might also be a bit limited, but the hard work, commitment and common sense he has brought to the side has been invaluable. He’s my Man of the Season by a long, long stretch.
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3
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April 11, 2012 - 09:37 PM
Seconds v Ormskirk Meet 11
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J Pan
D Roper
J Cunningham
D O'Regan
B Plumber
S Brunt
C Wilson
S Grieves
C Cunliffe
D Holland
N Spooner
P Jones
A Wilkinson
M Parkinson
M Hamer
G Hamer
J Hamer
G Lewis
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4
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April 10, 2012 - 12:31 PM
Penrith 19 v Eccles 22
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(With apologies to Tennyson)
70 miles, 70 miles and 70 miles more, into the northern wilderness, drove 19 Eccles men to the fore.
Decimated by injuries, off on tour went others (one a deserting son) and for some a holiday with the misses. 100 miles up the M6 is not the best idea for an Easter Saturday. But Gaz got together 19 men who were up for the cause. A bus stuffed with beer and sarnies is all it takes with these lads, who said were not a professional club. To secure promotion Eccles needed 8 points from the remaining 3 games, all away, it was therefore paramount that only the maximum of effort from all would suffice.
The game started with the bus still in the legs of some of the Eccles players and too many sarnies in the bellies of the others. This gave the initiative to the home side who gradually established a 12 point lead with 2 tries, one being converted. Eccles responded with a try of their own with a series of forward drives Danny Hollawood went over to put Eccles on the board. Affronted by the audacity of the visiting team to score, Penrith responded with another converted try just before half time to extend their lead to 19 – 5.
Now it would be easy at this point to throw the towel in and put it all down as a bad day at the office, we all knew it was going to be a hard call. One motorway bridge too far. But with the spirit of the Parachute Regiment and defeat staring them in the face the lads picked themselves up and responded in style. What is it the USMC say when asked to retreat? Hell No, we only just got here. And so it was that the 19 Eccles men rolled their sleeves up and got stuck in refusing to take one more backward step.
With a sense of determination the Eccles forwards started to dominate proceedings and the hard work being put in by all was eventually rewarded with a try by Andy Frost following a move from the back of the scrum. Score 19 – 10. Again the call was made, more effort from all please, and again the response came back in the affirmative. More drives and runs by the Eccles players saw the visiting lads camped on the home side's try line. A series of pick and goes mixed with a wild epidemic of white line fever wasn’t helping and so the ball was spun wide to Danny Hollawood on the wing who realised he was still a forward and went charging in again only to be stopped short. But before he went down he managed to flip the ball back and Will Parkinson, not wanting to be out done by his younger brother, dived to catch the ball in mid air and fall over to score. His roar as he got up reverberated around the local mountains. Too Quite, Mute, Hell No, he’s only just started. Score 19 – 15.
Things were now starting to get a bit tasty, with hard tackles going in and players leaving the pitch with concussion. Not being prepared to be intimidated the Eccles players responded the only way they can and played rugby. Approaching the final whistle and all at stake the ball was moved in hands resulting in a break by Chris Wilson who then moved it inside to Sandy Brunt who in turn passed to Danny Hollawood who went over to give Eccles the slenderest of leads. The conversion was made good by Tom Othick who is doing all he can to win the hand of the young fair Miss Haymer. Score 19 – 22.
With the temperature of the game rising to breaking point the final whistle was blown and all of the Eccles party rejoiced. Well done to all who gave their best and a bit more. Also big thanks to Danny’s mate, Matt who turned up with his boots but was not needed.
(So with apologies to the Bard this time.)
And Eccles players now-a-bed on tour, shall think themselves accurs'd they were not there, and hold their manhoods cheap, while anyone speaks that fought with the Seconds on that Easter Saturday.
Where I take 700 words, Gaz put it in 3, “It was Awesome”.
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5
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April 01, 2012 - 02:11 PM
Orrell 10 v Eccles 10
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Well superlatives to the fore. This was The Clash of the Titans, the Rumble in the Jungle, or as our Gaullist cousins would say, Le Grande Une. (female or masculine tense I’m not sure). Today we had second vs third in the league. So both teams knew what was at stake.
The team selected on paper looked good but for a few (ok one) positional problem. The day’s organisation started to go astray when it was found we were going to be down to the minimum one replacement. Billy the Bullet needing a few lads to help out make up the numbers in the thirds. We then had half the team going direct, always a problem in my eyes. On arrival at the ground we found we had 14 men. The 15th man turned up, then had to go back on realising he didn’t have his kit with him. I don’t know, these are grown men were talking about here. The 16th man (15th on the pitch) turned up as the teams took the field so a few minutes were played with Eccles only having 14 men. After a few minutes the numbers were elevated to 15 and the man with the missing kit returned. Oh for the joys or course rugby.
The first half was scoreless, however a lot of rugby was still played out during those 40 minutes. With the Eccles forwards being the odd stone lighter per man than the opposition a lot of hard work was put in by the Eccles lads especially the back row and the secret weapon of Chris Cunliffe at scrum half. A lot of pressure on the home side was applied, with Stu Greaves at the fore giving both half backs and his opposite No8, who was one big man, a hard time. All the hard work and pressure was almost rewarded with a charge down which resulted in Brendon Cullen winning the race to the touch down. Alas the referee didn’t or couldn’t see the try being scored and so it was not allowed. Orrell then came back mounting their own pressure on the Eccles line but as you would expect the Blue Line held firm, tackles were made and the pressure relieved.
Straight from the start of the second half Eccles appeared to hit the self destruct button. A pass to a nonexistent person in their own 22 resulted in much panic and mayhem. From this advantage Orrell took possession and charged over for an unconverted try. As with last week’s Colts game, the response from the Eccles players was immense. Straight up the field they went showing who was the better organised and disciplined side. With the scrummage working well the forwards stared to push the home side about, much to their displeasure. From an attacking position the ball came to Martin Thompson who did as Wiganites always do and ran at the biggest person he could find. After a few broken tackles and good yardage made the back row went on the rampage with Stu Greaves eventually going over and under the posts to score. The conversion was made good by Pete Jones.
Eccles then returned to the Orrell half exerting more pressure on the home side doing as they had done for most of the game, simple driving rugby. This was eventually rewarded with a penalty which was again kicked by Pete Jones. Orrell however weren’t going to lay down and came back bigger and harder than before. This was met by bigger and harder tackles from the Eccles lads and soon another penalty was awarded to Eccles. Alas this fell just short of the cross bar and so Eccles slender lead could not be extended. With this get out of jail opportunity Orrell came back once more at Eccles and eventually scored a second try which again they failed to convert. This gave us 10 points each and 15 minutes of tense rugby to be played out. With both teams working hard, giving and asking for not a quarter the final whistle was blown.
Afterwards a warm welcome at the Delft Tavern for hospitalities. By the number of supporters Orrell have for a second team game they clearly deserve to find a permanent home of their own again. Good luck to them on that score.
A result which clearly suited Eccles more than Orrell, but more importantly, a great performance by all 16 players. I could not fault anyone today, other than by my personal view that at times the tactics were predictable. But when you have third team props always offering themselves for work it would be churlish to criticise. Great work all round by all and with another versatility performance by Pete, this week I’ll be playing at Fly Half, Jones. Luckily for Pete he found himself up against a Fly Half who has clearly had his fair share of Wigan’s finest produce. But my MoM today goes to Stu Greaves who was clearly not hiding and took the lead in all of the good work being done by the Eccles team.
Three more games to the end of the season, all away, momentum maintained and commitment by all is required if the lads are to gain the much deserved promotion.
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6
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March 12, 2012 - 01:57 PM
Eccles 41 vs Leigh 10
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The last home league game of the season and it’s only the beginning of March. And so it was that Eccles entertained a visiting side from Leigh who had won the reverse fixture earlier in the season. So it wasn’t just league points, but also bit of pride the lads were playing for. Despite losing key players again to the first team Eccles were able to put out a strong looking side with Shaun Barlow and James Cunningham once again stepping up to the mark from the thirds. Now as usual, all details have been relayed to me through Miss-Kick Gaz, so the finer points of the day have been lost in translation and the blur of a few too many pints.
As we would expect from the league positions of the two teams Eccles started well and soon ran in a couple of tries. However as we all know Eccles never do things the easy way and so decided to allow the visitors to score a try of their own. Before the half way mark was reached however Eccles where able to restore their lead with another try. This took the half time score to 17 (ish) – 5.
As the second half started all knew that the one thing they mustn’t do was let Leigh score first, and that is just what they did, let Leigh score first, so it was definitely game on. This meant a few string words were needed from the Management to ensure all knew the importance of the result. This apparently galvanised the team into action and we then saw Eccles slowly dominate the second half scoring four more tries. This was partly due to the superior fitness of the Eccles players, see training does help, and the desire of certain players to make a few points towards the selection committee. The only down side to this was the amount of ball lost in the breakdown situation, sounds like the need for more training, by all.
The final score ended 41 – 10 in Eccles favour with the following players putting their names on the score card. Stu Greaves scored 3 tries, I hope he bought a jug, Pete Jones, playing on the wing this week, scored a brace of tries and Ben Plumber scored one, three conversions were made good by Carl Wilkinson. Now the clever ones will realise that doesn’t add up to 41. That is because special mention must go to James Cunningham who not only scored a try but was also awarded MoM by his team mates for an outstanding performance. The hard work in the gym is clearly paying off.
Also mentioned in dispatches goes to Gareth Lewis, the latest addition to the Eccles Taffyosi, who is starting to turn a few heads in selection and almost scored but was held up over the line.
So it’s four league games remaining and all away. If they want to gain promotion continuous commitment and effort are prerequisites and results must be obtained.
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7
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March 05, 2012 - 01:53 PM
Aldwinians 10 vs Eccles 35
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After last week’s defeat, away to Fylde, Eccles needed to return to winning ways if their promotion hopes were going to come to anything of substance. With a few returning players, a prop with a point to prove and a number of young colts starting to establish themselves in the side they travelled to Aldwinians scenting blood.
Eccles started well and never looked back. With the combination of youth and experience they dominated the game. The first scores fell to Conner Thornley supporting a Pete Jones break, and then Pete Cibula, who doesn’t need any support when he’s in this sort of mood. This gave a comfortable 14 point lead for the visiting team. Before half time was reached the home side were able to register a try of their own. This gave a score of 5 – 14 at the interval.
From the restart Eccles again showed their dominance and soon Pete Cibula was able to dominate all in front of him and scare his way over for his second of the day. Be honest, what sane man would want to get in his way? The classically educated among you will know that the name Peter comes from the Greek, Petra, i.e. Rock, a name by no means unsuitable for this kind and friendly gentleman.
To prove that Eccles had a game to play the home side registered another try of their own before we had, I am told, the try of the day. Now normally it’s his brother that gets all the accolades in my reports, however this time Matt Parkinson decided he was going to steal the limelight and try and go one better. Receiving a pass inside his own 22 the young colt went the remaining length of the field beating all in front of him with pace and the odd side step to score under the posts.
The game was finished off with a try by Stu Greaves to make it 10 – 35 in favour of the visitors.
So off we go into the business end of the season, or as Sir Alex would say “squeaky bum time”. If Eccles want to clinch the second spot, and gain the promotion they deserve, then it’s down to them to do the business and come up with the results.
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8
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February 28, 2012 - 04:50 PM
Fylde 36 – Eccles 0
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The trouble with having a large number of cry-offs and none availabilities in the first team is it has an effect on the lower sides, especially when it’s predominately in the forwards. So, as is the way with the world, with a full front five missing from the team above the seconds travelled to Fylde with at best a make shift pack. Now I don’t wish to appear to belittle anyone that travelled, all of the squad of 20 players did themselves proud, it was just a big ask against a strong well organised side.
The bonus to it all was more experience for four of the colts team, new faces to the club getting a chance in the seconds and a run out for returning players. However the hero of the day has to go to Pete Jones who still at his stage in life doesn’t yet know his true position. Is it wing, centre, hooker or as this week No8? Who knows, but from the size of his waist line you could suggest he could cover all positions at once. Harsh yes, but also fair. Anyway joviality to one side he had a storming game at No8 behind a scrum which at times was trying to do an impersonation of an Italian Tank.
The home side dominated the first half running up 24 points to no reply. Now at the turn you could have expected a cricket score was in the offing for the home team. So after a few words from the captain the picnic hampers were put back in the car, the donkeys were returned to the beach and bucket and spades were thrown away. From this point the lads got stuck into it and started to put together something like a solid response and were able to restrict Fylde to just two more scores in the second half.
A set back to the season, but with lots still to play for with the lads still sitting in second place.
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9
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February 21, 2012 - 05:24 PM
Eccles 36 v Hawcoat Park 12
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For once it was someone else’s turn to make a long journey and so it was that Hawcoat Park boarded their team bus and took a 2 hour stroll down the M6 to Eccles. Having beaten the Cumbrians in the away fixture Eccles 2’s were confident in extending their run of form in the league. This was helped with a strong squad of 20 players, some very old and some very young.
The first half was all Eccles with three tries being scored. The first two were notched up by Danny Hollawood and Jack Walton, both being converted by Jack. As half time approached Chris Wilson then opened his account with the first of his tries which was un-converted. This gave the boys in blue a half time lead of 19 – 0.
Any suggestion that the home side were now going to run away with the game was quickly cut short by resolute defence by the visiting team. The second half started to become a more even affair with both teams giving a good account of themselves. However Eccles were able to run in more tries by Lewis Wilkinson, and Dan Stenstrom both of which were un-converted. In response the visiting team ran in two tries of their own, one resulting from a break out of their own 22. As the game was coming to an end Chris Wilson completed his brace of tries and as he was so disgusted by the recent kicking attempts he decided to take the conversion himself, and thankfully made it. The final score ended 36 – 12.
A good win consolidating their second place in the league but with only one more home fixture and six away it’s going to take some serious commitment to maintain that promotion spot. That’s commitment to make themselves available for the away games and to get their backsides down training. Come on lads, let’s do it.
After thought.
This week we had 10 colts playing in the three senior sides, three in the first, two in the seconds and five in the thirds. Coupled with that we also had this week five ex-colts who have this season just turned open age playing, one in the first (being the only scorer for that team) and four in the seconds, you can get a good idea of how important these lads are to the club. Well done to all, the club needs you.
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10
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January 23, 2012 - 03:00 PM
Eccles 41 v Ruskin Park 5
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Well lordy lordy, a rare sight indeed, a friendly game of rugby. More importantly I actually saw this one so there’s more opportunity of being factually correct for once. Why the friendly should be against Ruskin Park who we are already playing twice in the league, I don’t know.
Fielding a strong side Eccles dominated the first half moving, recycling and supporting the ball well to run in tries by Jimmy Lucas, Glenda Cahill, and 2 by Danny Nicholas, one of which he converted. We also had a young Lee Morris moving up from the thirds to make his 2nd team debut at fly half and enjoying the luxury of the wise head of Martin Thompson just outside him. All the good work by the Eccles team took the score at half time to 22 – 0.
With the odd change in personnel at half time and just after Eccles were able to maintain their dominance and extend their lead with tries by captain for the day Mark Greenhalgh and Will Parkinson, the latter being converted by Lee Morris.
We then had the turning point of the game with a rare cameo appearance by a young and slim looking winger making it a triumvirate of Parkinsons on the field. The appearance by Parkinson Senior ruining in a stroke Mis-kick Gaz’s claim to be the eldest 2nd team player this season. At least he has the 1st team record to aim for.
After a bit of argee bargee between the two sets of forwards, Ruskin Park were able to register their own points with an unconverted try. As we would expect Eccles responded well and from a counter-attacking move Wayne Williams ran in a well deserved try which was again converted by Lee Morris.
A good performance by all but most of all by young Lee proving to all the faith they have in him to make the step up is not ill-founded, a player for the future. A close second came Wayne who ran his heart out all day and has perfected the art of never being tackled, he just throws himself at the oppositions’ feet whenever they get too close.
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