EAST HULL BATTLE TO SHIELD VICTORY
EAST HULL returned to something like their glory days in the NCL when beating Bramley Buffaloes 20-14 in a pulsating encounter at Featherstone's Millennium Stadium. Unfortunately the occasion was somewhat marred by a brawl which broke out at full-time in which players, officials and some supporters were involved. As is often the case in these circumstances, it was two wingers who were handed their marching orders.
The game, which was played in an uncompromising, but good spirit throughout, began in a monsoon and ended in glorious sunshine. Easts repelled a spell of Buffaloes pressure with some brilliant last-gasp defending before full-back Tom Black fielded a high kick on his own 20, slipped the ball to winger Connor Denson, who scooted around the outside of the opposition defence for a superb score in the corner which Jack Collinson was unable to convert.
Buffaloes hit back when a flowing move sent Kieran Hudson over in the corner which Connor McGill converted then, from an Easts mistake, winger Jonny Fillin bumped off three would-be-tacklers to scramble over in the corner for a 10-4 lead going into the break. Easts had to defend heroically under sustained pressure in the opening period of the second-half but in their first real attack, superb handling saw Stu Newlove go in under the posts which put Easts level after Collinson's conversion. Then the outstanding Lewis Brown produced the play of the match, dummying his way through the opposition defence before side-stepping the full-back to crash over between the posts for a 20-10 lead.
With around 15 minutes to play, the Buffaloes hit back when a kick to the wing found Keiran Foston-Matthews on hand to scamper over in the corner, too far out for the conversion and it was just a question of whether Easts could hang on in the face of relentless attacks. The Leeds-based side looked to have gained a last-minute reprieve when again going over in the corner but the referee and linesman conferred and the score was chalked off due to a crossing movement earlier in the play.
With 80 minutes gone and no way back for the Buffaloes, the game erupted in a mass brawl which didn't reflect what had been a tremendous game in which East Hull's superb defence, led by Brown and Steve Mountain, fought to the end and gained the rewards.
Collinson was awarded MOTM though there must have been half-a-dozen contenders.
Hull Dockers suffered another mauling in the NCL Premier Division - Wath Brow Hornets running out 52-14 winners at The Willows. Dockers are now second-from-bottom with their opponents second-from-top, just a point above West Hull, who travelled to Kells with a team made up of experience and youth and came away with a 22-8 victory.
In Division One, Skirlaugh suffered a second successive home defeat, going down 16-23 to Stanningley and have dropped to fifth in the table while in Division Two Myton Warriors were beaten 18-40 by Dewsbury Moor Maroons at Marist.
Beverley, badly hit by injuries, can't buy an away victory in Division three and went down 36-22 at Bentley.