TYNEDALE 21
LEEDS TYKES 12
NEWLY-CROWNED Division Two North champions Leeds Tykes arrived at Corbridge in some style on Saturday, in the impressively emblazoned team coach of Rugby League sister club Leeds Rhinos
Having won 24 of their 25 games this season, the Tykes could be forgiven for feeling justifiably confident of doing the double over a Tynedale side they had thrashed 47-5 in the opening game of the season, and who had lost to the bottom club Hull in their previous outing.
But to the delight of a huge crowd, it was Tynedale who came out on top in a vastly entertaining match.
Tynedale tackled themselves to a standstill in snuffing out everything the Tykes threw at them.
The Tynedale front row of Oscar Caudle, Isaac Keller and Mike Hughes were immense as they repeatedly cut down hard running opponents, while behind them skipper Chris Wearmouth and fellow lock Will Nankivell never took a backward step.
The back row of Jonny Cousin, Joe Hanning and Charie Turnbull were hunting dogs unleashed while half-backs James Telford and Jake Rodgers kicked well and launched attack after attack.
Backs Alex Dryden, Joe Beaty, Will Miller and Alex Dryden were more than match for their professional opponents, and full-back Cam Grant proved the match winner with a nerveless performance from the tee.
Also doing their bit when the going got tough in the second half were replacements Sam Turnill, Harrison Wood, Jacob Brown, Joe Tully and Nico Sykes.
The win saw Tynedale clinch fifth-place in the table – a remarkable achievement for an amateur side playing in a semi-professional league, especially as they didn’t win any of their first eight matches.
Leeds showed their champions class early on, with powerful scrummaging and crisp passing demonstrating their pedigree.
It was therefore no real surprise when early replacement Ewan Laughton, opened the scoring after a slick move down the right.
Scrum-half Kit Keith added the conversion to put Leeds 7–0, and it looked like business as usual for the champions.
But Tynedale hadn’t read the script, and they dominated territory for the rest of the half.
Leeds were not helped when they lost talented full-back Seremaia Turagabeci with what looked a nasty ankle injury on 15 minutes.
A kick and chase by Keller almost paid off for Tynedale, before a spectacular exchange of passes ended with Beaty swerving his way through the defence to touch down under the posts with 19 minutes gone.
Grant converted , and Tykes were seldom out of their own half thereafter, with probing kicks by Rodgers and thundering runs by Miller and Nankivell keeping Tynedale on top,
The Tykes came back in the 10 minutes of first-half injury time, but superb Tynedale defence ensured regular turnovers, and the score remained 7-7 at the break.
Cameron Grant came into his own at the start of the second half as Tynedale won a slew of penalties as the Tykes crumbled under relentless pressure.
The full-back slotted over three kicks in a 12-minute spell to open up a 16-7 gap with 54 minutes gone.
And the grandstand rocked on its foundations on the hour, when Tynedale stole Leeds ball on the edge of the 22 to set up a superb attack, which ended with right winger Seamus Hutton touching down in the corner.
Grant was unable to convert, but Tynedale were sitting pretty with a 21-7 lead.
It could have been more, as Tyndale continue to dominate but in the closing stages , the superior fitness of the full timers appeared to be telling, as 70 minutes of tough tackling started to take its toll on Tynedale
A kick to the corner saw the Tykes stage a series of punishing drives from the line-out, and finally replacement Lucas Walsh was able to force his way over on the right to take their score to 21-12 with six minutes left.
The frisson of fear that Tynedale had run out of steam was ill-founded, as from a line-out, the forwards drove the Tykes back for a full 20 metres towards their own line.
When Rodgers hammered the ball into the stand to bring the game and the season to a close, the well merited standing ovation was richly deserved.
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