Heath surge past Stoke to progress in National Cup.

HEATH U17s had to pull out all the stops to overcome a strong and powerful visiting Stoke side, that had encountered a season of blistering form. However, it was ultimately Heath that continued to show their class, in a performance which replicated the team’s burning desire and hunger to win the National Cup. Ideal preparation in training and the warm up was largely evident in Heath’s start to the game, with scrum half Peter Birkett and fly half Ezra Hinchliffe orchestrating numerous flowing moves out wide, which immediately exposed a slight lack of pace and strength in the Stoke backline. The Heath forwards’ early dominance around the fringes set up an ideal platform for the release of their threatening backline, and, following strong carries from second row Fergus Marsden and flanker Jonny Porritt, Hinchliffe was able to release his backs on the overlap; Will Tolley capitalising to score in the corner. Hinchliffe was successful with the difficult conversion, and Heath were relentless to reapply the pressure, continuing to pepper the Stoke backline with both high balls from Hinchliffe and powerful drives from centres Lewis Mckenzie and Jack Sheldrake. Making one of many pacey breaks, winger Luke Matthews ran through the Stoke defensive line and, having eventually being brought to the deck, presented the ball perfectly to once again release the Heath backs out wide; this time Jack Crabtree utilised the overlap to cross over the whitewash. Hinchliffe was unlucky with the conversion, leaving Heath with a 12 - 0 lead. In spite of Heath’s early domination, Stoke fought their way back in to the game, mainly through strong carries from their tall and powerful pack. Nevertheless, the superior technique of the smaller Heath pack put the home side back on to the front foot, winning two penalties which were narrowly missed from the boot of Hinchliffe. Small periods of pressure from the Stoke forwards did, however, earn them patches of territory in the Heath half, culminating in the visitors fly half clinically slotting a difficult penalty from 40 metres, leaving Heath 12 - 3 up at half time. Heath knew that Stoke could not handle the pace of their phase ball. However, despite aiming to string more phases together in the second half, Stoke were eminent in disrupting Heath ball around the fringes. With pitch conditions deteriorating, the game progressively fell into the hands of the forwards, Heath holding firm at the line out and scrum area to earn another penalty from which Hinchliffe was once again unlucky, this time hitting the post. Tireless scrum work for the full 70 minutes, notably from props Lewis Foxton and Tom Kilner, along with a valiant defensive effort led by Captain Stephen Hare, allowed Heath to consistently retain possession in the final period and essentially see out the game. A powerful defensive effort and periods of clinical attacking play resulted in a well deserved with for Heath, who progress to the next round of the National Cup and will hope for a similar performance next Saturday away to Whitby to also kick start their Yorkshire Cup campaign.