photo by Ian Lovell

Celtic Crusaders opened up the Co-operative National League Two championship race by beating league leaders Featherstone Rovers 36-28 in a thriller at the Brewery Field.

This match was the perfect warm up for the Crusaders’ first S4C live encounter. The Welsh side host another of their title challengers Barrow Raiders in Bridgend next Saturday in the first of four matches to be screened live by the Welsh channel, and a defeat against Featherstone this week would have not only put a serious dent in their automatic promotion hopes but would have affected their morale for the televised clash.

The Crusaders were never comfortable during the hard-fought game, as like last year’s encounters, there was hardly anything in it between two well-matched sides.

Rovers had the best of the first section of the game and made their early pressure count on 11 minutes when Ian Tonks laid the ball off to Andy Kain who went in under the sticks. Stuart Dickens converted.

Crusaders were doing well to keep the strong Rovers forwards out of the game. Paul Handforth and Stuart Dickens were the main protagonists, using their respective weights to cause trouble down the centre of the park. Their best chance for a second try came on 20 minutes when Handforth sold a dummy and worked the ball out to Steve Dooler but he was stopped in his tracks by Anthony Blackwood.

But the Crusaders equalised a minute after Rovers’ wasted opportunity. Jace Van Dijk beautifully opened up a gap for Phil Cushion allowing the forward to break through for his third try of the season. Damien Quinn had no problems with the conversion in front of the sticks.

Quinn had the opportunity to give the Crusaders the lead five minutes later but missed a penalty kick after Rovers were penalised for holding down.

Rovers attempted another fight back. Scrum-half Handforth, who always seem involved in the action, set up Danny Kirmond but he was prevented from scoring by a resolute Neale Wyatt, while Handforth’s pass aimed at James Houston was instead picked up Luke Young. This immediately led to a second Crusaders try with Tony Duggan using his pace to sprint 50 metres to ground under the sticks.

It was 18-6 straight from kick-off after Quinn broke through the Rovers backline, converting his own try.

Quinn extended the lead with a successful penalty kick six minutes into the second half but Rovers hit back five minutes later; Handforth and Kain linking up with the stand-off going over in the corner for his second try of the evening.

Rovers kept attacking. Blackwood pushed a hopeful Kain grubber into touch forcing Van Dijk to kick from under the posts. The resulting set let to the visitors getting another try back, Paul Handforth the scorer with Dickens converting to make the score 20-16.

But Quinn put the Crusaders back into an eight-point lead. After receiving the ball from Rob Toshack, he out-ran the tiring Rovers’ back-line to score under the sticks, converting his own try.

Carl Hughes got Rovers back into the game on 67 minutes when he forced his way under the posts with Dickens easily adding the extras but Welsh international Anthony Blackwood restored Crusaders advantage four minutes later. Starting out 10 metres behind Chris Ross, he somehow outran the Rovers substitute to the ball to score in the corner.

But straight from kick-off Rovers regained the ball following a knock-on and Tommy Haughey scored under the sticks.

Dickens’ conversion put Rovers just two points behind.

Then came the most crucial point of the game. With four minutes left on the clock, Rovers were awarded a penalty 35 metres from the sticks and Dickens saw his attempt to level the scores sail just wide of the posts.

And with the final play of the match, Luke Young rounded up the Crusaders’ win by scoring his second try of the season with Quinn’s conversion wrapping things up.

Crusaders coach John Dixon said: “That was really good contest between two good football teams. We had the ascendancy at half-time but good teams don’t lie down and they made a real contest of it in the second half. What really pleased me today is that we held on for the win. We were in a winning position, we were challenged and we answered the challenge. To win 36-28 today was a good mark on our season.”

CELTIC CRUSADERS
1. Tony Duggan
2. Anthony Blackwood
3. Rob Toshack
4. Mark Dalle Cort
5. Grant Epton
6. Luke Young
7. Jace Van Dijk
8. Josh Cale
9. Neil Budworth
10. Phil Cushion
11. Chris Beasley
12. Darren Mapp
13. Damien Quinn

Subs (all used):
14. Andy Boothroyd
15. Jamie I’Anson
16. Neale Wyatt
17. Hywel Davies

Tries: Cushion (21), Duggan (36), Quinn (38, 63), Blackwood (71), Young (80)
Goals: Quinn 5/7

FEATHERSTONE ROVERS
1. Loz Wildbore
2. Danny Kirmond
3. Wayne McHugh
4. Steve Dooler
5. Dale Cardoza
6. Andy Kain
7. Paul Handforth
8. Ian Tonks
9. Paul Hughes
10. Stuart Dickens
11. Jamie Field
12. Richard Blackway
13. Tommy Haughey

Subs (all used):
14. Chris Ross
15. Carl Hughes
16. James Houston
17. Gareth Handford

Tries: Kain (11, 51), Handforth (57), C.Hughes (67), Haughey (73)
Goals: Dickins 3/5

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham)
Attendance: 931

Men of the Match:
Crusaders – Blackwood
Rovers - Handforth

Penalties: 5-4

Half-time: 18-6

Scoring Sequence: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 18-6, 20-6, 20-10, 20-16, 26-16, 26-22, 30-22, 30-28, 36-28

Gamebreaker: Dickens’ penalty miss with four minutes remaining. Had he levelled the scores with this kick, Rovers could have had the momentum to get a winner.

Gamestar: Anthony Blackwood in a new position on the wing, worked hard throughout the game. He prevented a couple of tries and scored a very good one of his own.

Weather: Mild and cloudy
Match Rating: 5/5

article by Ian Golden
2 June 2007