Storey book ending for Mansfield
Powergen Midlands 2 East
MANSFIELD 34 HINCKLEY 0
Mansfield bounced back from the disappointment of the opening weekend to record a crushing victory over highly rated promotion candidates Hinckley. The scoreline flattered the Eakring Road men given the gloss of a hat trick of tries in stoppage time by flying winger Rob Storey. Even that feat was not enough to wrestle the John Heath Man of the Match award away from Ben Holmes who starred in an awesome display by Mansfield’s pack.
Hinckley kicked off but found the home side quick to recycle, open a run for Storey and for Robinson to link with Rutter stretching the visitors defensively. Pritchard’s first run could only be halted illegally and Rutter’s accurate boot opened the scoring. Marrows broke through the centre, Stringfellow and Kirk showed Mansfield’s intention to run from all opportunities. The set pieces were tilting in Mansfield’s favour with Hinckley’s first two attacking scrums driven back.
Reacting quickest to a loose ball in midfield Holmes and Taylor secured second phase for the backs. Jones was given half an opening at half way and raced downfield to the line shrugging off a final despairing tackle by the full back. Immediately from the restart Marrows broke twice and within five minutes Mansfield secured their second try.
Working as one, close knit, cohesive unit the Mansfield pack and scrum half Davies drove twenty metres and Pritchard was in control at the back to force the touchdown. Rutter converted on his way to a nine point haul.
Williams charged from good lineout ball, Lindsay picking up at eight was proving a thorn in Hinckley’s side and only a foot in touch halted Storey‘s passage to the line. A long Robinson clearance saw Arnold closing down the final defender to earn a line out fifteen metres out. Holmes, Marrows and Storey swept play from 22 to 22 and with Mansfield showing great flair Hinckley were becoming ragged and fractious.
Their second row was fortunate to receive no more than a lecture for a stamping offence and with the half ending a senseless charge from the touch line to a maul and sickening head butt by the number eight saw Hinckley reduced to fourteen men.
Wilson replaced Marrows for the second half but had little opportunity to attack as Hinckley camped out in the Mansfield 22. Blanket defending by the whole fifteen repelled wave after wave of drives. Kirk stole to set up a Rutter clearance and Newbould hammered three tackles in rapid succession to move the play fifteen metres upfield. Fully twenty minutes elapsed before Robinson’s boot took Mansfield into the opposition half. Davies broke and linked with the lively Lindsay twice and Jones on the pivot, but a knock on cost what seemed a certain score. Mansfield were mounting more concerted moves with Rutter prompting Wilson, Robinson and Storey only for the winger to run out of room.
Stringfellow was back to gather and clear to touch. Drury, replacing Newbould, first stopped a break down the flank then forced play back five metres and Newton appeared at every breakdown disrupting Hinckley with a series of turn over balls. The eighty minutes on most people’s watches didn’t reflect the numerous stoppages of the half and with many conceding that Hinckley deserved some reward for their territorial dominance of the half the final outcome could not have been predicted.
Newton did great work to rescue the ball and fed Storey deep by his own corner flag. The young winger jinked out of the 22 and accelerated away 90 metres before turning in under the posts. The kick off was recovered by Stringfellow and fed through Rutter to Storey who romped away again for a repeat performance, albeit only 60 metres this time. Before the crowd could recover their breath Storey was again being fed but the cover defence ensured his third touchdown in six minutes was well in the corner and rounded the game off at 34-0.
After the indiscipline of seven days ago this was Mansfield at their best, summed up by Coach John Tasker as “Better, much better”. Now the side turn to thoughts of Twickenham and the first round of the Intermediate Cup with Leamington visiting Eakring Road for a 3 p.m. kick off on Saturday. The clubs have not met since the Midlands split East and West six years ago, but began their season well with victories in both their league games.
Hinckley did salvage some pride from the weekend with a win at Second Team level, 26-19 and their Vets coming out 15-10 victors over Mansfield’s Fourths.
Mansfield Thirds continued impress in the Second Team Pennant making it three wins out of three at Worksop. Their 45-10 haul took them to 122 points in those three games and showed they are determined not to be overawed in more illustrious company.
Complaints by Ollerton Thirds that Mansfield Fifths were employing too many young legs in their 36-7 win were dismissed by club officials after interviewing Bob White and Ray Broadhurst.
Sunday saw Mansfield Colts make progress in the 3 Counties Cup beating their Mellish counterparts 63-12.
They will hope that their form continues in the Colts National Cup 1st round on Saturday 20th Sept. Away at Northampton Old Scouts. They will meet at the club at 11.45 a.m. for a 3 p.m. KO at Northampton. A bus has been arranged all support is more than welcome.
Mellish under 15’s suffered a similar fate as Mansfield U15s opened the season in glorious September sunshine at Eakring Road with a 14 - 0 win. A tremendously well disciplined and committed effort by the entire squad worked a first half try, well taken by stalwart hooker Samuel Johnson. The second period saw a magnificent cross field kick direct to winger Jack Foster at pace for his try in the corner. Fly half Jonathan Williams' kicks provided the conversions. The defensive play was heroic, soaking up pressure and keeping a clean sheet, delighting captain Tom Calladine.
This Sunday they meet at 9.20 for the trip to Derby.
At Under 17’s Mansfield were overpowered by a strong Scunthorpe outfit 25-5 but will look to notch a victory this weekend at Eakring Road against Matlock.
The Under 14’s claimed an early season scalp with a 7-5 win against 3 Counties champions Paviors. Adam Shaw claimed the try converted by Ross Elms |
