FYLDE 19-24 TYNEDALE: match report by Will Judd
Fylde welcomed Tynedale to the Woodlands Memorial Ground for a top-end of the table clash, 5th v 4th in N2(N). The game was pivotal, not just for league position but how the rest of both team’s seasons are likely to turn out. On a breezy but dry day, kicking into the wind was the key to success on a pristine Woodlands pitch.
Fylde Began the game well, controlling possession in the opening five minutes. The patience in possession was rewarded when the team reached the 22. An awesome offload and a cleverly run line saw Corey Bowker clean through the defensive line. It was the perfect celebration for the prop forward on the occasion of his 100th cap for the Club. After a simple Dan Cassidy conversion, Fylde had the start they needed.
However, this would be the only time the home side would lead in the game, as the next 30 minutes proved to be extremely difficult.
Tynedale’s scrum was utterly dominant in the first half which caused serious problems for the home team. In the 10th minute the away side had the put-in for a scrummage on the far left. Their transition was straight off the training ground and the ball was quickly shifted across the pitch to Joe Tully who was free to strut over the try line down the right. A conversion from Cameron Grant and the Northumberland based side were level.
But not for long as 10 minutes later another scrum was awarded just ahead of Fylde’s 22. Tynedale were dominant and after multiple penalties won off the scrum for the visitors, their final scrum was powerful enough for Referee Daniel Woods to award a penalty try. To make a bad situation worse for Fylde, Bowker was binned.
The yellow may have been a blessing in disguise as Olly Trippier was bought on to fill the gap in the scrum which immediately helped to steady Fylde’s scrummaging. Despite the stronger push, it was another scrum which gave Tynedale their third of the day in the . This time Fylde’s scrum was strong but a quick offload found gaps on the blindside for winger Seamus Hutton to increase Tynedale’s lead to 12.
Things were looking ropy for Fylde until the final five minutes of the first half where a glimmer of hope was evident. A continuous train of penalties conceded by Tynedale enabled Fylde to push further and further up the pitch until hooker Ben Haigh was given a card for a culmination of offences in the 35 mins. The man advantage helped backrower Mike Walton, back in the squad after missing number of games through injury, burst through the defensive line and provide a smart pass for Ben Turner to touch down in the right-hand corner. The winger squeezed over the line and despite a lack of conversion, Fylde were only a converted try away at 12-19.
The Woodlands’ men had a point to prove come the 2nd half, and it looked briefly as though the game could be turned around. In the 48th minute Tynedale held the ball at the halfway line and attempted some quick passes to beat the rushing defensive line and get the ball wide. But they were stopped in their tracks when Will Hunt shot forward to produce a ridiculous interception which saw him bolt 60 metres between the posts, celebrating wildly with the fans as he did so. Fylde were right back in it at 19-all.
Again though, this was short lived as in the 53rd minute Tynedale scored the final try of the game. A well-executed lineout maul was conclusive and prop Oscar Caudle went over for what turned out to be the winner. Fylde’s Lewis Quinn would have been kicking himself as despite a good game till that point, it was his high tackle that led to the lineout.
From that point until the end, the game was agonisingly tight, with neither side seeming to hold the ball for longer than a handful of phases. Fylde came close to scoring again with 10 to go as it looked like they had launched over into the right-hand corner, but the cheers of the Woodlands were silenced quickly as the ref had spotted a knock-on, denying Fylde a dramatic winner.
Aided by a 78th minute yellow card for Tynedale winger Hutton, there were chances for Fylde to rescue a win but it was simply not their day. Their 2nd half performance was far stronger than the 1st but the damage had already been done in a game that could have gone either way if played over again.
The visitors had secured a massive away victory to keep them at the pointy end of the league whereas Fylde will have to dig deep to re-discover their early season form. They’ll have some time to re-focus as next weekend there’s no fixture, with a trip to Wharfedale on November 8th. Meanwhile, Fylde remain in 5th place in N2(N).
The bragging rights are now shared with 15 victories each and one draw in the fixtures between the two clubs from 2003 to date.
FYLDE: 15 Danny Cassidy; 14 Ben Turner, 13 Alex Clayton (Tom Forster 70), 12 Sam Stott, 11 Adam Lanigan; 10 Will Hunt, 9 Gabe Maguire; 1 Corey Bowker (Olly Trippier 17, Corey Bowker 51), 2 James Sutcliffe, 3 Chris Rudkin (Olly Trippier 61), 4 Ben Walton, 5 Will Greenwood, 6 Lewis Quinn, 7 Mike Walton, 8 David Fairbrother. Non-playing replacements: 17 Cam Railton, 18 Rees Horan, 20 Kyle Macauley.
TYNEDALE: 15 Cameron Grant; 14 Joe Tully (Owen Chaplin 38, Tully 40), 13 Joe Beaty, 12 Will Miller, 11 Seamus Hutton; 10 Josh Leslie (Jake Rodgers 51), 9 James Telford (Josh Leslie 76); 1 Sam Turnill (Mike Hughes 55), 2 Ben Haigh (Owen Chaplin 55), 3 Oscar Caudle, 4 Joe Henning (Charlie Turnbull 46), 5 Graeme Dunn (Will Nankivell 5), 6 Ethan Hall-Lyon, 7 Archie Rattray, 8 Charlie Richards.
