BetFred League 1
Workington Town 50 London Skolars 16
Despite a promising start Skolars fell to a heavy defeat in their first away game of the season.
Neil Thorman kicked an early 40-20 to put his side in a good attacking position, which saw them move the ball to the left for Kam Pearce-Paul to score the opening try, with Thorman adding the conversion. After a Jacob Thomas run, Mike Bishay twice forced goal-line drop-outs, but Skolars couldn’t find a gap in the defence.
Town counterattacked after Skolars gave away a penalty, with Jamie Doran’s pass finding Jake Lightowler. Doran set up the Cumbrians’ second try, this time Alex Young taking the defence splitting pass. Four minutes later, Matty Henson stole the ball from Skolars ten metres from their own tryline and ran past a startled defence to the tryline. Their fourth try came soon afterwards, with Doran kicking high to the right for Brad Holroyd to ground the ball in the corner.
There was a glimmer of hope for Skolars when Mike Bishay slipped the ball to the right for Errol Carter to score and though Omari Caro missed the conversion, Skolars at 22-10 were only two scores behind at the break. However, Workington asserted their authority from the start of the second half through tries for Dec O’Donnell and Holroyd. O’Donnell helped put them further ahead with a short pass to Conor Fitzsimmons.
The try of the game came when Holroyd stepped past the defence on the halfway line before racing away for his hat-trick. Young scored his second try a minute later, again from a Doran pass., the home side reaching the half century through Carl Forber’s seventh conversion.
Skolars scored late in the game when Thomas finished off some powerful running by Christian Gale and James Tyas. Neil Thorman added the conversion, but it was eldest brother Chris who as Workington’s coach would have family bragging rights at the end of the match.
TOWN
1 Gabe Fell
2 Brad Holroyd
24 Ethan Bickerdike
4 Calvin Wellington
5 Alex Young
6 Jamie Doran
7 Carl Forber
8 Conor Fitzsimmons
9 Dec O’Donnell
25 Jake Lightowler
16 Jake Moore
12 Caine Barnes
14 Marcus O’Brien.
Subs (all used)
23 Matty Henson
33 Rhys Clarke
21 Adam Ramsden
20 Lewis Brown
Tries: Lightowler (18), Young (29,67), Holroyd (32,49,66), Henson (35), O’Donnell (43), Fitzsimmons (57)
Goals: Forber 7/9
LONDON SKOLARS
24 Louis Sherrif
2 Errol Carter
3 Jonah Varela
4 Kam Peace-Paul
5 Omari Caro
6 Jacob Thomas
7 Mike Bishay
8 Christian Gale
9 Neil Thorman
10 James Tyas
11 Adam Vranos
12 Eddie Mbaraga
13 Rob Oakley
Subs (all used)
15 Malikhi Lloyd-Jones
12 Charles Hammond
20 Marcus Hockey
19 Louis Singleton
Tries: Pearce-Paul (6), Carter (40), Thomas (72)
Goals: Thorman 2/2, Caro 0/1,
Penalty count: 5-3
Half-time: 22-10
Referee: John McMullen
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6,12-6, 18-6, 22-6, 22-10; 28-10, 32-10, 38-10, 44-10, 50-10, 50-1
