Leos 23 Huddersfield YMCA 22

Leos entertained Huddersfield YMCA in our latest league fixture at crag lane on Saturday, looking to build on our impressive win last week against Keighley in the Yorkshire shield

YMCA are having a mixed season and have developed an exciting crop of youngsters who will doubtless be a force to be reckoned with over the coming seasons. Results from last season’s league fixtures were that both teams won their respective home fixtures.

Leos made a number of enforced changes from last week’s success. With props Connell, Litherland Warwick and Robinson missing (the chairman says they were attending a propping convention!) and also the euphoria of Ed Connell winning last weeks man of the match award had clearly gone to his head, thus allowing the make up of the front row this week of Dowling, Mackintosh and Loffty.The engine room was last weeks pairing of Nick Freear and Kris Stafford and the back row was made up of Lenny Lane, Burdy and yes the returning Tim Fforde who ran out on to the field with a bigger fan club than normal supported this time by wife and baby!!

In the backs Lui was at 15, Baker and Lund started on the wings, Knibbsy and Will were made up the centre partnership with Mark Winter and Chilly Woods the half backs. Subs were Dave Bardon, Owen Beeb and Stu Norton.

Ground conditions were once more heavy as Leos kicked off on a still cold winter afternoon with a degree of fog in the air.

Early exchanges were even with neither side able to gain ascendancy however on 5 minutes it was Leos who had the first chance to open the scoring when YMCA wee judged to be offside and Mark Winter converted the penalty from 30 metres. Leos 3 Hudd YMCA 0

The visitors drove straight back into the heart of the Leos defence and on 13 minutes the home forwards were penalised at a scrum allowing Hodge to level the scores from a well taken penalty on the 22 metres line. Leos 3 Hudd YMCA3

Instructions from skipper Burdy was to “up the pace” and as has been customary over the past 3 weeks since his return from injury Stuart Baker once more delighted the home crowd with two powerful runs, when he sliced through the visitors defence and charged fully 35 metres on both occasions taking literally 3 defenders to pull stu to the ground.

Leos were now on the offensive with Lenny Lane leading from the front, backed up closely by a committed Leos pack. Ymca were penalised 5 metres from there own line and with the visitors expecting Leos to take the penalty. Chilly Wood took a quick tap penalty gave it to Nick Freear who was driven over the line for a touch down. Mark Winter tagged on the conversion and after 20 minutes the score was Leos 10 Huddersfield YMCA 3

Once more YMCA went straight back at Leos and their young aggressive forwards led by housley and Hellawell were showing up well. Swift drove Leos back deep into the 22.From the resulting line out, the ball was spread across the ymca backs and a neat break in the centre by Hodge saw him scorch through our defence to score a well taken try out to the left of the posts. He obliged by kicking the conversion himself to tie the scores after 30 minutes. Leos 10 Huddersfield YMCA 10.

Winter with ball in hand was looking dangerous and the insertion into the line from Lui and the ever-supporting Knibbsy gained good yardage for the home side. Visiting Centre Williams was penalised for blatant obstruction on Winter allowing him to regain the Leos from a well-taken penalty 30 metres out in front of the posts. Leos 13 Hudd YMCA 10

Huddersfield were resilient and drove again right back in to Leos They had a very useful player in centre Hodge who on 35 minutes scored his second try of the afternoon in similar fashion to that of his first try. Once more from a line out he was given the balk and on the 22 metres line wrong footed the Leos defence to score a good try which again he converted. Leos 13 Hudd YMCA 17.

Lenny Lane was once more leading the Leos charge with Nick Freear Tim Ffforde and Kris Stafford making some strong charged into the visitors. On 37 minutes Leos were given a penalty in front of the posts as a result of the visitors “killing the ball” but this time Winters penalty went the wrong side of the posts much to the relief of the travelling band of supporters.

The ref blew for half time with Huddersfield pressing the Leos line and they had the chance to increase their lead but winger Shaw failed to take the final pass.
Half time Leos 13 Huddersfieldymca 17

YMCA kicked off and camped deep in the Leos 22.On 45 minutes they increased there lead when the ball was switched wide by number 10 swift with the supporting full back on the wing who managed to slip over in the corner for a well taken try. Hodge conversion from the touchline hit the cross bar went on to the post but fell back thus missing the conversion to the agony of the visitors Leos Leos 13 Huddersfield YMCA 22

For Leos Dave Barden came off the bench to substitute Kris Stafford and Stu Norton replaced James Lund on the wing.

Leos were up for the challenge where props Loffty and Dowling were in the heart of the action and Nick Freear and Burdy were giving real support On 60 minutes Leos pressure told when again a visiting forward infringed to give Winter the chance to reduce the deficit. This time he mad no mistakes from in front of the posts. Leos 16 Huddersfield ymca 22.

The game was set for a pulsating final 15 minutes. Over the past few league matches Leos have faded in the final quarter but there was going to be no repetition of that in this game.

Winter spread the ball through his backs at every opportunity and the individual talents of Lui, Baker, Knibbsy, and Norton were there for all to see. Chilly Wood at scrum half was “bossing” his forwards and the pressure intensified on the visitors, but to their credit they defended well whilst losing some discipline through the exerting home pressure.

Ymca always looked dangerous in counter attacking late on particular through Horner and Hodge but it was Leos who had all the territory as we approached the final 5 minutes of play.

Freear, Lane and Fforde gathered on the 22 line and bulldozed into the heart of the YMCA forwards. The ball was kept close and Leos rumbled slowly towards the YMCA line 5/4/3/2/1/metre from the line, the ball was with Loffty who was shoved over the line for the ref to award the try. It was now Leos 21 Huddersfield YMCA 22.The conversion was to follow from Mark Winter 15 metres in from touch and out wide.

The crowd and Winter family on the touchline went quiet as he ran up kicked the ball and magnificently it went sailing between the posts for a match winning converstion. The home crowd went berserk including the presently injured back rower James Haslam who was shouting out instructions!!

Leos were not going to let this one slip and the ref eventually blew his whistle with Leos on the offensive to the delight of the team and the home supporters.

Final score Leos 23 Huddersfield YMCA 22

Another tense close league match but Leos deserved this victory for total commitment and a will to win.

The man of the match award judged this week by ex Wasps 1st XV second row Matt Greenwood went to the player who had led from the front for the entire 80 minutes Who else but - Lenny Lane.

Club chairman Alun Gabriel is due to make an impending announcement shortly on the website about the identity of our new club coach following Simon Worralls transfer to Toulon. Keep watching this space.

The first months statistics received regarding traffic hits received of people reading our new website is very good with people reading this from all over the world including Australia, France, Thailand and New Zealand.

Next week we travel the 25 miles down the M1 for our next league fixture at Barnsley Kick Off 2.15pm.

Teams from Saturday:
Leos: Lui, Baker, Knibbs, Will, Lund, Norton, Winter, Wood, Dowling, Macintosh, Loffty, Freear, Stafford, Burdon, Lane, Ffforde, Beeb

Huddersfield: Horner, Shaw, Hodge, Williams, Stead, Swift, Walker, Sellers, Steven Dyke, Stuart Dyke,Housley, Hellawell, Walker, Doyne, Pollock

Scorers:
Leos Tries:Nick Freear,Loffty Conversions:Mark Winter x 2 Penalty:Mark Winter x 3

HuddersfieldYMCA Tries:Hodge x 2,Horner Conversions:Hodge x 2 penalty:Hodge