Match Reports

Read how the Eagles are progressing in their battle to consolidate in National League 1.

The Eagles were just one break and one tackle away from dumping Halifax out of the Co-operative National League One play-offs. Going into the final seconds winger Rob Worrincy - the fastest man on the field - was off down the touchline with the try-line ahead. Worrincy had minutes before scored the try that had put the Eagles just four points behind.

A try from this final play of this thrilling game would level the scores with the chance of a winning conversion. But somehow a Halifax player got across and stopped Worrincy.The Eagles were out of the National League One play offs.

Coach Mark Aston said; "When Rob Worrincy went up the touchline that would have been a fairytale - a dream come true, that we would just sneak the win. It wasn't but we certainly gave Halifax a big scare. The players have been massive"

The Eagles went behind to an early try from fullback Shad Royston and were put on the back foot by giving away a series of penalties. They came back with a bang on eight minutes when centre Damien Reid - one of five former Halifax players in the Eagles 17 - stole the ball in the tackle in his own half. Second row Dale Holdstock took the ball on before the final pass sent centre James Ford on a 30-metre supercharged race to the line.

Two minutes later Holdstock was carried off with a knee injury, to play no further part, and severely reduce the Eagles options for forward substitutions. Fullback Johnny Woodcock hit the post with a conversion and missed a penalty but the Eagles were on top. Worrincy followed up a kick forcing Halifax centre Richard Varkulis to drop the ball and Dominic Brambani - who was at the Shay last season - kicked on before touching down. Woodcock added the goal.

Brambani provided the pass as with his first touch of the ball substitute Richard Newlove burst through for the Eagles' third try and with Woodcock's conversion they were 16-6 ahead. But as in the game at Don Valley two weeks ago Halifax hit back with two quick tries - from hooker Sean Penkywicz and forward Aaron Trinder. With conversions from former Doncaster half-back Graham Holroyd the home side went in at half-time 18-16 ahead.

Second rower Paul Smith extended Halifax's lead soon after the break but the Eagles drew level with a great passing move between Brambani, Adam Hayes and Brendon Lindsay setting up a second try for Ford converted by Woodcock.

Royston's second try, the conversion and a penalty from Holroyd put Halifax back ahead on 30-22. In the final minutes the Eagles laid siege to the Halifax line. Brambani and Reid sent in Worrincy for a try near the corner on the right. The gap was four points - then came the final play from Worrincy that almost won the game.

FACTFILE:

Halifax: Royston; Gibson, Roberts, Varkulis, Greenwood; Holroyd,
Penkywicz; Southern, Hoare, Wrench, Larder, Smith, Joseph. Subs: Watson,
Ball, Trinder, Watene.

Scorers. Tries: Royston 2, Penkywicz, Trinder, Smith. Goals: Holroyd 5.

Eagles: Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy; Brambani, Lindsay;
Howieson, Cook, Stringer, Holdstock, Cocoran, Hayes. Subs: Newlove,
Turnbull, Trayler, Buckenham.

Scorers. Tries: Ford 2, Brambani, Newlove, Worrincy. Goals: Woodcock 3.

Referee: Mike Dawber (Wigan).

Penalties: Halifax 8, Eagles 5.

On report: Richard Newlove (high tackle).

THEY left it until the last league game of the season but Sheffield Eagles are in the play-offs after a thrilling win over third-placed Whitehaven.

Coach Mark Aston said: "There was no way anyone was going to take it off us – we wanted to win the right to finish in the top six – massive praise to the players, they have been great. People were quick to write us off at the start of the season but that's proved an inspiration and we've proved the knockers wrong."

Whitehaven's coach Dave Rotheram said his side had been outplayed: "Credit to Sheffield – what a great performance, in the last nine games of the season they have been brilliant."

Live on Sky Sports the Eagles produced a great defensive show as Whitehaven put them under frantic and intense pressure – particularly in the second half. Then they gave the National League One title-chasing visitors a lesson in taking tries with some great breaks and passing moves.

Gavin Brown, at scrum-half or when switched to hooker, was outstanding and fullback Johnny Woodcock celebrated his new contract for 2008 in style. The Cumbrians took the lead on 12 minutes when the Eagles failed to make a kick by Carl Rudd dead and the scrum-half ran on to touchdown and added the goal. The Eagles drew level seven minutes later with hooker Craig Cook starting the move and Gavin Brown delaying his pass before second row Ged Corcoran burst through the Whitehaven cover to the line. Fullback Johnny Woodcock added the goal.

The Eagles took the lead when substitute forward Tom Buckenham was obstructed before he had even touched the ball and Woodcock kicked the two points. Whitehaven stepped up the pressure and the Eagles defence was in for a hard time for the rest of the half but they restricted the visitors to a penalty by Rudd to level the score at 8-8 at half time.

The Eagles started the second half with a great break by Nick Turnbull who ran 30 metres before passing to Gavin Brown whose support run was rewarded with the touchdown. Woodcock added the goal.

Twice the video ref was called into action as Whitehaven desperately tried to hit back but each time the Eagles defenders were ruled to have put players into touch. The crucial score for the Eagles came on 50 minutes when centre Damian Reid picked up a loose ball to break away and score the third try with Woodcock adding the goal. The fullback extended the lead with a penalty for a high tackle. Whitehaven came back with a try by fullback Gary Broadbent but the Eagles wrapped up the points with a 79th minute try by winger Danny Mills from Dale Holdstock's pass.


Factfile:

Sheffield Eagles: Woodcock, Newlove, Ford, Reid, Mills, Lindsay, G Brown, Howieson, Cook, Stringer, Holdstock, Corcoran, Hayes. Substitutes: Brambani, Turnbull, Trayler, Buckenham.

Scorers: Tries: Reid, Mills, G Brown, Corcoran. Goals: Woodcock 5

Whitehaven: Broadbent, Calvert, Seeds, McAvoy, Eilbeck, Joe, Rudd, Trindal, Mattison, Fatialofa, Baldwin, Fletcher, Miller. Substitutes: Sice, Hill, Teare, Wright.

Scorers: Tries: Rudd, Broadbent. Goals: Rudd 3

Referee: R Laughton (Barnsley).

Attendance: 1047

Man Of The Match: Gavin Brown

FRANTIC ten-minute spell of action at the end of this game denied the Eagles a win they had earned. Leading 16-6 and lookeing to be on for a win over fourth-placed Halifax when they were hit by three tries. Before then the Eagles had defended well and taken their chances against a side that is among the pace-setters in National League One.

Scrum-half Gavin Brown tested the Halifax backs with a series of kicks deep into their half and there were strong breaks from wingers Danny Mills and Rob Worrincy. Sheffield took the lead on eight minutes when hooker Craig Cook broke from acting half-back before passing to prop Mitch Stringer who took the ball on the burst and crashed over near the posts. Johnny Woodcock added the goal.

Halifax got on level terms ten minutes from the break when following a tap penalty Watene and stand-off Graham Holroyd produced a passing move that sent in centre Richard Varkulis for the try. Holroyd added the goal.

The Eagles edged ahead midway through the second half when following Halifax prop Paul Southern being sent to the sin bin for throwing a punch with Woodcock kicking a 40-metre penalty. Sheffield produced what looked to be the crucial score following a 30-metre break by centre James Ford who passed inside for Woodcock to race in for the touchdown. Woodcock added the goal and followed it with a penalty for off-side.

Then the games was turned on its head as Halifax blasted back in the final ten minutes. Varkulis claimed his second try and three minutes later Halifax took the lead with hooker Sean Penkywicz going over from dummy half. Former Doncaster half-back Holroyd kicking both goals. With a minute to go Trinder added a fourth try with Holroyd  kicking the goal.



Factfile:

Sheffield: Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy; Gavin Brown, Lindsay; Howieson, Cook, Stringer, Holdstock, Cocoran, Hayes. Subs: Brambani, Turnbull, Newlove, Buckenham.

Scorers. Tries: Stringer, Woodcock. Goals: Woodock 4.

Halifax: Royston; Gibson, Haley, Varkulis, Greenwood; Holroyd, Penkywicz; Southern, Hoare, Wrench, Larder, Smith, Joseph. Subs: Watson, Roberts, Trinder, Watene.

Scorers: Varkulis 2, Penkywicz, Trinder. Goals: Holroyd 4

Referee: Jamie Childs

Penalties Eagles 7 Halifax 11

Sin Binned: Paul Southern (Halifax 58min)

Attendance: 864.

Man of the match: Mitch Stringer
 

WEARY-looking Sheffield Eagles dropped out of the play-off places with defeat at closest rivals Dewsbury Rams. Dewsbury replace the Eagles in the top six but a 'bonus' point from the 16-10 scoreline keeps Sheffield just a point behind with two games to play in National League One. Three straight away games seemed to have taken their toll as the Eagles failed to put points on the board in the first half and allowed Dewsbury to dominate possession in the final 40 minutes.

"We're disappointed. We have been playing some good rugby but today we didn't," said coach Mark Aston.  "If you don't keep possession you get beat and that's what happened."

The Eagles came close to taking a two-try lead in the opening 10 minutes when prop Jack Howieson - playing his 150th game for the club - was held up over the try line and winger Rob Worrincy just stopped short and then bundled into touch.

Dewsbury came back with former Eagles half-back Dean Lawford providing a stream of testing kicks - many of them targeted at Worrincy.

Two penalties - for a high tackle by Ged Corcoran and an off-side - kicked by Rams' Liam Finn gave the home side a 4-0 lead. But the Eagles were given a let-off when the hooker failed with a third kick.

With Gavin Brown switching to hooker and Brendon Lindsay wrestling back some control from Lawford, the Eagles drew level in the closing minutes of the half. Lindsay broke from behind the scrum and cut his way through the Rams cover before passing to centre James Ford who raced 50 metres to the try line and survived a last ditch tackle by winger Austin Buchanan to touchdown.

Three minutes into the second-half the Eagles took the lead with Gavin Brown starting a move that saw Dominic Brambani's long pass 'touched on' by Damien Reid for Worrincy to squeeze in at the corner. Woodcock's touchline kick hit the inside of a post but dropped over. Ford almost increased the lead but the centre touched the corner flag for the 'try' to be ruled out. After that the Eagles faded badly and faced a seemingly never-ending series of Dewsbury attacking sets - some gifted by poor decisions by players on the first tackle.

Tries had to come and Finn dived over from acting half-back then added the goal to level the game at 10-10. With ten minutes left former Eagles forward Kevin Crouthers' run and pass sent in centre Danny Maun for the winning try with Finn adding the goal. Gavin Brown came back and gave some control to the Eagles' play but the try that could have saved a play-off place never seemed on.


Dewsbury: Ian Preece, Bryn Powell, Chris Hall, Danny Maun, Austin Buchanan, Pat Malker, Dean Lawford, Andy Hobson, Liam Finn, Joe Helme, Kevin Crouthers, Alex Bretherton, Josh Weeden, Luke Haigh, Rob Kelly, Liam Crawley, Keegan Hirst.

Scorers: Tries: Finn, Maun. Goals Finn (4)


Eagles: Johnny Woodcock, Danny Mills, James Ford, Damien Reid, Rob Worrincy, Brendan Lindsay, Gavin Brown, Jack Howieson, Paul Pickering, Mitch Stringer, Dale Holdstock, Ged Corcoran, Adam Hayes, Dominic Brambani, Tommy Traylor, Richard Newlove, Craig Brown

Scorers: Tries: Ford, Worrincy. Goals: Woodock

 

SHEFFIELD Eagles overcame an early scare to run out comfortable winners over Rochdale Hornets at Spotland yesterday. Trailing 18-0 after 20 minutes the omens were not promising for Mark Aston's team. But once Eagles found their stride they proved far too strong for the hosts, a second-half hat-trick from man of the match Rob Worrincy the highlight of the performance.

Aston may have been breathing easily by the time Worrincy ran in his third in the final minute of the contest. But he was not so relaxed in the opening stages as Rochdale, looking for their first win in seven, set out at a frightening pace. The home side dominated the opening exchanges and went ahead through tries from Tommy Goulden, Mark McCully and Phil Hasty.

However, once the Eagles settled into their fast handling game they had the measure of their relegation-threatened hosts. By half time they were on level terms, Jack Howieson, Damien Reid and Brendon Lindsay going over the line.

The Eagles made a far better start to the second half with the first of Worrincy's three tries coming five minutes after the break to put the visitors into the lead for the first time. Tries from Johnny Woodcock, Mitchell Stringer and Worrincy looked to have made the result safe at 18-40 though the hosts pulled one back via Eric Andrews. Richard Newlove's effort restored Sheffield's 22-point advantage. And although Goulden and McCully gave Rochdale hope at 36-46 it was Sheffield who finished the stronger, Woodcock and Worrincy rounding off the scoring.

"Rochdale were outstanding for the first 20 minutes," said Aston. "They really played the game quick, slowed us down and dominated the game. Credit to my lads, they started filling the gaps in and we got it back before half time which was a big bonus for us and we kicked on from there in the second half until we switched off again and showed them a bit of disrespect - we started playing sloppy and were not dominant in the collision - which I was not particularly happy about. We're in the top six for the first time this season and now we need to move on."


Teams:

Rochdale: McCully, Andrews, Marsh, Cunliffe, Campbell, Barber, Hasty, Ball, Corcoran, Smith, Gorski, Law, Goulden. Subs: Hulse, Robinson, Svabic, Benjafield.

Scorers: Tries: Hasty, Andrews, McCully (2), Goulden (2). Goals: McCully 6

Sheffield: Woodcock, Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy, G Brown, Brambani, Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, C Brown, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Lindsay, Holdstock, Newlove, Corcoran.

Scorers: Woodcock (2), Worrincy (3), Newlove, Reid, Lindsay, Howieson, Stringer. Goals: Woodcock 8.

Referee: Gareth Hewer

Penalities: 6-6

Attendance: 503

EAGLES gave the title hopefuls a stern test in a penalty-riddled National League One clash played in soaring temperatures. Mark Aston's men cut an 18-6 deficit to four points after finishing the first half with a flourish and were still in the contest until the hour before full-timers Castleford cut loose. But even then Sheffield refused to chuck in the towel and lively full-back Rob Worrincy's last-minute try ensured they had the final say.

Eagles, seeking a third win on the spin, got off to a perfect start with Dominic Brambani's seventh-minute penalty. Castleford responded with converted tries from half-back Anthony Thackeray and teenager Joe Westerman, only for Sheffield to hit back on 27 minutes when centre James Ford grounded Gavin Brown's cute kick to the corner.

On-loan winger Danny Williams scored the home side's third try on 32 minutes but the final stages of the half belonged to Sheffield. Brambani landed his second penalty and also added the extras when half-back Brown skipped through some soft defence.

Any hopes of an upset were wiped out as Thackeray and Dwayne Barker crossed early in the second half to give Cas breathing space. Speedster Ford intercepted a wild pass to race in from 90 metres on 48 minutes, a try goaled by Brambani that cut the gap to 30-20, but it was as close as Eagles got.

Cas found a ruthless streak to cross four times in 13 minutes and Worrincy's last-gasp consolation, after a midfield break from hooker Paul Pickering, was only consolation.

Eagles boss Mark Aston said: "We gave ourselves a chance with a cracking try just before half-time but Cas came out very quick and fast in the second half and we were a bit shell-shocked. We ran out of steam at the end of the day but we had a big penalty count against - again. There are lots of positives. We've come on a massive amount in the last month or so."


Teams:

Castleford: Donlan, Williams, Shenton, Dixon, Wainwright, Thackeray, Brough, Higgins, Henderson, Glassie, Guttenbeil, Barker, Westerman. Subs: Clayton, Owen, Charles, Boyle.

Scorers: Tries: Thackeray (2), Westerman, Williams, Barker (2), Shenton (2), Dixon. Goals: Dixon 6/7, Brough 2/2.

Sheffield: Worrincy, Mills, Ford, Reid, Hurst, G Brown, Brambani, Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, C Brown, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Lindsay, Edwards, Newlove, Corcoran.

Scorers: Ford (2), G Brown, Worrincy. Goals: Brambani 5/6.

Referee: James Child

Penalities: 13-6

Attendance: 4,538

SHEFFIELD Eagles blasted away Batley Bulldogs to earn their biggest win of the season. For the second home game running an Eagles’ player scored four tries – this time winger Danny Mills.

Batley were outplayed by a slicker and faster Eagles’ side with the forwards dominant and scrum-half Dominic Brambani turning that into points on the scoreboard. Francis Maloney making his debut for Batley after his surprise move from Dewsbury must have wondered if he had made a wise move as his new side were outclassed.

Bambani opened the scoring after just over a minute when he swooped on a loose bouncing ball and then added the conversion. He tormented the Bulldogs with his kicking game but Batley didn’t help their cause by indiscipline that led to a string of penalties.

Brambani kicked two penalties before winger Danny Mills added the Eagles’ second try forcing his way over from acting half-back. The scum-half added the conversion then a third penalty.

Brendon Lindsay came on as a substitute and scored a try from Brambani’s chip kick and Gavin Brown, who had switched to hooker, extended the Eagles lead with a touchdown from acting half-back after a break by Tommy Trayler. Brambani added the extras and at half-time the Eagles led 30-0.

Batley tightened up their game and showed more spirit in the second-half helped by defensive lapses by the Eagles. Rob Worrincy scored a try a minute after the restart from a break by hooker Paul Pickering but then fullback fumbled on the line and presented winger Ashley Lindsay with Batley’s first try.

Mills got his second try following a move set up by a 40-20 kick by Brambani. Batley hit back with centre Mark Barlow forcing his way across the try line. Centre Richard Newlove and Mills with his hat-trick try increased the Eagles’ lead before tries from Jamie Stokes and Jon Simpson added some consolation for Batley. Tom Hemingway and Maloney each converted two of the Bulldogs tries. Four minutes from time Mills swooped on to a chip kick from Lindsay to take his try total to four and Brambani ended with ten goals from 13 attempts.

Teams:

Sheffield: Worrincy; Mills, Ford, Newlove, Hurst; Gavin Brown, Brambani; Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, Craig Brown, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Lindsay, Holdstock, Edwards, Corcoran.

Scorers. Tries: Mills 3, Brambani, Lindsay, Gavin Brown, Worrincy, Newlove. Goals Brambani 10 from 13

Batley: Stokes; Lindsay, Craig Farrell, Barlow, Doyle; Maloney, Hemingway; Watson, Lythes, Stenchion, Gallagher, Phil Farrell, Toohey. Subs: Spears, McLouchlin, Menzies, Simpson.

Scorers. Tries; Lindsay, Barlow, Stokes, Simpson. Goals: Hemingway 2 from 2, Maloney 2 from 2.

Referee: Leon Williamson (New Zealand).

Penalties Eagles 11, Batley 10

Attendance: 916

A QUICK-FIRE hat-trick of tries by James Ford set Sheffield Eagles on their way to a crushing win over top-four side Leigh. By the final hooter the centre had taken his touchdowns to four and the Eagles had taken a massive step towards First Division safety. Ford provided the finishing touches for the Eagles' best performance of the season. Half-back Dominic Brambani – with his kicking game – and the organisational skills of Gavin Brown dominated.

Even the atrocious weather couldn't dampen the Eagles' fire. They coped far better with the conditions with scrum-half Brambani exploiting the tendency of the ball to hold up as it landed with a series of decisive chip kicks.

"It has been a long time coming a performance like that," said a delighted coach Mark Aston. Tonight the lads were outstanding, their attitude was fantastic."

Ford claimed his first try when Rob Worrincy intercepted a kick and raced 60 metres before passing to Adam Hayes who provided the inside pass for the centre to finish the job. A chip kick by Brambani was fumbled by Leigh's Leroy Rivett and Ford was there to collect the bouncing ball and claim his second try. Leigh hit back with a break on the left by winger Dave Alsted sending fullback Miles Greenwood in for a try.

But there was no way of putting the brake on Eagles. A low chip kick by hooker Paul Pickering provided Ford with his hat-trick try on 21 minutes and with fullback Johnny Woodcock converting the tries the Eagles were well in control. Next Brambani provided the kick for Woodcock to sneak in between Leigh defenders to touchdown before adding the two points.

A drop goal by stand-off Gavin Brown extended the lead and three minutes from the break Woodcock added a penalty from 35 metres to give Sheffield a 27-4 lead at half-time. The Eagles never relaxed their grip although they had to withstand Leigh's best attacking spell of the game. It was not until 56 minutes before Damien Reid's interception opened the way for Worrincy to race 60 metres for his first try since re-joining the club.

Greenwood scored Leigh's second try and late in the game winger Dave Alsted got another consolation try. But this was the Eagles' night and sandwiched between those scores Gavin Brown provided the pass and Ford claimed his fourth try with Woodcock making it seven goals.

Eagles - Woodcock, Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy, G Brown, Brambani, Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, C Brown, Trayler, Hayes Subs: Edwards, Holdstock, Newlove, Corcoran

Leigh - Greenwood, Rivett, Halliwell, Stewart, Alstead, McConnell, Haugh, Wilson, Clough, Hill, Grundy, Styles. Subs: Butterwood, Pemberton, Richardson, Martins

Scorers:

Eagles - Tries - Ford 4, Woodcock, Worrincy. Goals - Woodock 7. Drop Goals - G Brown 1

Leigh - Tries - Greenwood 2, Alstead

Referee - J Leahy (Dewsbury)

Attendance: 870

Star Man: Dominic Brambani
 

Mark Aston, coach of third-from-bottom Sheffield Eagles, felt his side had performed as though it was their first game of the season. "They played as though it was their first game and did not adapt to the warm conditions. We wanted to come away with something, even if just a bonus point," said Alston after his troops slipped to their eighth defeat of the campaign.

It was not a classy display by either side, with plenty of sloppy passing, lost ball and forced errors, but nevertheless, Eagles put up a gutsy performance against a team having their final match before lining up next Sunday against table topping Widnes Vikings in the Northern Rail Cup final at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road.

There were times when Whitehaven looked anything but major cup finalists and Eagles actually bettered in completing sets of six tackles by 75 per cent to 50 per cent in the first half, 70 per cent to 60 per cent in the second half and 65 per cent to 55 per cent overall.

With what possession they did have, however, the third-from-top Cumbrians made wise use of it, scoring eight tries to Sheffield's three, indicating that somewhere along the line, there must have been a visiting defensive weakness that the more experienced opposition quickly spotted.

Whitehaven's first two tries came in the first l0 minutes through Craig Calvert, who went on to grab a brace, and Spencer Miller, both unconverted, before Eagles got off the mark on l3 minutes when Damien Reid raced away from the Whitehaven "40" line to score under the sticks for the outstanding Johnny Woodcock to convert and draw the side to within two points of Whitehaven. Earlier, Woodcock had stopped an almost certain try in tackling Rob Jackson.

Two more Whitehaven tries followed in the 27th and 35th minutes through Gary Broadbent and Graeme Mattinson, both improved by Carl Rudd, before Eagles got on the score sheet again. With the seconds of the half ticking away, Adam Hayes went over from l0 metres in front of the posts after fine handling by Reid, Brendon Lindsay, who interchanged smartly with Hayes, and substitute Ryan Hepworth. Woodcock improved to take the interval score to 20-12.

On resumption Eagles pressed with Hayes kicking dead and Woodcock surviving two high tackles that escaped the referee's attention before Whitehaven regained the initiative with a try by Calvert six minutes into the half which Rudd augmented. They followed up with two further tries from Marc Jackson (51 minutes) and Carl Sice (57), the latter while Eagles were minus hooker Paul Pickering, who had been given 10 minutes in the sin-bin after Rudd had been floored while kicking up-field in open play.

Sheffield got their last try on 63 minutes when Grant Edwards bashed through a group of players, but Woodcock hit a post with the kick. That chalked up Sheffield's lot at l6 points and on the 80th minute Whitehaven rounded off the scoring through David Fatialofa and Rudd converted.

Whitehaven: Broadbent; Calvert, Eilbeck,R Jackson, Maden; Rudd, Joe; Trindal,l Smith, Fatialofa, Miller, Fletcher, Mattinson. Subs: Sice, Seeds, M Jackson, Teare.

Sheffield Eagles: Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Worrincy; Lindsay, G Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, Holdstock, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Brambani, Hepworth, Edwards, Buckenham.

Scorers:-

Whitehaven.- Tries: Calvert 2, Miller, Broadbent, Mattinson, M.Jackson, Sice, Fatialofa. Goals: Rudd 6.

Sheffield Eagles.- Tries: Reid, Hayes, Edwards. Goals: Woodcock 2.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

Attendance: l,627.
 

WINS in derby games don’t come easy. Sheffield Eagles had to battle all the way before they got a result that could be vital in the fight against relegation. Doncaster showed they are determined to make a new start in every way in coach John Stankevitch’s first game in charge. The new club created out of the financial crisis has ditched the Lakers tag and wants to bring back the Dons nickname. On the field there were five players making their debut and they were rewarded with the ‘new Dons’ first point. A bonus point for keeping the losing margin to 12 points.

It took two tries from Damien Reid midway through the second half to make the game safe for the Eagles. Sheffield will look back on some good work in defence. Forwards Tommy Trayler and Jack Howieson put in big spells and Dale Holdstock made an effective return from injury.

Doncaster’s upfront approach led to a string of early penalties with Johnny Woodcock kicking one after two minutes to give the Eagles the lead. Seven minutes later winger Lee Close was sent to the sin bin for high tackle. It seems Eagles’ Greg Hurst would make them pay almost immediately but he somehow dropped the ball as he went to touchdown.

Centre James Ford made no mistake as he finished a great passing move involving Gavin Brown and Brendon Lindsay with Trayler providing the final pass.

Doncaster hit back with hooker Gary Richardson – signed from the amateur game – going from the play the ball and sending substitute forward Alex Rowe crashing over. Craig Skelton added the two points to level the score. Lindsay’s low kick through looked to be outpacing Woodcock but it hit the padding on the upright and bounced back into the fullback’s hands and he put the Eagles back in front. Somehow Woodcock hit the upright with his kick.

In the final minute of the half Skelton passed out of the tackle to send Damien Munro in for a try. Skelton added the goal and the Dons led 12-10 at the break.

The Eagles took the lead back a minute after the restart with Trayler and Ford making the opening for winger Danny Mills to get his first try since returning to the Eagles from Doncaster. Lindsay, loose-forward Adam Hayes and a weaving run from Woodcock was finished by Trayler touching down. Dominic Brambani took over the kicking duties and added the goal. A looping Andy Speak pass was intercepted by Reid who raced 80 metres to touchdown. Brambani added the goal. Doncaster hit back with Munro’s second try.

The crucial score came when Reid’s perfectly timed inside run finished a passing move by Holdstock and Newlove. Brambani added the goal to put the Eagles 16 points ahead.Doncaster salvaged a bonus point with five minutes to go when Darren Woods took Speak’s looping pass and crashed over in the corner.

FACTFILE

Eagles: Woodcock; Danny Mills, Ford, Reid, Hurst; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, Craig Brown, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Bambani, Holdstock, Newlove, Morrow.

Scorers. Tries: Reid, Ford, Woodcock, Mills, Trayler. Goals: Woodcock 1, Brambani 3.

Doncaster: Skelton; Close, Munro, Leaf, Woods; Gale, Speak; Potter, Richardson, Burgess, Lawton, Castle, Green. Subs: Benson, Rowe, Karl Mills, Hesketh.

Scorers. Tries: Munro 2, Rowe, Woods. Goals: Skelton 2.

Referee. R. Hicks (Oldham).

Penalties Doncaster 13, Eagles 12.

Attendance: 1,038.

Sin Binned: Lee Close (Doncaster)

Starman: Tommy Trayler.

Eagles continued their revival by pushed promotion-chasing Castleford all the way before this game was snatched from them in the dying minutes. But there was some justice with a bonus point with a final-minute drop goal from Brendon Lindsay.

In difficult conditions with constant heavy rain leaving surface water the teams produced an exciting game of rugby. The Tigers opened the scoring on two minutes when centre Kirk Dixon’s flick pass found winger Mike Wainwright who just slid in near the flag. But the Eagles took the game back with forwards Mitch Stringer and Jack Howieson putting in driving runs and hooker Paul Pickering battling hard.

Sheffield took the lead with a quick play the ball and centre Damien Reid somehow twisting out of a couple of tackles before finding winger Greg Hurst who squeezed in near the corner. Fullback Johnny Woodcock added a touchline conversion. The Tigers laid siege to the Eagles line for a period but Sheffield held on to a 6-4 lead at half-time.

Castleford gave Sheffield a battering early in the second half as they desperately tried to a get a try but were met by equally desperate but effective defending. With the defensive line stretched second row Chris Charles provided the final pass for Dixon to touchdown on 50 minutes. That slender lead disappeared when Woodcock put over a penalty following a high tackle.

Castleford edged ahead again with a try on 62 minutes from hooker Andy Henderson and a Dixon conversion. Woodcock kicked his second penalty to keep the Eagles in the game. The Eagles drew level again in dramatic style when Danny Mills intercepted a pass and sent his centre James Ford racing 60 metres for a try. Woodcock was unable to add the conversion.

Heartbreak came as Castleford won the game with a drop goal from fullback Tommy Saxton followed swiftly by two tries from second rower Craig Huby. Dixon added the goals.

There was some consolation for the Eagles with a drop goal in the final minutes from Lindsay giving then a deserved bonus point by keeping the losing margin to 12 points.



FACTFILE

Eagles: Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Hurst; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Stringer, Craig Brown, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Bambani, Morrow, Hepi, Buckenham.

Scorers. Tries: Hurst, Ford. Goals: Woodcock 3. Drop Goal: Lindsay.

Castleford: Saxton; Donlan, Owen, Dixon, Wainwright, McGoldrick, Westerman; Boyle, Henderson, Leafa, Huby, Charles, Clayton. Subs: Knowles, Barker, Higgins, Bassinder.

Scorers. Tries: Huby 2, Wainwright, Dixon, Henderson. Goals: Dixon 3. Drop Goal: Saxton

Referee: Peter Tabener (Wigan)

Penalties: Eagles 4 Castleford 4

Attendance: 1,333

SHEFFIELD Eagles showed the spirit that can keep them in National League One with their first win in the division. In the end they did it in style with a flurry of three late tries but determined defence earned the points over 80 minutes. In a battle of the two bottom sides in the division there was always going to be an element of safety first and a determination not to make mistakes.

That led to a pedestrian first 40 minutes. Defences were on top as both sets of half-backs struggled to find the space and the pass that would open up a try-scoring opportunity. The Eagles gave a debut to Hallam University student James Morrow with skipper Howieson and veteran Brad Hepi back from injury for the game which was live on Sky Sports.

The Eagles with scrum-half Gavin Brown keeping the ball moving and kicking for position and second row forward Craig Brown running well on to passes looked the more likely to score. Both sides had early penalty chances to take the lead but the kicks were put wide.

A second set of six tackles ended with Eagles' fullback Johnny Woodcock being held up over the line and substitute prop Ryan Hepworth almost broke through the Rochdale defence with a battering run. Rochdale's best chance came when a cross-field passing move which ended with centre Kevin King just unable to take the final pass.

The deadlock was finally broken four minutes from half-time when centre Damien Reid took a short pass from Gavin Brown and broke through two tackles before running 40 metres to touchdown and give the Eagles a 4-0 lead at the break.

The Eagles increased their lead soon after restart with a penalty for a high tackle kicked by Dominic Brambani who had come on at scrum-half with Gavin Brown switching to hooker. Simon Svabic was held up over the line as Rochdale desperately tried to hit back. Former Eagles forward Simon Baldwin and fullback Chris Giles were also only inches away from touchdowns as the Eagles scramble defence held out.

Winger Greg Hurst looked to have made the breakthrough after he collected a chip from Brambani and touchdown but after a long delay video referee Ashley Klein ruled it out for a knock on. The game was settled by a burst of three tries in six minutes. Centre James Ford got the crucial first score on 68 minutes when he finished a sweeping passing move to go over near the corner.

Fullback Johnny Woodcock produced a spectacular 70-metre run which left the Rochdale defensive line in a spin as he weaved his way past players before touching down under the posts. The Eagles were on a roll and a chip kick was scooped up to stand-off Brendon Lindsay to collect and go over under the posts to finish a frantic spell of scoring. Brambani added all three conversions and the first win and three points were safe.

FACTFILE

Eagles: Woodcock; Mills, Ford, Reid, Hurst; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson,Pickering, Stringer, Craig Brown, Holdstock, Hepi. Subs: Bambani, Morrow,Hayes, Hepworth.

Scorers. Tries: Reid, Ford, Woodcock, Lindsay. Goals: Brambani 4

Rochdale: Giles; Andrews, Patterson, King, Fagboran; Svabic, Hasty; Ball, McConnell, Smith, Gorski, Baldwin, Goulden. Subs: Hulse, Marsh, Corcoran, Norman.

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury)

Penalties: Eagles 8, Rochdale 11

Attendance: 1,463.

THE Eagles remain rooted to the bottom of National League One after they were brushed aside by Widnes Vikings at Halton Stadium. And it was a former Eagle Oliver Wilkes, now flying high with the Vikings, who did all the damage with a devastating hat trick of tries. Wilkes was in fine form for Widnes and it was his first four pointer of the afternoon that kick started Widnes into action as Sheffield held their own for the first 20 minutes and looked good value for money after taking the lead as early as the fifth minute through James Ford.

Ford, who was among the top performers for the Eagles, did well to finish off Gavin Brown’s superb break from his own half to cross for the opener. Sheffield certainly started the better of the two sides but after Wilkes had equalised they took the foot of the gas and let Widnes back into it.

Another former Eagle, Jordan James was the next to benefit from Wilkes’ marauding runs and he burst on to a short Joel Penny pass to score. Nanyn ghosted in just before the hooter and his three conversions made it 18-4 at the break.

The Eagles had a go at the Vikings early in the second half but Widnes’ class began to show after boss Steve McCormack had ‘had a word at half time’ for his side to step things up. Wilkes helped himself to another try after Penny had slipped the ball to Beswick whopassed out the back door to Wilkes who strolled over for the try of the afternoon. Moran was next to benefit as Gareth Price delivered a good offload to the Widnes half back who raced in from 40 metres. Ford got one back for the Eagles but the result was never in doubt. On 52 minutes Wilkes grabbed his hat trick and then Dodd latched onto Aaron Summers’ slip ball. Dean Gaskell, who had another impressive game on the Vikings wing, made Nanyn’s second and third tries late on. Penny also registered his first try in Vikings colours to cap off a fine debut after his introduction on the half hour mark.

Mark Aston, Eagles head coach, said: ‘Widnes are a quality team but we started well and I was very pleased with our opening 20 minutes. But when you can bring the likes of Danny Lima and Joel Penny on from the bench it always helps. I thought a major positive for us was the performances of Ryan Hepworth and James Ford. Ryan is an ex-marine and has not had that much game time but he did really well out there today and he is one for the future. James Ford also stood out for us and he has been on at me to give him a go in the centre and I gave him that opportunity today and he has scored two tries.

We have managed to get a few of the lads back who have been out injured and that is a plus but on a down note Ged Corcoran has a dislocated thumb.”

Vikings coach Steve McCormack said: “I was disappointed with our lethargic start. Credit to Sheffield who were very well organised, but we knew they would tire in the second period."

THE Eagles had a night they wil wanto forget as theyas they slumped to their fifth league defeat of the season. This was a faint shadow of the Eagles' side that had matched Super League Hull FC for 60 minutes only five days before. Only in brief spells - mainly in the second half - did they show attacking drive and co-ordination.

The Eagles were disjointed but on the positive side wingers Danny Mills, on his return to Don Valley, produced some strong breaks and James Ford always hinted at a possible score - but much of their work was in the Eagles' half. In the forwards Ged Corcoran had a big game and Mitch Stringer is one of the most effective props in the division.

It took Dewsbury only three minutes to score when prop Kegan Hirst finished a passing move by bursting through weak cover to touchdown under the posts. Francis Maloney added the goal. The Eagles gradually started to look stronger in defence and go forward but too often they gave away possession before the end of a set of six. A period of pressure on Dewsbury produced a break-back try with hooker Paul Pickering providing the pass for second row Corcoran to crash through a tackle and across the line. Johnny Woodcock added the goal.

The desperate battle to gain control continued until a minute before half time when Dewsbury winger Bryn Powell broke inside his own half and raced 60 metres to touchdown under the posts. Maloney added the goal for the Rams to lead 12-6 at the break.

Disaster struck for the Eagles eight minutes after the restart as Lindsay's kick to the corner was cleared and Dewsbury turned defence into attack as a massive gap opened on the Eagles' right. Winger Austin Buchanan took the direct route and scored the try converted by Maloney. The Eagles desperately needed a score but the frustration produced errors and gifted the Rams two penalties kicked by Maloney. Brief hope of a fight back came with a try from Dominic Brambani created by a weavng run from Lindsay. Woodcock added the goal. But poor tackling allowed centre Andy Bostock to take a high kick to score Dewsbury's fourth try and the game slipped towards the hooter.

FACTFILE
Eagles: Woodcock; Ford, Reid, Bravo, Mills; Lindsay, Brambani; Buckenham, Pickering, Stringer, Trayler, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Cook, Hepi, Edwards, Aston.
Scorers. Tries: Corcoran, Brambani. Goals: Woodock 2.

Dewsbury: Preece; Powell, Bostock, Maun, Buchanan; Francis Maloney, Lawford; Hirst, Haigh, Dominic Maloney, Crouthers, Robinson, Bretherton. Subs: Finn, Kelly, Crawley, Southwell.
Scorers. Tries: Hirst, Powell, Buchanan, Bostock. Goals: Francis Maloney 5.

Referee: A. Klein (Keighley)

Penalties: Eagles 11 Dewsbury 11

Attendance: 881

Starman: Ged Corcoran.

UNDERDOGS Sheffield Eagles produced a brilliant battling display before going out of the Carnegie Challenge Cup to Hull FC. The Eagles paid scant respect for reputations as they jolted the Super League stars with some gritty defending. With stand-off Brendon Lindsay back to his best Sheffield produced some good attacking plays and deserved more than a single try.

Hull were flattered by a score line that was boosted by three tries in a six-minute spell in the second half as the massive effort caught up with their part-time opponents. Second row forward Willie Manu may have been the official man of the match but the honours went to the lads in red and gold.

Eagles' forward Ged Corcoran had a massive game, with prop Mitchell Stringer and try scorer Tom Buckenham producing big spells. Hooker Craig Cook - on his return to the club where he was an Academy player - and fullback Johnny Woodcock also had big games. The last time Sheffield played Hull in the Challenge Cup the black and whites scored a club record 88-0 win. There was never any chance of a repeat yesterday.

The opening sets showed that Hull were facing a game as their early pressure was met by tight, controlled defence. Tries from Wayne Godwin and Craig Hall put Hull ahead but the Eagles should have hit back when following a double set of six tackles centre Damien Reid's pass was just in front of winger James Ford.

Great Britain star Richard Horne - whose best efforts were wasted by his lacklustre colleagues - put Hull into an 18-0 lead before the Eagles got the try they deserved six minutes before half-time.

A double set of six ended with a precision pass from Lindsay to prop Buckenham who burst through a tackle to touchdown with Woodcock adding the goal.

It took Hull until 16 minutes after the restart before they wore down the Eagles defence for a try from fullback Shaun Briscoe. It was followed swiftly by tries from Kurt Yeaman and a second for Hall. The Eagles were starting to look tired but they dug deep and held out until the final minutes when centre Hall's hat-tick try and a touchdown from substitute forward Hutch Maiava and Hall's sixth goal took the final score to 44-6.

Constant heavy rain may have helped keep the gate down to 4,363 but the Eagles left the KC stadium with a useful cheque and confidence boosted as they face a vital league clash with Dewsbury at Don Valley on Friday night.

FACTFILE

Hull: Briscoe; Sing, Hall, Yeaman, Tony; Horne, Lee; Carvell, Godwin, Wheeldon, Radford, Manu, Washbrook. Subs: Dale, Whiting, Maiava, King.

Scorers. Tries: Hall3, Godwin, Horne, Brisco, Yeaman, Maiava. Goals: Hall 6.

Eagles: Woodcock; Ford, Reid, Bravo, Hill; Lindsay, Brambani; Buckenham, Cook, Stringer, Trayler, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Gavin Brown, Edwards, Pickering, Hepworth.

Scorers. Tries: Buckenham. Goals: Woodcock 1.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).

Penalties: Hull 8 Eagles 3.

Attendance 4,363.

Starman: Brendon Lindsay.

THE size of the challenge facing Sheffield Eagles if they are to survive their first season in National League One was put into sharp focus by this game. The Eagles were outclassed by a Halifax side that moved the ball about the field faster. There wasn't anything fancy about Halifax's style but it was effective. The Eagles battled hard and grabbed two late tries but consolation tries don't bring league points.

There was an improvement in the second half after conceding five tries in the first 40 minutes but coach Mark Aston wasn't seeking excuses.

"Its an 80 minute game. To be fair there was lot of effort went in there but we have to learn to be a little bit smarter. We built a bit of pressure towards the end and we came up with a couple of tries. Early on our kicking game was putting the ball in the right areas of the field but our kick chase wasn't good. We got a lesson from a First Division team but lets put into perspective the quality of the opposition."

The difference in the sides was most stark in the opposing back rows where Halifax had Paul Smith, recently signed from Super League Halifax plus the experienced Damien Ball and Dave Larder. In a way Eagles didn't do a lot wrong they defended grimly but when the opposition control the ball they are going to score tries. Centre Damien Reid, returning after a two-match produced some great runs and stand-in winger Caldon Bravo battled hard. Brendon Lindsay, playing at centre for the injured Richard Newlove, worked hard but his ability to organise was missed at half-back. Scrum-half Dominic Brambani promised with his kicks but he was targeted in defence by his former club.

Prop David Wrench opened the scoring with back rowers Larder and Smith also crossing the line in the first 24 minutes. James Ford came close to a try but ran out of space near the corner in the Eagles best move of the half. Winger Lee Greenwood got the Halifax fourth and two Eagles players collided going for a chip kick behind the posts to give stand-off Tim Harley a simple touchdown. Hartley kicked all the goals to give Halifax a 30-0 lead at the break.

The second-half saw the Eagles get more into the game with chances for Bravo and Grant Edwards before Marcus George and Damian Gibson extended the Halifax lead. Then came the Eagles flourish with substitute John Crawford taking a restart kick at the second attempt before racing 40 metres down the line and past a couple of failed tacklers to claim a try. Brambani was body checked in front of the posts and hooker Craig Cooks tap penalty was followed by a lightning fast pass from Lindsay to winger Ford who just squeezed over near the corner. Halifax claimed the final points with Georges second try on the hooter with Hartley making it seven goals from with attempts.

FACTFILE

Halifax: Gibson; George, Roberts, Varkulis, Greenwood; Hartley, Watson; Southern, Hoare, Wrench, Larder, Smith, Ball. Subs: Penkywicz, Joseph, Trinder, Watene. Scorers. Tries: George 2, Wrench, Larder, Smith, Greenwood, Hartley, Gibson. Goals: Hartley 7.

Eagles: Woodcock; Ford, Lindsay, Reid, Bravo; Gavin Brown, Brambani, Howieson, Cook, Stringer, Trayler, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Crawford, Buckenham, Edwards, Aston.

Scorers. Tries: Crawford, Ford.

Referee Thierry Alibert (Toulouse)

Penalties: Halifax 7 Eagles 7.

Arendance: 1,519.

Starman: Damien Reid.

SHEFFIELD Eagles were down to 11 players after having two sent to the sin bin in the final minutes. But for much of this game they must have thought they were playing 14 thanks to some unusual refereeing. The yellow cards first to Greg Hurst, for words to a line judge, and then new signing centre Brad Hepi, for raising an arm in a tackle played a big part in the Eagles failing to get at least a deserved losers bonus point.

From the tap penalty following Hepis exit on 78 minutes Leigh set up the play that ended in Aaron Heremaias try which made the score 38-22 and pushed the margin beyond the magic 12 which earns a consolation point. Add in 15-7 penalty count against the Eagles and coach Mark Aston was left fuming and seeking a long session with the match commissioner over Dewsbury referee Jamie Leahys performance.

The final result was a slap in the face for an Eagles side that had battled hard against one of the teams expected to dominate National League One. The Eagles defended well against early pressure and kept Leigh to a try from David Couturier then they blasted into the lead with two great opportunist tries.

Centre Richard Newlove made the first break before Hurst took the ball on and as it seemed he would be hustled into touch the winger kicked on for Newlove to follow up and touchdown under the posts. Johnny Woodcock added the goal. Next James Ford intercepted a Roberts pass before racing the length of the field to claim his first try of the season.

A neat passing move between Brendon Lindsay and Mitch Stringer sent in hooker Craig Cook for the third try. After Woodcock has scuffed the goal attempts Dominic Brambani kicked a penalty and the Eagles were 16-4 ahead. Leigh, in spite of having fullback Mike Greenwood sin binned, broke back to level the scores just before the break with crucial tries from Chris Hill and Adam Hughes with Couturier kicking the goals.

Constant pressure and a mounting penalty count saw Leigh go ahead after the restart with tries from Martin Ainscough and the Heremaias first score with Couturier kicking the goals.

Woodcocks try after Brambanis kick had been collected by Ford, who drew two defenders before passing to the fullback, and the conversion from Brambani seemed to have given the Eagles hope of at least a point even when Danny Halliwells try made the score 32-22 then out came the yellow cards and Heremaias second try and Couturiers fifth goal.

FACTFILE:
Leigh: Greenwood; Rivett, Couturier, Halliwell, Alstead; Ainscough, Heremaia, Wilson, Rowley, Stevens, Taylor, Grundy, Roberts. Subs: Butterworth, Hughes, Styles, Hill. Scorers. Tries: Heremaia 2, Couturier, Hill, Hughes, Ainscough, Halliwell. Goals: Couturier 5.

Eagles: Woodcock; Ford, Hepi, Newlove, Hurst; Lindsay, Brambani; Howieson, Cook, Hepworth, Trayler, Corcoran, Edwards. Subs: Crawford, Aston, Hayes, Stringer. Scorers. Tries: Newlove, Ford, Cook, Woodcock. Goals: Woodcock 1, Brambani 2.

Referee: J Leahy (Dewsbury).

Penalties: Leigh 15, Eagles 7

Attendance: 1,810.

Starman: Dominic Brambani.

THREE games in seven days caught up with Sheffield Eagles as they suffered a nightmare on Friday the 13th. The full-timers of Widnes were too strong and fast but were helped by a string of errors from the Eagles in the first 40 minutes. Injuries added to the gloom with young prop Simon Morton lasting only seven minutes of his first game of the season before going off with cartilage damage whilst centre Richard Newlove and forwards Jack Howieson and Dale Holdstock also finished on the sidelines. Pride was restored by a gutsy second half but the damage was done.

"It was a lesson that if you make mistakes you get punished," said coach Mark Aston. "We presented them with at least three tries - 18 points - and we missed a couple of one-on-ones where they scored more tries. But we have to give the lads credit in the second half when we were down to no fit substitutes. The big fellows had to front up, they did that. When you take account of the injuries we didn't come out of it as bad as it could have been."

The win temporarily took Widnes to the top of Co-operative National League One and confirms their status as the main rivals to Castleford - who crushed Doncaster Lakers 66-4 on Thursday - for promotion. Widnes took the lead after only 55 seconds when loose-forward Bob Beswick charged down Brendon Lindsay's kick before touching down. Substitute prop Mick Cassidy set up the position for Widnes's second try with Beswick providing the final pass for centre Mick Nanyn.

Beswick's looping pass gave winger Gavin Dodd a clear run to the try line with the Eagles defence nowhere to be seen and Moran picked up a loose pass to claim the fourth try. Cassidy's overhead pass to Mark Smith sent the hooker over for the final try of the half and with Nanyn kicking all the conversions Widnes were 30-0 ahead. The Eagles had rarely mounted a potential try-scoring move with their build-up slow and predictable. That changed after the restart with forwards Mitchell Stringer, Craig Brown and Tommy Trayler taking on the Widnes pack and winning.

Plays were more directed and tighter but were met by a determined Widnes defence and the important consolation try just wouldn't come. Widnes showed how to take chances with former Eagles' prop Jordan James running on to Smith's pass to touchdown under the posts. Winger Damien Blanch dived on a chip in the corner and Nanyn picked up a dropped ball to claim his second try. The centre kicked two of the goals to extend Widnes's lead.
With three minutes to go the Eagles hit back.

Centre Caldon Bravo produced a 60-metre break before the ball was switched across to the right in a sweeping passing move for substitute Grant Farrow to dive in at the corner. Some reward for a much better second half.

 LAST-GASP try denied Sheffield Eagles a first win in National League One. With two minutes to go the Eagles seemed set for a 'rugby union' style victory after fullback Johnny Woodcock kicked four second-half penalties.

Batley mounted a final charge and from dummy half Lee Patterson squeezed between tacklers and grounded the ball. With Ian Gordon missing the conversion the scores were level at 22-22 and it was points shared.

It was rough justice for an Eagles' team that had taken the knocks - with three players Paul Pickering, Jon Aston and Neil Law sidelined with injuries during the game. Playing up the Batley slope in the first half they had absorbed long spells of pressure. But they kept the points down and narrowed the gap with a vital try just before the break. That set up a great second half when it seemed the scores must come. They did - but not from tries. The Eagles had to rely on Batley's errors and the boot of Woodcock as he kicked the penalties for a personal tally of 14 points.

"We have got two points, which is more than we got on Friday," said a disappointed Mark Aston. "It was all hands on deck at the end but we showed a bit of character and stuck in there. It we had played a little bit smarter we might have got the right result."

Loose forward Adam Hayes produced an all-action display and prop Jack Howieson had his best game of the season. There were starting spots for Craig Cook (hooker) and Craig Brown (second row) with both putting in big sets as did Tommy Trayler as an emergency centre after Law went off on 33 minutes with a suspected cracked bone in his lower leg. Winger James Ford was a fingertip away from a pass that would have ended his try drought but more adventure was needed from the half-backs.

Batley took an early lead with an Ashley Lindsay try but a penalty from Woodcock eased the pain. Alex Clemie sneaked in for the second Batley try but a passing move between Cook and centre Richard Newlove ended with Cook going over from dummy half with Woodcock adding the goal. Jon Simpson and Gordon's third conversion put Batley 18-8 ahead before the Eagles produced a big play on the stroke of half-time.

Hayes and Brendon Lindsay sent Craig Brown on the charge and he somehow got the ball out to Newlove who crashed over and Woodcock added the goal to narrow the gap to 18-14 at the break. Two penalties from Woodcock put the Eagles level early in the second half and even a spell in the sin bin for the lively Dominic Brambani, which put the Eagles down to 12 men, was weathered with determined defence. The Eagles needed a try but had to be content with two more penalties before Patterson's touchdown snatched the win away.

With the hooter gone but the ball still active the Eagles tried frantically to get up a drop goal but Lindsay's kick was wide. The two points for the draw plus the 'losing point' from Good Friday's narrow defeat by Doncaster gives the Eagles three points from a possible six over Easter.

Batley
Lindsay; Clemi, Mossop, Langley, Marns; Gordon, Duffy; Rourke, Lythe, Stenchion, Farrel, Spears, Gallagher. Subs: Patterson, Simpson, McLoughlin, Henderson.
Scorers: Tries: Lindsay, Clemie, Simpson, Patterson. Goals Gordon 3

Eagles
Woodcock; Ford, Law, Newlove, Hurst; Lindsay, Brambani; Howieson, Cook, Buckenham, Craig Brown, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Pickering, Aston, Trayler, Stringer.
Scorers: Tries: Cook, Newlove. Goals: Woodcock 7

Referee: G Hewer (Whitehaven)

Penalties: Batley 6, Eagles 10.

Sin Binned: Brambani (Eagles 49min)

Attendance: 667

Starman: Adam Hayes

THERE was no First Division kick-off day joy as the Eagles lost to Doncaster Lakers led by former head coach Gary Wilkinson. Doncaster included new signing former Eagles back rower Dean Andrews and he claimed two tries. The Eagles lacked the direction and team play that has been a feature of recent weeks. The performance was disjointed. There were strong individual performances particularly young forward Tommy Trayler but there was too much one-man rugby.

Poor cover on the line saw Doncaster take the lead on seven minutes when by prop James Garmston who dived over to the left of the Eagles posts. Fullback Loz Wildbore added the conversion. The introduction of prop Mitchell Stringer pepped up the Eagles attacking drives although his enthusiasm later turned to frustration and he finished the match in the sin bin

The Eagles hit back with a great opportunist try from Paul Pickering on 22 minutes. The hooker went sprinting in from dummy half from nearly 20 metres out to touch down. Fullback Johnny Woodcock who in recent games had been deadly accurate, was wide with his goal attempt. The Eagles went ahead on 33 minutes when Dale Holdstock produced a killing break and pass out of the tackle to stand-off Brendon Lindsay who raced in for the try. Four minutes from the break Doncaster regained the lead with Andrews first try. Wildbore added the goal to give the Lakers 12-8 lead at the half-time.

Lindsays long pass was grabbed by winger Greg Hurst on his toes before storming over for a try soon after the restart. Woodcock added the goal and the Eagles were just ahead. But poor play by the Eagles led to them defending three sets of six before Andrews crossed for his second try. The Eagles play was becoming more desperate and this turned to frustration with six penalties in the final third of the game. The Lakers looked home on 70 minutes when second rower Adam Robinson burst over for their fourth try. Stringer was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on 73 minutes and Wildbore added the two points from the penalty.

The Eagles almost snatched the game when from a scrum Lindsay and centre Richard Newlove sent in Hurst for his second try. Woodcocks goal narrowed the score to 22-20 but the Lakers held out and a final minute penalty by Wildbore was a formality.

Teams:

Eagles: Woodcock; Ford, Reid, Newlove, Hurst; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Buckenham, Holdstock, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Law, Craig Brown, Trayler, Stringer.

Scorers. Tries: Hurst 2, Pickering, Lindsay. Goals: Woodcock 2

Lakers: Wildbore; Sheriffe, Gorton, Buttery, Mills; McLocklan, Penny; Gormston, Green, Tandy, Mbu, Robinson, Lawton. Subs: Castle, Lowe, Andrews, Rowe.

Scorers. Tries: Andrews 2, Garmston, Robinson. Goals Wildbore 4

Referee: J. Leahy (Dewsbury)

Penalties Eagles 7 Lakers 12.

Sin Binned: Mitch Stringer (Eagles 73min)

Attendance: 1,142

Starman: Tommy Trayler

A 12-man Eagles produced a thrilling display to beat Dewsbury Rams in the fourth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup. Centre Damien Reid was shown the red card for an incident following a Rams’ try on 25 minutes. The Eagles took a narrow half-time lead before dominating the final 40 minutes with an almost faultless display of a team working for each other. Fullback Johnny Woodcock claimed 26 of the Eagles’ points with two tries and nine goals from ten kicks on a blustery afternoon.

A measure of his contribution was that the Rams front-line kicker Francis Maloney managed only two goals from five attempts. Dewsbury’s danger men half-backs Maloney and Dean Lawford, were denied room and space by a determined Eagles. At times the defending was fearsome but the Eagles kept the errors down to a minimum and controlled the ball for long periods – particularly in the second half.

Forwards Dale Holdstock and Jon Aston came off the bench to rough-up Dewsbury’s pack. The way Aston handled his substitutions – with three forwards on the bench – played a big part in keeping the pressure on an error prone Dewsbury.

Kevin Couthers opened the scoring for the Rams but that was cancelled out by a try from winger Greg Hurst set up by hooker Paul Pickering and Reid.

Hesitant Eagles defence let in Alex Bretherton for the Rams’ second try but following a break by Tommy Traylor, the impressive Pickering dived over from dummy half. Woodcock’s conversion and a penalty from the fullback gave the Eagles the lead only for the Rams to edge ahead again with a Josh Weedon try and goal from Maloney.

On 25 minutes the game exploded when Reid was sent off following his protests to a touchjudge that a Danny Maun try was a double movement. It was later alleged that Reid was involved in spitting and abusive language. It seemed the Eagles were going out of the Cup but amazingly they dominated the rest of the half. A try from Holdstock was converted by Woodcock and a long-distance penalty from the fullback, shortly before the break, put them 20-18 ahead at the half-time.

The final 40 minutes belonged to the Eagles. They increased their lead when a high kick from Brendon Lindsay seemed to hang in the air before Woodcock burst in to collect and score the try. Holdstock and Maloney were sent to the sin bin after clashing on the Eagles’ line but 11 men against 12 was enough as Woodcock weaved his way through the Rams’ line from Gavin Brown’s pass for his second try.

Dewsbury hit back with tries from Lee Close and Ian Preece but a Woodcock penalty kept the Eagles four points ahead. In the final ten minutes the game was made safe with second tries from winger Hurst – who but for a fumble could have had a hat-trick – and second rower Holdstock.


FACTFILE

Rams: Preece; Powell, Bpostock, Maun, Close; Francis Maloney, Lawford; Hobson, Flynn, Dominic Maloney, Crouthers, Bretherton, Weedon. Subs: Haigh, Spink, Robinson,Bates.

Scorers. Tries: Crouthers, Bretherton, Weedon, Maun, Close, Preece. Goals: Francis Maloney 2.

Eagles: Woodcock; Hurst, Reid, Newlove, Ford; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Buckenham, Trayler, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Neil Law, Aston, Holdstock, Stringer.

Scorers. Tries: Woodcock 2, Hurst 2, Holdstock 2, Pickering. Goals: Woodcock 9

Referee: Dave Merrick (Castleford).

Penalties: Dewsbury 12 Eagles 6

Sent off: Damien Reid (Eagles 25 min). Sin binned Dale Holdstock (Eagles) Francis Maloney (Dewsbury) 50.

Attendance: 1,038

Starman: Johnny Woodcock.

SHEFFIELD Eagles gained revenge for an opening day of the season defeat by Featherstone Rovers in the Northern Rail Cup. They won't make the knockout stages but this was just the boost the Eagles wanted with an important Carnegie Challenge Cup game at Dewsbury Rams coming up. Second Division Featherstone won 54-22 when the sides first met but that was never going to happen again. Except for a spell soon after kick-off the Rovers were never really in the game and they weren't helped by having three players spending time in the sin bin. The Eagles will have their own complaints about the refereeing of Jamie Leahy - who in the second half awarded 10 penalties to Featherstone to two for Sheffield.

That didn't make for a smooth game but the Eagles produced some good attacking moves and had the crowd on their feet - particularly in a 14-minute, three-try spell in the first half. But the win was built on some strong and determined defence as Rovers desperately tried to break back into the game. Rookie forward Tommy Trayler had a big game, heading the tackle count. Mitch Stringer, Dale Holdstock and Ged Corcoran also stood up well. Fullback Johnny Woodcock had another good game. He took his two tries well, kicked well and was strong in defence.  Hooker Paul Pickering had a good first half and the playmakers Brendon Lindsay, Dominic Brambani and Gavin Brown earned their win bonus.

"We are delighted - this is something we have been working for some time," said coach Mark Aston. "We got a bashing at Featherstone in the first game but we have been gradually putting things into place and quite a lot of the jigsaw fitted together tonight. We have worked hard and the squad is looking sharper."
 
Rovers' John Whittle was sin binned on nine minutes and immediately the Eagles took the advantage with hooker Paul Pickering's break creating the try for centre Richard Newlove. A passing move by Lindsay and Brambani set up the second try from centre Damien Reid with Johnny Woodcock adding the goal. Stringer kicked on a loose ball and Lindsay picked up to race 60 metres for the third try. Woodcock added the goal.

Loose-forward Tomy Haughey was sent to the sin bin shortly before half-time. Woodcock made Rovers pay kicking two penalties to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead at the break. Hooker Paul Hughes was the third Rovers' player to see yellow ten minutes into the second half. Substitute Holdstock set up the first of Woodcock's two tries with a great break before passing inside to the fullback to go in under the posts. Woodcock's second came within minutes when he dived over from acting half-back. Kicking both goals he took his points tally to 20 points.

Featherstone battled on and got some consolation with two tries in the final ten minutes. Centre Wayne McHugh scored from Danny Kirmond's pass and almost on the hooter fullback Nathan Larvin finished a cross-field move to touchdown.


Eagles: Woodcock; Hurst, Reid, Newlove, Ford; Lindsay, Brambani; Howieson, Pickering, Buckenham, Trayler, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Gavin Brown, Aston, Holdstock, Stringer.

Featherstone: Larvin; Kirmond, McHugh, Whittle, Colton; Blakeway, Handforth; Hanford, Hughes, Dickens, Field, Dooler, Haughey. Subs: Ross, Tonks, Houston, Cardoza..

Referee: J. Leahy (Dewsbury)

Penalties: Eagles 10 Featherstone 14

Attendance: 1,126

Star man: Tommy Trayler

AS plans go Sheffield Eagles' opening moves against Castleford Tigers were not the most impressive. In fact as a way of trying to end Tigers' unbeaten run in the Northern Rail Cup they were pretty dumb. By 11 minutes the Eagles were three tries and 16 points down - that's a lot to claw back against a side as strong as Castleford. Not the way to start before the best crowd of the season at Don Valley. Up to that point Eagles seemed hardly to have touched the ball or put together a set of six. Things did get better but the damage was done and Castleford were never going to relax their grip on the game.

"We struggled with the start of the game. Giving a team like Cas 16 points start before you have touched the ball is like committing hari kari," said coach Mark Aston. "The first set of six they put a kick up on the 40, we make a mistake, give a penalty away, they score a try. Straight away you are on the back foot."

The Tigers started off like a whirlwind with scrum-half Danny Brough calling the shots. A move involving Kirk Dixon and Mike Wainwright opened the way for winger Stuart Donlan to score the first try after two minutes. The Eagles needed to get the ball and halt the rush but instead they allowed second row Mike Leafe to run in for the second try on five minutes with Brough adding the goal. Hooker Andrew Henderson set up the third try for centre Mike Shenton and with Brough's goal the Tigers were 16-0 ahead on 11 minutes and the game was effectively over.

Brendon Lindsay was showing signs of wrestling back some control for Eagles and forwards Tommy Trayler and Adam Hayes kept their heads up. A reward came when stand-off Lindsay's chip kick bounced back into his hands from a Castleford player and he had an easy run in under the posts. Johnny Woodcock added the goal.

The Eagles had a spell of pressure substituting their entire front row on 20 minutes but the Tigers' defence held firm before disaster struck as Brough intercepted a pass by Paul Pickering and ran 80 metres for the touchdown then added the goal. Forward Jon Aston was sin binned just before half-tme but the Eagles held out with the Tigers leading 22-6 at the break.

Tiger's Liam Higgins was sin binned soon after the restart but that didn't stop Castleford extending their lead with a second try from Shenton and Brough's conversion. The Eagles were battling and were helped by a string of penalties from referee Gareth Hewer. There were hopes of a second consolation try with Pickering coming the closest only to be held up over the line.

Castleford finished strongly with Donlan claiming his second touchdown with Brough kicking the goal and substitute Dwayne Barker crossed under the posts. Peter Lupton celebrated his return to the Tigers' side by forcing his way past three tackles for the final try on 73 minutes with Brough making it six conversions from eight attempts. Eagles' hooker Craig Cook was sin binned for dissent six minutes from time but the game had long been won.

EAGLES: Woodcock; Hurst, Law, Reid, Ford; Brambani, Lindsay; Howieson, Cook, Aston, Hepworth, Trayler, Hayes. Subs: Bravo, Buckenham, Pickering, Stringer.

Scorers. Try: Lindsay. Goal: Woodcock.

CASTLEFORD: Saxton; Donlan, Shenton, Dixon, Wainwright; McGoldrick, Brough; Higgins, Henderson, Leafa, Clayton, Charles, Lupton. Subs: Boyle, Barker, Knowles, Glassie.

Scorers. Tries: Donlan 2, Shenton 2, Leafa, Brough, Barker, Lupton. Goals: Brough 6.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).

Penalties Eagles 13 Castleford 7

Sin binned Aston 36min; Higgins 45, Cook 76.

Attendance: 1,897

Star man: Adam Hayes

Eagles were given a scare before they beat amateurs Leigh Miners Rangers in the third round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup. They allowed an early lead to slip away and were guilty of sloppy play and a series of penalties in the first half. By half-time the Eagles were trailing 18-12 but it was a different story in the final 40 minutes as they scored 34 points without reply.

The Eagles had gone into the lead after just over a minutes play when loose-forward Adam Hayes one of the few successes over 80 minutes stormed on to Gavin Browns pass for a try. Brown provided the final pass after a cross-field move three minutes later for Neil Law to force his way over. With Johnny Woodcock kicking both goals the Eagles were 12-0 up and seemingly in for an easy afternoon.

Leigh bounced back with a try from centre John Woods and then the Eagles allowed the National Conference side to dominate the play Mistakes mounted as did the penalties one of them turned into two points by Leighs David Radley.

On 30 minutes Brendon Lindsay was sin binned and in the run up to half-time Leigh took the lead with tries from hooker Aaron Gorton and fullback Darren Pilkington with Radley kicking both goals.

But it really was to be a game of two halves as a very different Eagles side came out after the break. On 46 minutes the scores were level after Hayes spotted a gap and scored under the posts after a solo run from acting half-back from 20 metres out. Woodcock kicking the goal. The fullback turned try scorer when he took Lindsay's pass and weaved his way across the try line and then added the goal.

The gap in class widened as Lindsay took control, props Tom Buckenham and Mitch Stringer threw their weight about and Gavin Brown kept up the pressure after switching to hooker. Any hopes Leigh had died as Lindsay pulled off a try-saving tackle then minutes later provided the pass for Neil Law to score his second try. In the final 20 minutes substitute Caldon Bravo powered over the line, centre Richard Newlove left the Leigh defenders standing with a great break and try before winger Greg Hurst forced his way over near the corner flag.

Johnny Woodcock who is in impressive place kicking form - finished with seven goals from eight attempts.

FACTFILE

Leigh: Pilkington; Draper, Paul Wingfield, Woods, Jones; Fitzmartin, OBrien; Balmer, Gorton, Mole, Patterson, Warhurst, Radley. Subs: Lewis, Higson. Teece, Craig Wingfield.

Eagles: Woodcock; Hurst, Law, Newlove, Ford; Lindsay, Gavin Brown; Howieson, Pickering, Buckenham, Holdstock, Corcoran, Hayes. Subs: Brambani, Trayler, Bravo, Stringer.

Scorers. Leigh Tries: Woods, OBrien, Pilkington. Goals: Radley 3. Eagles Tries: Hayes 2, Law 2, Woodcock, Bravo, Newlove, Hurst. Goals Woodcock 7.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven)

Penalties. Leigh: 13, Eagles: 8

Attendance: 499.

Starman: Adam Hayes.

DONCASTER Lakers just cant win at their new Keepmoat Stadium but Sheffield Eagles dont have that problem. The Eagles added yesterdays victory their first in the Northern Rail Cup - to a pre-season friendly win at the £32 million showpiece venue. More important it boosts hopes that the Eagles part-time players will be able to compete with full-time sides in the league. The teams were faced with constant driving rain and swirling winds but the Eagles coped far better with the conditions. They were better organised than Doncaster, defended strongly and when the chances came showed a cutting edged that the Lakers lacked.

Second row forward Dale Holdstock was outstanding and put in a big 70 minutes on his return from injury. Hooker Paul Pickering was close behind and prop Tom Buckenham once again made Doncaster pay for allowing him to join the Eagles last season. With Australian Brendon Lindsay coming on for his first game of the season at half-time the prospects look bright for the Eagles. Sheffield opened the scoring with a penalty kicked by fullback Johnny Woodcock after three minutes.

The Eagles defended their line well before showing how to