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Westcombe Park 59 Halifax 0: Humiliated Halifax hit a new low



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Published Date: 07 January 2008
Westcombe Park 59
Halifax 0

A FEW short years ago the above scoreline would have been unthinkable.
Sadly Halifax are a shadow of the team they once were and this defeat surely has to be the low point of a disastrous third season in National Two.
This was, by common consent, not only the worst drubbing the club has had since league rugby began in 1987, but also the heaviest loss in the last 50 years at least.
Halifax set that unwanted record last season when Esher posted 50 points without reply on their way to rampaging into National One with an extremely talented squad.
The fact that Halifax lowered the bar still further against a hard working Westcombe Park side that are light years away from Esher in terms of ability, is a sad indication of where they stand today.
Harsh as it is, they stand bottom of the table, and unless they pick up dramatically, that is where they are set to stay.
Coach Richard Szabo was probably the most disappointed man among a group of pretty downbeat individuals.
He was visibly stunned, not only be the severity of the defeat, but also by the fact that the players are still making the same mistakes as they were on day one of the season.
That has to be unacceptable given that everything else surrounding the trip, illness to two players apart, was spot on.
The weekend started badly when Szabo received a call from lock Martin Smith to say that he was unwell and would be unable to make the journey.
Cue a number of frantic phone calls from the team bus on the way to the overnight stop in Watford - calls that bore fruit when Laurence Sanderson declared himself available and arrangements were made for him to travel down with Richard White on the morning of the match.
That morning dawned bright until winger Ben Mitchell emerged looking like Casper the Ghost's anaemic brother, having succumbed to the sickness bug that appears to be affecting the whole country.
Given that Szabo had already decided to switch things around by bringing Ronan Dillon into the scrum half position, Iain Gordon at 10 and putting Craig Aikman out on the wing, meant that Dave Hall was forced to step up which left an empty place on the bench.
Things did not improve in the game as Westcombe Park, hunting a league double and anxious to avenge last month's 41-3 National Trophy defeat on the same ground, tore into the visitors from the start.
Halifax faced wave upon wave of pressure which initially they did well to repel until the home momentum bore fruit, second row Rob Taylor finishing off a blind side break with Paul Trendell's conversion attempt flying well wide.
Within five minutes Halifax had been penalised for offside and after Trendell's kick for touch, hooker Jon Moyce was propelled over. Trendell was again off target, although for the final time in the game.
Halifax were unable to get any kind of toehold in the game and conceded a third try just before the half hour, Westcombe's pack bullying the visitors into submission again for prop Stephen Croall to plunge over, Trendell converting for a 17-0 lead.
Halifax did manage to make some ground with Hall plucking a pass out of the air and making good ground, only to be halted midway in the home half.
That led to a period where Halifax managed to retain possession but still failed to hurt a home side who were strong, well-drilled and quick to move up and get the tackles in.
It wasn't long before the home side worked their way back upfield and from a scrum Lonergan crashed over, leaving Trendell to convert for a 31-0 advantage.
It looked more a case of desperation when Halifax were awarded a penalty just inside the Westcombe half and after some deliberation, Joe Knowles stepped forward to aim a shot at the sticks but it was far too ambitious and the ball not only fell short but was also heading wide of the target.
It was typical that Westcombe's next try, just five minutes after the interval, was the result of Halifax again coughing the ball up in the home side's half as No 8 Ian Hardcastle made a telling break before bringing winger Lee Campion into play for a fine try, Trendell doing the honours with the boot.
It became something of a procession as first Croall was able to break Richard Brown's tackle in centre field and jog over, then Hardcastle took the straight route through the centre of the Halifax defence, Trendell converting both.
A minute later the luckless Knowles saw a long punt forward bounce over his head. He turned to collect but his clearing kick was charged down by Lonergan who had an easy stroll to the line to bring up the half century, Trendell adding the extra two.
By this time it was a question of seeing whether Halifax could prevent any further scores as their handling and decision-making continued to let them down.
And the answer was no as with three minutes remaining Westcombe rounded off a fine day for them, and a thoroughly miserable one for Halifax, with scrum half Roux emerging from a crowd of players to touch down, Trendell gleefully knocking over the final conversion.

Star Man
If Halifax had a few more ferocious competitors in the George Jenkins mould then they would not be in the position they find themselves in.
The on-loan Kiwi prop from Rotherham is a powerhouse even when those around him are not stepping up to the mark.
His scrummaging has come on in leaps and bounds this season - a testament to his willingness to adapt to the English game - while his tackling and general presence was not only a nuisance factor to Westcombe Park but also telling in an otherwise sub-standard Halifax performance.
Gareth Lewis is a similar player in the fact that he gets stuck in even when the game is lost, as it was pretty early on at Westcombe Park.
He never takes a backward step and is generally first to the breakdown. Lewis is another fearless tackler, is happy to take the ball into areas where lesser players would fear to tread and always looking to keep the team moving forward.
Oli Marns will now, undoubtedly, take over the departed Tom Eaton's mantle as the team's most frustrated player.
But Marns is hyper-critical of himself more than anybody else and when he hurts - he really hurts.
He has bags of pride and games like this bring out the character of the man.
He isn't always successful and he can make his share of mistakes, but for as long as he is on the pitch, Marns is guaranteed to fight for the cause and Saturday was no different.
Jenkins picks up three points in the season long competition, Lewis two and Marns one.

Match Facts
Westcombe Park: Naden, Du Toit, Slade, Purdy, Campion, Trendell, Roux, McKinnell, Moyce, Croall, Taylor, Thorpe, Lonergan, Carruthers, Hardcastle. Replacements: Weston (McKinnell 54), Sole (Moyce 70), Catt (Carruthers 49), Davies (Du Toit 27).

Tries: Taylor, Moyce, Croall, Lonergan (2), Campion, Roux (2), Hardcastle,
Conversions: Trendell (7)
Penalties: None
Drop goals: None
Yellow cards: None
Red cards: None
Halifax: Knowles, Aikman, Marns, McGee, Hall, Gordon, Dillon, Blades, Kay, Jenkins, White, Harrison, Moon, Lewis, Brown. Replacements: Endersby (Marns 74), Townsend (Kay 70), Sanderson (Blades 58).

Tries: None
Conversions: None
Penalties: None
Drop goals: None
Yellow cards: None
Red cards: None

Referee: David Sainsbury (RFU).

Player Points
WORKOUT WAREHOUSE PLAYER OF THE SEASON: 17 Craig Aikman, 14 George Jenkins; 10 Joe Knowles; 11 Gareth Lewis; 9 Matt Harrison, Oli Marns; 5 Tom Eaton; 4 Richard Brown; 3 Dave Hall, Danny McGee, James Endersby; 2 Richard White, Ben Mitchell, Adam Blades; 1 Phil Skillen, Iain Gordon, Martin Smith.

The full article contains 1333 words and appears in Evening Courier newspaper.
Page 1 of 2

  • Last Updated: 07 January 2008 3:00 PM
  • Source: Evening Courier
  • Location: Halifax
 
 

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