Siddal make it two from two in NCL with win at Pilkington Recs

Both sides tested each other out in the early stages of the game. Byron Smith, Jamie Greenwood and Danny Williams were leading the charge for the visitors, supported by the back row of Dom Booth, Jack Matthews and Canaan Smithies.

Siddal went ahead after nine minutes when Greenwood took play to the blind side and Ben Hinsley darted through a gap from 25 yards to score in the corner. Gareth Blackburn was narrowly wide with the difficult conversion attempt but the visitors were 0-4 in front.

The Halifax side then had a spell of pressure on the Recs line but Pilks defended well to repel repeated attacks. Pilks then took play down to the opposite end of the pitch, with stand-off Tom Connick prompting most of their plays. Siddal’s defence was solid, with the young back three of Lewis Hosty, Kian Cox and Sam Walsh making ground when running out from defence and showing a level of maturity beyond their years.

Siddal extended their lead after 33 minutes. The introduction of Iain Davies, Jack Georgiou and debutant Josh Milnes gave the visitors impetus before the break and it was a great move and pass from debutant Milnes that put Booth in space and the versatile stalwart showed quality in an assured finish as he went in for a try that was converted by Blackburn for a 0-10 lead.

Siddal finished the first half on top but failed to add to their score and were made to play for a sloppy start to the second period when Connick found a gap under the posts to touch down and leave a simple conversion for Andy Knapper, as the gap was narrowed to 6-10.

Siddal re-established some daylight between the teams after 54 minutes. Davies used his size and strength as he managed to offload to the industrious Greenwood and the hooker created space to find Hosty, whose delightful pass was taken in his stride by Cox to dive over in the corner. Blackburn hit a great conversion from the touchline as a 10 point lead was restored at 6-16.

Pilks showed their determination when Connick again caused problems in attack and he created the position from which back rower Jamie Smith squeezed over. Knapper once again made no mistake with the conversion as the score was narrowed to 12-16.

Pilks had plenty of possession in the final 20 minutes but with Christian Ackroyd, Henry Turner and Josh Greenwood Macdonald on hand to steady any nerves, Siddal held their line intact. The experience of skipper Smith and Blackburn, who by now had moved back to full back following an injury that required a re-shuffle, was vital in this period of play as they helped their largely young colleagues to see the game out.

The visitors had the final word with the last play of the game in the 7th minute of added on time. Connick put up a last tackle kick on the Siddal line which Walsh leaped high to take and run the length of the field to score under the posts. Blackburn’s kick completed the scoring at 12-22, to secure two more vital points at a venue where away wins are hard to come by. Blackburn was awarded man of the match, but again there were top performances across the pitch for a Siddal team showing plenty of early season promise.