WANDERERS 26

Guinness ‘A’ League

Chandos Park

Monday, September 12, 2005

The Wanderers opened their Guinness 'A' League account with a four-try defeat of Leeds Tykes at Chandos Park this evening. All the Wanderers points came in the first half - rewards for inventive, clinical attacking play and strong defence that denied Leeds any sniff of the try-line.

However, the visitors had to come from behind after Rich Vasey's opening sixth-minute penalty. It took only two minutes for the reply to come, courtesy of a Paul Diggin try, created by Steve Thompson's winning a turnover and Andy Vilk's strong midfield break. Though the returning Luke Myring hit the post with the conversion - his only missed conversion of the evening - the Wanderers were off and running.

And how! Rhodri Davies threatened whenever he touched the ball, and Johnny Howard authoritatively directed his pack's tight, controlled mauling. Wanderers were helped by Andy Boyde’s 24th-minute yellow card, and quickly took advantage through Mark Easter's 28th-minute try. John Rudd also scored while Boyle was off the field, and skipper Myring capped the half by crossing the whitewash in the first minute of injury-time.

The second half was altogether tighter. Leeds came out firing, the Wanderers resolute. Consequently scoring chances were few and far between. The visitors opened the half camped on Leeds' line looking certain to continue where they left off before the break. But a cross-field kick from Ashley Maggs went astray and Leeds cleared.

The rest of the half was played out between the 22-metre lines with the only points coming from a pair of Vasey penalties. But whatever the hosts threw at the Northampton line was repelled efficiently until, in injury-time, Rob Vickerman crossed for a try.

Vasey converted, but it was merely a consolation score and the Northampton winning weekend continued.

Teams:

Leeds Tykes - Hough (Gough 67mins); Rees, Vickerman, Stimpson (Buchanan 40mins), Armstrong; Vasey, Care (Whitaker 40mins); Paul, Nilson (Wilson 56mins), Steel (Thundercliffe 69mins), Boyde, Nyall, Stitcher, Worrall, Stockdale (Page 44mins).

Wanderers - Diggin; Rudd (Myring 66mins), Vilk (Barnard 40mins), Davies (Maggs 74mins), Maggs (Vilk 59mins); Myring (capt)(Patston 40mins), Howard (Bishop 62mins); Heliasmenos (Wernham 73mins), Thompson (Richmond 40mins), Harbut, Powell, Rae, Lewitt, Supple (Falvey 73mins), Easter (Pitfield 49mins).

Scorers:

Leeds Tykes - Try: Vickerman; Con: Vasey; Pens: Vasey (3).

Wanderers - Tries: Diggin, Easter, Rudd, Myring; Cons: Myring (3).

Yellow card: