Ovenden U13s 28 v Stanley Rangers U13s 14
09.03.19

Our first away game was always going to be difficult against a team which did the double over us last season and finished above us in the table. The weather conditions could not have been worse for a hilltop game with a wide and sloping pitch!
Rangers were slow to start in defence and Ovenden had scored 20 points, mostly through tries on the wing, before Luke Nicholls scored to start to reverse the slide. With the wind blowing directly across the pitch Tom Hayes had little chance of converting though and the first  half ended 20-4 to Ovenden.
Despite the mammoth task in the second half Rangers started the brighter side and some hard work sent first joint captain Elliot Dixon-Griffiths and then Nicholls again in to score. Hayes managed one conversion but the other fell victim to the wind.  Nevertheless, with the score now 20-14 a comeback was on the cards.  Will Dobson particularly was impressive with a hard shift put in all over the pitch, and Dixon-Griffiths toughed out his first game of the season with some solid tackling - but Ovenden scored from the kickoff and from then on did enough to stifle Rangers. Injuries to Will Davies, Tylor Lindsay and joint captain Olly Fitzsimons didn’t help, Lindsay’s loss forcing a change at hooker, and the game ended 28-14, a scoreline which flattered Ovenden a little although they deserved the win.
 Thomas Leaver was awarded Players’ Man of the Match with Elliot Dixon-Griffiths taking Man of Steel. Coaches’ Man of the Match was Will Dobson and Luke Nicholls impressed the Ovenden coaches to win Opponents’ Man of the Match.

Match Report sent in by Kath Hayes.