OLD CROSSLEYANS 18 – SANDAL 10
A much changed Sandal side came unstuck at Old Crocs in a game where the home side dominated most aspects of the game.
Sandal, with club captain Matt Hemingway making his first start of the season at scrum half, Tom Coad making his first start for 2 years at full back and second row forward Tim Wilson making his debut, found themselves playing into a very strong wind in the first half and were soon penned deep into their own half as a result.
The first score went to Crocs with a penalty kicked by Davies on 14 minutes who had already missed two opportunities. Sandal had few opportunities to get out of their own half but when they did run at their opponents, the narrow pitch did not allow Sandal the space they were seeking to convert their limited chances. Crocs extended their lead with a try by centre Ryan Hammond. Although the score was just reward for the chances Crocs created, the scorer did appear to drop the ball as he crossed the line. The conversion was missed but the home side now led by more than one score.
Sandal were dealt a blow on half time when centre Danny Mitchell left the field with a knee injury to be replaced by Greg Wood. Sandal did not really use the wind to their advantage in the second half but did score first, a penalty awarded for offside being slotted over by Tom Smith. The anticipated fight back had begun but was to prove to be in vain. The Sandal scrum was now coming under pressure from a much more experienced home pack which was able to disrupt Sandal possession on a number of occasions. Sandal were dealt a further injury blow when tight head prop Rob Norbury left the field with a shoulder injury to be replaced by James Purcell. Crocs were the next to score when Davies kicked his second penalty and soon converted a second home try from centre James Wainwright.
At 18 –8 Sandal were playing for pride and quickly hit back. The visitors pack turned over home side possession on the left and quickly moved the ball wide for Alex Orr to gain enough space on the right to beat two defenders and score an excellent opportunist try. Tom Smith converted but there was not enough time for Sandal to get back in to the home side half before the referee blew for full time.
Although it is always disappointing to lose, Sandal is still a developing side. The starting side showed 6 changes of personnel plus one positional change from the first game of the season against Ilkley. In the fairly recent past, Sandal would not have been able to find the personnel to even make changes let alone push a side as experienced as their Halifax rivals this close.
Jim Kilfoyle will regroup his charges prior to the next game, at home to Penrith. Sandal will be assessing availabilities following recent injuries prior to team selection.
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