Blackpool Scorpions 30 - Heysham Atoms 13 - 11th October 2003

With a completely different side from last week, with ten regular players missing, the Atoms travelled to newly promoted Blackpool Scorpions.
What seemed to be a quiet atmosphere in the changing rooms exploded as soon as the whistle went, with the Atoms starting the game totally in control.

Props Dave McVernon and Andy Aldren made lots of yards early on, with Keith Hartlebury controlling the game. The Atoms completed all their early sets of six and every time the kick was put in the team chased as a line. After a superb 15 minutes, a quick play-the-ball gave Keith Hartlebury the space to put a high kick up to the Scorpions' left wing.

The chase was again good and the winger dropped the ball, and first to it was Atoms winger Simon Ledwick who grounded it in the corner to score his first try for the Atoms. Unfortunately Neil Walker was just wide with the conversion so the Atoms led 4-0. From the kick off Heysham again worked hard to drive themselves back into the Scorpions' half.

On the fourth tackle Rob Shaw drove the ball up hard and as he was brought to the floor the Scorpions' centre drove his knee into his face,which resulted in a badly broken nose for the Atoms' second row who left the field covered in blood. From the resulting penalty Neil Walker calmly slotted over the extra two points to give the Atoms a 6-0 lead.

The first 30 minutes were totally dominated by the Atoms and this again was shown when hooker Hartlebury found a big gap around the play-the-ball and sprinted over the try line for a much deserved try. Again Walker converted from a difficult angle to put the Atoms 12-0 up. This must have ignited the Blackpool side as from the resulting kick-off they came back into the game fired up.

The Scorpions were a big side with the two second rows and the loose forward doing a lot of the hard graft and the big Kiwi number 11 was a handful to bring down. What seemed to spur Blackpool on was when the Man of the Match Hartlebury had to leave the field with a reccurring knee injury. This was unlucky for the Atoms as he was controlling the forward play. Blackpool were next to score when their outstanding loose forward went 70 yards for a good solo try which he converted, to put them back in the game at 12-6.

On the stroke of half-time Blackpool scored again to leave the sides 12-apiece at half time. Very early in the second half Scorpions got a penalty to put them two points up and shortly after scored a try to put a bit of space between the Atoms and themselves. Atoms stayed confident with old timer Bryan Gregory leading from the front and as usual Bryan Cambidge always involved in the hard work.

Andy Garnett looked dangerous at full back with his weaving and sidestepping runs always making the Scorpions' defence scramble. What happened next knocked the stuffing out of the Atoms though. Blackpool were attacking out wide when the centre knocked on,the ball went to ground and winger Simon Ledwick picked up the loose ball and was in the clear with only the try line in front of him, but for some reason the ref didn't play the advantage and brought the play back and gave a scrum to the Atoms.

Within the next set of six Blackpool scored again to put themselves 12 points clear. Again disaster struck for the Atoms when the Scorpions' big second row came hard on to a ball and centre Simon Brookes cleaned him up with a tough straight arm tackle. Both players had to leave the field ,with the Scorpions player going to the blood bin and Moxy going to hospital with a broken arm which has to be operated on.

Heysham's only other score of the day was a drop goal from Walker and in the last couple of minutes Blackpool scored again, which gave a scoreline which didn't show the true reflection of the game.

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