Heysham Atoms 8 - Eastmoor Dragons 58

Trys: Simon Ledwick, Andy Garnet
Goals:
Drop Goals:

Men of the Match:
1st Bryan Cambidge
2nd
3rd Andy Garnet

In the first round of the 2004 BARLA National Cup, Heysham came up against the high flying Eastmoor Dragons (Wakefield). The game was played away from Trimpell, which has recovered its reputation as a place where other teams approach with trepidation, and was played at Lancaster and Morecambe College.

The Atoms hit the ground running, as they have so often in recent weeks, a pinpoint kick from the shrewd Keith Hartlebury allowed winger Simon Ledwick to regather and score an unconverted try in the corner.

Eastmoor however are a young, fast outfit from the amateur National leagues and the bright winter sun and wide open spaces at the college suited their high tempo style well. They were to score 28 unanswered points before the interval through a combination of great organisation, clever halfback play and support of the highest calibre. Despite the game defensive efforts of Gavin Helliwell and the returning Andy Helme the high-pressure game exerted by Eastmoor forced the Atoms into crucial errors, and the dragons pounced on each and every error.

At half time the stunned Atoms regrouped, and having gauged the quality of their opposition first hand produced a much more controlled forty minutes to end the game with pride and confidence intact. The forwards began to make ground and offload the ball. Cambidge was a constant thorn in the Eastmoor side from fullback. In fact the Atoms dominated territorially for the third quarter, only to be hit by a series of counter punches from the ever dangerous Eastmoor backs. An attacking kick went wide to the young Eastmoor winger, who had previously been dominated by the bulkier Ledwick, but then produced a burst of pace to leave Ledwick prone 90 yards down the field. 52-4 Eastmoor.

Th Atoms never stopped looking for a score. The ball went wide through Helme and Mills to the elusive Garnett. He scored outside the Eastmoor cover to notch his 19th of the season. This would have been a fitting end for the Atoms' efforts but the young Eastmoor scrum half opened up the tired Atoms defence again to score a try which brought this lesson to an end.