October 24th , 2009

Heysham Atoms 10

Vs

Widnes West Bank 18

Kukri North West Counties Amateur Rugby League

Division 3

After a delayed Kick Off due to both the referee and West Bank getting stuck in traffic the Atoms got off to a flying start against one of the leagues early pace-setters.  The Atoms got in front on their fourth set of six after two penalties had given them easy field position .  A set of sure hands enabled Stuart Lacey to force his way over the line close to the left hand corner flag.  Billy Livingstone expertly converted from virtually on the touch line.  Early indiscretions from both sides seemed to test the referees patience and one too many high than the shoulder tackles saw Dan Scanlon spend 10 minutes in the cooler.  The one man advantage to the Widnes side payed dividends almost immediatly as their influential stand off found a gap in the defensive line and West Bank drew level at six all. 

The early forward exchanges were evenly contested with little to chose between the packs with Mark Walker having his usual total involvement in both attack and defence.  Another Atom forward who is on the top of his game is prop forward Chris Helme. His go forward has been excellent recently pushing through the line with plenty of second effort.  He also brought off the tackle of the first period chasing his opposite number down the touch line making a fine tackle and scragging him into touch into the bargin.  The Atoms regained the lead after Mike Marrin went close and then Mark Walker powered over from short range for his 4th. try of the season.  With so little to chose between the teams it was no wonder that West Bank brought the scores back level.  They favoured their left hand attack going close on a number of occasions.  Callum Hall and Gavin Winder came up with some good defensive hits but the pressure in this area was sustained and the Widnes side showed good patience until they finally got over the line for the second time. 

The Widnes side were coming off the back of an eighty point victory the previous week and as their confidence grew you could see they enjoyed playing an expansive game if allowed.  The intensity in the Atoms defence dropped as they failed to slide across and help out the overworked right hand defenders.  A try almost identical to the second nudged West Bank into the lead for the first time.  Dave McVernon filled in on the wing and was making a good fist of it although starved of any real clear cut chances.  Much could be said of all the Atoms outside backs as the Widnes defenders dealt with the threat of Liam Hall and co down the middle of the park.

Half Time 10.14 to West Bank

The Atoms made a couple of changes at the break welcoming back the experienced Keith Hartlebury into the second row and Greame Lacey at prop as the Heysham side tried to open the game up.  The Atoms had a glut of possesion at the right end of the field but some less than threating attacking plays and strong Widnes defence kept the Atoms from furtherig their account.  The completion rate was higher than in previous weeks as Livingstone and Neil Walker began to distribute with more authority.  They unfortunatly lost centre Al Crookall with a nasty looking knee injury on the hour but even this did not disrupt their territorial dominance.  The stalement was broken but it was not the Atoms who scored the only points of the half it was a West Bank's second row who broke downfield with a 40 yard charge to the line.  The limited chances brought a sense of frustration as the penalty count increased and West Bank ran the clock down with a number of 'injuries'.  The Atoms failed to add to their first half score and still find themselves in the bottom half of a highly competative league table.

Match ball sponsor - Chris Needham

Portrait Pools.com Men of the Match:
Mark Walker, Chris Helme, Neil Walker

Heysham Atoms: Callum Hall, Dave McVernon, Stuart Lacey, Al Crookall, Gavin Winder, Neil Walker, Billy Livingstone, Liam Hall, Mike Marrin, Chris Helme, Dan Scanlon, Rob Shaw, Mark Walker Res - Shane Weed, Andy Helme, Greame Lacy, Keith Hartlebury.