Welcome everyone to a new league season and a much delayed and anticipated beginning. It couldn’t be more difficult than facing Rossendale which had been relegated from National 2 North at the end of the season, falling prey to a play off relegation loss, sending them back from whence they came the year before.

Leek came back from an indifferent start and shipping 5 tries, to record a respectable result scoring 5 tries themselves and winning their try bonus point.

Ed Cheadle was back at hooker with skipper Joe Newton Taylor and Lewis Dunleavy propping. Joel Booth was partnered by Ollie Manifold at lock with Tom Hayes at No.8, George Hunt and Elliott Anderson on the flanks.
Noah Reaney and James Milan were at half back. Joe Gorman and Will Midwinter were in the centres and Sam Brereton and Jack Newton Taylor were on the wings. Joe Byrne was at full back.

One of the changes to the game this year is that teams can name up to 5 replacements and have 12 exchanges and so the congested bench included Lee Williams, Jack Bray, Josh Nadin, Connor Bassett and Scott Rawlings.

The game kicked off in glorious conditions with the drought now well and truly behind, but Rossendale was scoring its first try in the opening minute from Leek’s kick off into their 22. Simple passing along the line left the Leek defence stretched, then a long inside ball found the fly half, and he took the ball and evaded a tackle to score under the posts. The conversion was good and the visitors led 0-7.
5 minutes later and Rossendale doubled their score from an initial lineout in Leek’s 22. Then a series of rucks took them to near Leek’s line before a long pass left found the wing to score on the left. The conversion was good and the score moved to 0-14.
On 15 minutes, Leek lost the ball in the lineout in Rossendale’s half and steady work and possession led to a try by the right wing under the posts as Leek struggled to contain the visitors. The conversion was good and it the score moved to 0-21.
4 minutes later and it was try No.4 for Rossendale. After Leek won a lineout, the passing was fluid and support good, but the Rossendale defence was solid and when the kick through found the full back on his own 22, it set up a counter which was finished in the left corner following a superb run by the centre. The conversion was good and the score moved to 0-28. 3 minutes later and a forwards drive from a lineout on the right saw the forwards bundle over for the 5th try, duly converted to leave a shellshocked Leek requiring a mountain to climb at 0-35.
Given the home side then scored 31 points signifies a fantastic recovery and a belief in their system following a very shaky opening 24 minutes.
The comeback started on 28 minutes. A Leek lineout 10 metres from the Rossendale line on the right led to a maul and then a ruck before Joe Byrne appeared on the blindside to score in the right corner. The Will Midwinter conversion missed but Leek had found a score to dent the Rossendale juggernaut. 5-35. It improved again 10 minutes later when the Leek forwards controlled the ball well to near the goal line in centre field before a good long pass found Jack Newton Taylor on the right and he drove his way over the line for Leek’s 2nd score. Will Midwinter’s conversion was good, and the score moved to 10-35. Rossendale suffered a yellow card as Leek pressed again and from the penalty drives James Milan went over on the left. Will Midwinter converted, the half time whistle blew and incredibly Leek had come back to a score of 17-35 and in sight of a bonus point.

The 2nd half began optimistically for Leek, but the home side was rocked back by 3 tries from Rossendale in the opening 15 minutes of the half, not helped by 3 yellow cards for Leek.17-42, 17-49. As Leek recovered to 14 men, Rossendale scored their 8th try but failed to convert. 17-54. Following a yellow card for Rossendale on 71 minutes, Leek struck with 2 tries of their own to secure the try bonus point. First Ollie Manifold scored by the posts after the forwards drove for the line with Joe Byrne converting and right on full time, James Milan went over after a kick to the line bounced away from the defence and into the onrushing scrum half. Will Midwinter completed the scoring at 31-54 ensuring Leek could hold their heads high following the disjointed start to the game.

The season is up and running and despite the loss, there were a lot of positives from the game, not least the desire to keep going and despite the level of the opposition, come back and score 5 tries. There’s a lot more to come from this squad and perhaps now the first game is out of the way, with game fitness coming back, the next 2 games, away at promoted Vale of Lune and then away at Kendal will provide the Moorlanders with opportunities to compete from the start of the games and improve their collective confidence.

There is a coach to Vale of Lune. Contact Mark Hardern if interested to travel on it. Kick off is at 3pm in Lancaster.

Author: J. McDermott