Junior Colts Team Match Reports

1 April 05, 2011 - 07:03 PM Eccles 15 v Anselmians 7. 03/04/11   Eccles Junior Colts went into the league cup semi final as under dogs playing an Anselmians side two leagues higher up than themselves. Anselmians started well and took advantage of some poor kicking, missed tackles and lack of discipline from the home side, scoring a converted try in the first 10 minutes of the game. After the early Anselmians try Eccles woke up and started playing to their full potential with the forwards breaking the game line with each pick and drive putting pressure on the Anselmians defence. The away side couldn’t handle the pressure put on by the forwards giving away multiple penalties allowing Eccles to play their way into the opposition 22. The defence gave away yet another penalty just before the end of the half, this time under the sticks making it fairly easy for James Wright to kick the first penalty of the game allowing Eccles to get themselves on the scoreboard. Half time 3-7 Eccles started the second half just as they finished the first with the forwards dominating and the backs piling on pressure with great running rugby. Eccles remained in the Anselmians half for the majority of the second half but just could not get themselves over the try line. Forward pressure again caused the defence to crack again and give away yet another penalty. A quick tap similar to the one that won Eccles the quarter final up at Rochdale was repeated putting Luke Cullen over the line in the corner. Unconverted from a tight angle 8-7. Eccles continued to pile on the pressure from the kick off and yet again found themselves camped in the opposition 22. Continuous pressure applied from the Eccles defence forced a knock on by Anselmians which fell to Luke Cullen who kicked the ball through and pounced on the loose ball over the try line to score his second try on the game which Reece James converted 15-7. Eccles played until the final whistle to cap off a great win and a fantastic team performance. The victory now ensures Eccles place in the final weekend in two weeks time on home soil meaning the boys have escaped the dreaded car park duty. 2 February 16, 2011 - 03:15 PM Eccles Junior Colts (10) v Oldershaw (5) – 13/02/11   In their final league match of the season, this win was sealed in a tense last few minutes against determined opponents in wet and windy conditions. Watched by a good crowd, the Colts showed great team spirit and real determination to battle through to get the win their performance deserved. In the corresponding fixture earlier in the season, the Colts had blown their opponents away with an explosion of running rugby by half time. Oldershaw were obviously determined that this kind of result would not be repeated. Good early pressure from the Colts was undone by a series of penalties which resulted in Oldershaw taking the lead with an unconverted try 5 – 0. The Colts managed to edge their way back into the game with a penalty by Chris F to leave the score 5-3 at half time. Oldershaw had the better of the first half but determined defence by Eccles kept this dominance to just the one try. The second half started more brightly for Eccles and they had just begin to exert themselves when the Colts suffered a big blow with a serious injury to Chris F, following one of his typical trademark runs. The lengthy disruption failed to stop the momentum of Eccles who continued to put massive pressure on the Oldershaw line without getting the vital score. The half became incredibly one sided as the Eccles forwards of Ben, Danny, Erik and Ojo drove the ball at their opponents time and time again. Ollershaw looked shattered but their desperate defending was just about holding out. Time was running out and there was nervousness that Eccles would not get the score their second half performance deserved. Enter Connor Mc, rejoining the game after being substituted at half time. His terrific combination of electric pace and power finally got the ball over in the corner. 8-5. The relief and joy at this score showed how much this win meant to the lads. Reece, taking over kicking duties capped a fine overall performance putting over a great kick from a tight angle to give Eccles a lead of 10-5. Oldershaw tried to rally but the Colts dealt with the pressure well and it was Eccles that looked more likely to score in the dying minutes with great breaks from Joe C, Connor T and Wes. This gritty and determined performance was a fine way to end a great league campaign. The Colts ended the season on top of the league by one point but with opponents with one game in hand. Fingers crossed for next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The only downside was the big injury to Chris F and we all wish him a speedy recovery. Tries - Connor Mc - Converted Reece Penalties - Chris F. 3 February 07, 2011 - 01:50 PM Eccles 0 v Waterloo 40. 06/02/11   Eccles Junior Colts played host to Waterloo in the Lancashire county Cup. The Waterloo side started off with a strong performance which seemed to knock the Eccles confidence and soon racked up a few tries. As the 1st half progressed the Eccles side found their feet and gave Waterloo 20 mins of impressive play. The start of the 2nd half seemed to be a replay of the 1st half with Waterloo starting strong again. Eccles again got stuck in and gave Waterloo something to worry about in the last 20 mins. A try was nearly earned at the end but with a bit of confusion between Erik and Ojo on who was to crash over the line ended up spilling the ball at full time. Shame about the result but the performance was great and nothing to be ashamed of. Now its time to concentrate on the league and back to winning ways. 4 January 31, 2011 - 07:55 PM Eccles 21 v Congleton 8. 30/01/11   This was a hard fought victory watched by a good crowd against a powerful, tactically strong Congleton team. This entertaining match was truly a game of two halves with Congleton dominant in the first, and Eccles running out clear winners in the second. Eccles started well but were soon under pressure by a powerful Congleton pack. Congleton took the lead from a penalty and spent most of the half pressurising the Eccles line. It’s a credit to the committed Eccles defence that, in spite of all this pressure, Congleton failed to score a try when they had such dangerous possession. Half time – nil – 3. From the re-start, Eccles were much more aggressive and sharper. The pack started to dominate their opponents and, winning a scrum against the head close to the Congleton line, created the opportunity for Lee G to score. James, standing in for Chris F on kicking duty, coolly converted for a lead of 7-3. Congleton started to tire as Eccles were quicker to the ball, making tackles and winning rucks. Eccles had their turn to put pressure on the opposition line but Congleton defended well eventually holding us up on the line. A penalty from the re-start saw Connor T sin-binned but, before Congleton could make the numerical advantage count, they too had a player sin-binned. It was a game where the next try would be crucial. If Eccles scored it, they would have a probable winning lead. Eccles had the advantage in territory but could not extend their lead. With what was, with the benefit of hindsight, an inspired substitution, the introduction of Chris F give Eccles an extra injection of pace. The resulting move saw Dom cross for the try. Converted by James. 14-3. Eccles were playing some excellent flowing rugby now with Congleton struggling to stay in touch. Winning another scrum against the head, a flowing move freed Connor Mc who, with plenty to do, tore through the Congleton back line to race clear and score under the sticks. Great try. James held his 100% kicking record for the day for a lead of 21 – 3. With the game won, Eccles eased off allowing Congleton to pressurise their line. The lads defended well but, with Wes sin-binned in the dying minutes, Congleton crossed for an unconverted try. Final score 21-8. Overall this was a great second half performance against good opposition with forwards and backs winning their different battles. Both teams played the game in a good spirit and it was great to see Eccles put out such a strong squad with everyone playing their part in this win. Tries Lee G Dom Connor Mc All converted by James 5 January 26, 2011 - 10:42 AM Match report Ormskirk (21) v Eccles Colts (29) – 23/1/11   The Colts scored a much needed win in a poor game with a fantastic, nail biting ending. The Colts welcomed back Chris F and Lee G from injury with a full strength team, unlike their opponents who were a man down. Eccles started poorly, dropping passes and missing tackles. Things got worse as a series of penalties gave Ormskirk good field position to take the lead with a penalty then extended it with an unconverted try (8 – nil). From the restart, Eccles woke up briefly for Connor T to score in the corner – unconverted to have the score 8-5. Ormskirk extended their lead with a penalty (11-5) only for Chris F to score an excellent solo try under the sticks, which he converted 11-12. The try aggravated his injury and Chris came off immediately. Injuries mounted with Jordan, Danny Mc and Ben Sh also coming off. The penalty count was also mounting against Eccles and the players becoming frustrated by the number of decisions against them. One incident appeared harsh when Luke C was sin-binned for reacting to a high tackle on him when running into a scoring position. Ormskirk took the lead through a penalty and a try (21-12). Things looked grim - 9 points down, players injured, a very unsympathetic ref and time running out. Decisions seemed to go against them, with Lee M blatantly blocked off the ball when about to run through to score. Then the old Eccles team spirit came back in style. The forwards carried the ball well, winning scrums against the head. Line outs were excellent with Lee G winning virtually every one. Eccles started to probe for weaknesses putting balls over the top with great chased down by the backs. Eccles gave themselves a chance with a try from Connor T in the corner, unconverted 21-17. With the clocking ticking down, Lee G scored to give Eccles the smallest of leads 21-22. With the game so finely balanced, extra time appeared to last ages (which it actually did as the ref played on for a very long time). Eccles finally put the game to bed with a try for Joe C, converted by Reece. Final score – 21-29. The last ten minutes showed all the good stuff that the Colts are capable of – never say die great team spirit and fast flowing rugby. Hopefully this can continue till the end of the season. Tries Connor T - two Chris F try and converted Lee G Joe – converted by Reece 6 December 15, 2010 - 10:19 PM Match report Warrington (36) v Eccles Colts (15) – 12/12/10   The Colts unbeaten run came to an end in a disappointing defeat away to Warrington. The game against Warrington earlier this season had been a closely fought draw and Eccles were expecting a tough match. The game started badly with Eccles going behind after five minutes, 7 nil. Eccles quickly rallied and from strong forward pressure, Lee G took advantage of a Warrington mistake to score. Unconverted. Score 7-5. Eccles then had a period of good pressure on the Warrington line, matching their opponents tackle for tackle. Their rhythm was destroyed when the expected physical game boiled over. From the resulting penalty, Warrington scored to lead 12-5. Eccles were drawn into playing the game to Warrington strengths of a bruising physical encounter. Poor decision making and missed tackles enabling Warrington to extend their lead to 17- 5. Eccles were making too many mistakes conceding tries and wasting good opportunities. One such mistake was from a scrum Eccles won only for an opposition player to scoop it up, break free and score. 24- 5. Eccles showed great team spirit and good forward play created the opportunity for Luke C. to score in the corner. Unconverted 24-10. Sadly before they could close the gap, penalties created the opportunity for Warrington to score again. 31-10. Down but not out, Eccles fought back to score again through Connor Mc, unconverted. Just before the final Warrington try, Connor T went down with a suspected groin industry and had be to be stretched off after the game. Final score 36-15. The positives were a great team spirit and some good tries. Individually Eccles played well but not great as a team. The important thing is for Eccles to learn from their mistakes in this game for the rest of the season. Tries Lee G Luke C Connor Mc 7 November 23, 2010 - 04:54 PM Match report Eccles Junior Colts (38) v Heaton Moor (7) – 21/11/10   The Junior Colts only defeat this season was when an under strength team lost away to Heaton Moor. Eccles were determined to get their revenge in the return fixture and did so with style in this comprehensive victory. Eccles started brightly with a quick break from Chris F setting up good pressure on the Heaton Moor line. Eccles moved the ball from right to left exposing gaps in the opposition back line for Reece to open the scoring. Chris F converted with an excellent kick from a tight angle. Score 7-nil. Heaton Moor, using the same tactics as the previous game against Eccles, moved the ball through their powerful forward line, but found our pack more than up to the challenge. Having withstood this early pressure, a great team move combining running rugby and driving forward play saw Lee G score in the corner. Another superb conversion from Chris F made the score 14-nil. Eccles extended their lead to 17 nil with a penalty close to the opposition line from Chris F. The decision to take the safe option of the three points rather than go for the riskier try illustrates the increasing maturity of Eccles prepared to grind out a lead. A series of penalties against Eccles resulting in a player sin-binned allowed Heaton Moor back into the game. They made this pressure count to score a converted try to leave the half time score 17-7. The second half saw Eccles snuff out a fight back by Heaton Moor before letting rip with a flurry of tries. The first of these came from good forward pressure for Kieron to score, converted by Chris F, score 24-7. The next came from a Heaton Moor attack as they lofted the ball behind the Eccles line only for Chris F to launch a counter attack from his own line. In a move similar to Chris Ashton’s try against the Aussies at Twickenham, Chris F raced down the wing before cutting inside to break clear and score with a spectacular show boating dive under the sticks. Chris converted his own try to leave the score 31-7. Heaton Moor visibly wilted and a long Eccles kick over the top saw the opposition back line in complete chaos as Jake covered tremendous ground to score in the corner. Another excellent conversion from a narrow angle by Chris saw him achieve a 100% kicking record and the final score stand at 38-7. As well as the score line, what was impressive was that Eccles played with high intensity for the whole game despite rotating their big squad. A fantastic example of this was in the dying minutes when, with the win guaranteed, Eccles fought hard to prevent Heaton Moor from the satisfaction of a consolation try. Great stuff. Tries Reece – converted Chris F Lee - – converted Chris F Kieron - converted Chris F Chris F – scored and converted Jake– converted Chris F Penalty – Chris F. 8 November 17, 2010 - 07:58 PM Match report Southport (17) v Eccles Colts (17) – 14/11/10   It was expected to be a close game and this entertaining draw did not disappoint. After early Southport pressure, Eccles took the lead with a try from Lee G in the corner after the pack had won a scrum against the head. Unconverted from a tight angle. Unusually for them, Eccles were missing tackles and, but for a superb try saving chase back from Wes, Southport would have taken the lead. Southport pressure finally told to score a converted try to lead 7-5. As the half went on, Eccles got into their stride and fine running rugby created an opening for Joe and Chris F to play a one two for Chris to score under the sticks. Chris converted for Eccles to lead 7-12 at half time. Both teams rotated their squads at half time and the game became very tight. Southport began to threaten and pulled the score back to 10-12 with a penalty. A tense game built to a climax in the dying minutes. With just two minutes to go Eccles pressure created a gap for Chris F to score what looked like the winning try, unconverted.10-17. From the kick off, Southport pressure forced Eccles mistakes and their winger broke free to score in the corner. 15-17. With literally the last kick of the game, Southport converted the kick to draw level in what had been a thrilling finish. After leading the game with just minutes to go, Eccles were understandably deflated. However a win at home and a draw away against such quality opposition is a very positive result. Plus the experience of dealing with a team that put us under immense pressure forcing mistakes will be valuable for the up and coming fixtures. Tries Lee G Chris F x 2 (one converted) 9 November 08, 2010 - 01:23 PM Eccles Colts (45) v Ormskirk (0) – 07/11/10   A rampant Eccles Colts took full advantage of a weakened Ormskirk team to run up a big score in this one sided game. Eccles opened up the scoring early after good pressure close to Ormskirk line created the space for Chris F to weave through and score under the sticks. Chris converted his own try. The second try was an excellent solo run from Wes breaking through to score in the corner. Unconverted from tight angle Chris scored his second try with a classic “up and under” chasing down his kick before it rolled clear of the line. Chris converted to leave the score 19-0. Whilst not as dominant as previous games, a solid performance from the Eccles pack enabled the backs to play free flowing rugby.. The result was as excellent passing move for Mike to score in the corner on the stroke of half time. Unconverted. 24 nil. With a big squad Eccles, rotated players at half time but the changes made no difference as the scoring continued. James, off the bench making his come-back from injury, split the Ormskirk line then played a one two with Joe leaving the defending fullback helpless for James to stroll triumphantly over the line. Converted Chris. 33-0. This was a mature performance from Eccles, using the ball well to exploit gaps in Ormskirk defence and backing up the runners. The final two tries were running rugby with Connor T breaking through, converted by Chris, and Chris getting his hat-trick with a powerful run down the line. Chris converted to leave the final score 45-nil. The only downside of this excellent performance was several examples of team "tourettes" from Eccles which saw one player sin-binned and numerous penalties against them. Something to be aware of for the harder games that are coming up. Tries Chris F – score and converted Wes – unconverted Chris F – score and converted Mike – unconverted James – converted Chris Connor T - converted Chris Chris F – score and converted 10 October 25, 2010 - 03:23 PM Match report Blackpool (0) v Eccles Colts (45) – 24/10/10   This game should have been top of the league playing bottom. However Blackpool were unable to field a full team which meant the fixture was played as a friendly. Sportingly, Ben Stagg, Eric, Kieran and Jake put in good shifts playing for Blackpool ensuring the Colts received a competitive workout. Eccles opened the scoring after good pressure with a try from Reece, Chris F converted. Straight from the restart, the ball was fed to Joe C who accelerated clear of the Blackpool defence to score, converted by Chris F. 14-nil. Before half time, good pressure from the scrum created the opening for Lee to cross in the corner. Unconverted from tight angle. Half time 19 nil. As Eccles took control of the game, their sense of humour took over as the spectators were treated to an Eccles pack grunting and groaning through an uncontested scrum! The scoring continued with a try from Connor T, unconverted. 24-nil. Blackpool mounted a rare attack on the Eccles line but were caught on the break. From a great clearance, Luke C chased his own clever, measured kick over the line to score. Converted by Chris to leave the score of 31-nil. The final period of the game saw good passing release Mike R, back briefly from army basic training, to outpace the Blackpool defence the length of the pitch to score. Converted by Chris. 38 – nil. With virtually the last play of the game, good running rugby saw Dom grab the final try, converted by Chris. Final score 45- nil. Overall a game Eccles controlled against a weakened opposition. One key statistic is that the Colts have stopped the opposition from scoring a try for the third game in a row. Well done. Tries Reece – converted Chris F Joe – converted Chris F Lee Connor T Luke C– converted Chris F Mike R – converted Chris F Dom – converted Chris F [Top] Page # 1  2  [Bottom]