WANDERERS 53

LEEDS TYKES 0

Guinness 'A' League

Franklin's Gardens

Monday, October 17, 2005

The Wanderers finished their pre-Christmas Guinness 'A' League programme in dominating fashion this evening, routing Leeds with nine tries and 50 points.

As has become the Northampton norm this past few weeks, Wanderers opened already at full pace, ripping into the Tykes' 22. But after Rhodri Davies was stripped of the ball in a five-man tackle, it was the visitors who had the first chance. Kearnen Myall went on a 70-yard gallop, caught only by Andy Vilk. Myall's attempted pass to Luther Burrell went astray and Paul Diggin cleared.

Wanderers also suffered an early injury setback with Luke Myring's replacement of Ben Patston. But Myring had an immediate impact, jinking round three Leeds defenders to put Diggin in for the opening 17th-minute try.

Rich Vasey missed a straightforward 35-metre penalty from in front of the posts in the 21st minute, a failure exploited to the full by the Wanderers six minutes later.

Diggin showed great adventure, running from his own 22, and lovely interplay between backs and forwards saw the ball worked into Leeds' 22. The Tykes skipper Simon Worrall then took it upon himself to kill the ball five metres from the line, for which he received a yellow card and Myring capitalised on the advantage in the next play to dart through and score.

Though Myring failed to convert his own try, he made no mistake six minutes later when Julian Bishop crossed in the left corner after some powerful approach play by the forwards. Myring then only had to wait five minutes for his second conversion after Ben Lewitt's comeback try, but not before some fighting that saw Northampton's Brett Sturgess and Leeds' Phil Nilsen both in the sinbin.

Lewitt owed his score to a superb break by Seamus Mallon and Mark Easter that gave him a simple run-in from 20 metres. The conversion took the half-time score to 24-nil - and fourteen men apiece.

Adam Barnard came within a couple of yards of opening the scoring three minutes after the break after collecting Myring's clever crosskick. Wanderers did score again, indeed twice in two minutes through Vilk and Davies, although both owed more than a touch to Lady Luck. The former was a simple run-in after Burrell had lost the ball in midfield, the latter from good chasing and Chris Breslin's misjudgement of a Myring clearance.

Tries by Diggin - his second - and Mike Wernham saw the contest well over, but it was apt that captain Grant Seely should bring up the 50 in style, crashing over from a couple of yards, rounding off the scoring in the process.

Teams:
Wanderers - Diggin; Vilk, Mallon (Jones 55mins), Davies (Barnard 21mins (Heliasmenos 64mins)), Rudd (Davies 31mins); Patston (Myring 16mins), Bishop (McNamee 63mins); Harbut, Wernham, Sturgess, Rae, Seely (capt), Beattie, Lewitt (Heliasmenos 40-46mins), Easter (Powell 55mins).

Leeds Tykes - Hough; Rees, Rock, Burrell, Breslin (Chalmers 61mins); Vasey, McMillan (Care 40mins); Paul (Steele 68mins), Nilsen (Page 61mins), Cusack, Marshall, Myall, Boyde (Lewis 17-19mins), Worrall (capt), Stitcher (Page 40-46mins).

Scorers:
Wanderers - Tries: Diggin (2), Myring, Bishop, Lewitt, Vilk, Davies, Seely; Cons: Myring (4).

Yellow Cards:
Worrell (26mins)
Sturgess (35mins)
Nilson (35mins)

CLOCKWATCH:
17mins: Wand Try Diggin 5-0
26mins: Leeds Yellow card Worrall
27mins: Wand Try Myring 10-0
33mins: Wand Try Bishop Con Myring 17-0
35mins: Wand Yellow card Sturgess
35mins: Leeds Yellow card Nilsen
38mins: Wand Try Lewitt Con Myring 24-0
51mins: Wand Try Vilk 29-0
53mins: Wand Try Davies Con Myring 36-0
67mins: Wand Try Diggin Con Myring 43-0
69mins: Wand Try Wernham 48-0
75mins: Wand Try Seely 53-0