Eagles Wheelchair lose to table-topping Storm
26/04/2022
Sheffield Eagles 16
Mersey Storm 140
Forge Valley Sports Centre, Saturday 23rd April, 2pm
It was one way traffic in the first half of the top v bottom clash when Mersey Storm visited Sheffield Eagles on Saturday, with the visitors running in 15 first half tries with Dom Richards scoring nine, as well as Josh McEvoy and George Hill also scoring hat-tricks, Richards was the star of the show but inexplicably, despite the Storm running up a huge first half score, coach Paul Craig neglected to rotate his squad and give game time to other players within his club, with Richards continuing to torment into the second half.
Despite the quality of the Storm attack, the Eagles showed some excellent composed play, genuinely threatening the Storm line on several occasions and forcing errors to slow the onslaught down. Adam Hughes showed composure in defence on his competitive debut and there was physical play on display from Vicky Brooks and David Butler, whilst Jenny Pearson continued to menace in attack.
The second half started perfectly for the Eagles as Vicky Brooks found space off a short ball from Shaun Orton to open the hosts’ account, slotting the conversion perfectly. A further McEvoy try was sandwiched by a second try from Brooks as she beat a tackler to crash through to the left of the sticks, again on target for the conversion.
The Storm put their foot down again, with a further trio of tries from Richards, McEvoy adding a further two, Alex Howe adding a brace and Paul Craig and Declan Ryzn also notching further scores. However, throughout the half, the Eagles side showed plenty of promise and at one point Stephen Scott and Emma Pearson combined well in attack and Stacey Roulson was making solid tackles.
An injury to Lottie Davis-Browne saw a final rotation, with the Eagles desperate for a final score, David Butler drew two players to set Stephen Palin-Campbell free for a third try for the home side, ending the game on a positive.
The Eagles will next be in action at the Challenge Cup Festival on Saturday 14th May, an all day event, which takes place at the University of Hull.
Sheffield Eagles
Vicky Brooks, David Butler, Shaun Orton, Stephen Palin-Campbell, Stacey Roulson. Interchanges: Lottie Davis-Browne, Adam Hughes, Emma Pearson, Jenny Pearson, Stephen Scott.
Tries: Vicky Brooks (43, 51), Stephen Palin-Campbell (77)
Goals: Vicky Brooks 2/2, Stephen Scott 0/1
Mersey Storm
Dom Richards, Declan Ryzn, Alex Howe, Josh McEvoy, Wayne Tyrell. Interchanges: Luke Hzrding, Jordan Owen, Paul Craig.
Tries: Dom Richards (1, 6, 13, 21, 25, 27, 30, 34, 36, 48, 54, 56), Josh McEvoy (3, 5, 16, 46, 63, 75), George Hill (9, 11, 32), Alex Howe (60, 71), Paul Craig (65), Declan Ryzn (68)
Goals: George Hill (15/15), Alex Howe 5/10
