9 try’s including 2 hat tricks puts Heath into the semi final

The game was on the Middlesbrough 1st team pitch which was flat, firm and on a still day no side could expect an advantage but Heath did expect to take advantage of the very wide pitch with their fast running style. “Run everything wide” was clearly the visitors tactic but Heath’s usual safe and sure handling had been left in Halifax and the ball went to ground countless times. This prevented any continuity and scrum advantage regularly returned to Middlesbrough, who used the plentiful ball well. But for some stout defence especially from Pete Birkett and Stephan Hare, the Teessiders would have scored. Although Heath kept dropping the ball they always looked dangerous and made ground when they kept hold. A wayward clearance kick from the home side was collected and fed out to Jack Sheldrake on the halfway line who brushed off the first tackler and then raced round the wing and full back to score near the corner, with the conversion missed, 5 points to 0. From a Heath scrum and a miss pass to Jack Sheldrake, he beat his opposite number and drew the winger before passing out to his younger brother Max with the task of a 50 metres sprint to the corner for Heaths second try. 10 points to 0. Heath were finally starting to string the passing together and moving the ball wide which paid off again with Ben Coney- Critchley scorching down the touchline and taking the 5 points after cutting inside the full back. Ezra Hinchliffe converted to make it 17 points to 0. Middlesbrough had the better of the last 10 minutes of the half and scored a try through their enormous forwards (what do they feed them on) finishing the half at 17 points to 5. Heath again started the second half in sloppy fashion but strong running from Kofi Brobey and Rondene Johnson created the impetus for Jack Sheldrake’s second unconverted try. 22 points to 5. Heath were opening up freely and creating chances whenever they had the ball resulting in elusive running from wing forward Jonny Porritt and a converted try being his reward. 29 points to 5 The best try of the day coming from a perfectly executed backs move that saw fullback Lewis McKenzie canter under the posts untouched for the 5 points. Hinchliffe added the extras, 36 to 5. Jack Sheldrake’s hat trick came from a Sam Pollard kick through which Sheldrake gathered up from a Middlesbrough knock on resulting in 41 points to 5. Benjamin Crabtree ran the ball 50 metres out of defence for the ever present Coney- Critchley to finish in the corner. 46 points to 5. He was again on hand for the second hat trick of the day finishing one of the simplest of try’s after another well executed backs move. 9th try, 4th conversion 53 points to 5 and a semi final away against Malton and Norton on the 14th of April. The forwards worked hard all afternoon against a large Middlesbrough pack and provided lots of ball, but as usual all the glamorous try scoring was left to the fancy backs. The game ended on a sad note as on the final whistle an ambulance was called for one of the Middlesbrough players who had a suspected broken leg. We wish him well.