Rugby League: Leigh Miners 32 - 24 Rochdale Mayfield

Leigh Miners 32-24 Rochdale Mayfield

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In the end of season play-offs for the League Championship, Mayfield just fell short away at Leigh Miners for the second season in a row.

Both sides scored five tries each in an enthralling play-off game, in which the result was in doubt until the 80th minute try by Miners gave them a 32-24 victory and a place in the semi-final.

The game started with a bang as both sides played wide open rugby league in the October sunshine.

Mayfield hit first as the spread the ball wide left to break up field and forced a scrum 30 metres out.  The impressive Rhys Carruth just failed to touch down, but strong defence forced Miners to kick from their own half on their next two sets.

Callum Ogden pounced on a loose ball and scooped it up to put Lewis Sheridan into a half gap; offloads got Mayfield down field and strong drives by props Seta Tala and Aidan Gleeson were held just short.

The defence was shot though and Chris Hough passed wide right to Sean Watkins in the centre position who crashed over. Hough missed the conversion.

Mayfield scored again when Seta Tala threw a long left to right pass and Munya Samanyanga finished neatly in the corner. Too wide for Hough to convert.

Mayfield were good value for their two try lead but Miners hit back when their scrum half jinked through the line. Paul Brearley bravely averted the danger as he knocked the ball from the attacker’s hands and Lewis Sheridan picked it up to scoot down field, mistakenly thinking it was a ‘free-play’. His kick through was recovered by the Miners' last defender, who picked it up and ran 50 metres to score untouched. The conversion was successful – the difference between the two teams in the end.

Miners spread the ball wide and Mayfield failed to number up, as the Miners' attacker broke through he looked certain to be caught by Brearley who was lucky to be tripped by the referee, and therefore unable to stop the converted try.

Miners extended their lead when Seta Tala again gave away two points with a ‘late hit’ in front of his own posts.

Mayfield hit back just before half time - Lewis Sheridan half break found Paul Brearley who was stopped on the line. Quick hands to the right stretched the Miners defence enough for Declan Sheridan to scoot in for a try. Again too wide for Hough to convert.

Mayfield had been the better side for much of the half but disruption to the structure of the team and simple errors had given Miners a foothold.

After the restart, with just two points between the sides, they traded quality sets in 20 minutes of fantastic rugby league, before the linesman gave a questionable penalty against Aidan Gleeson.

Four plays later Leigh’s speculative kick bounced widely passed Rhys Carruth and into the path of a Miners chaser who touched down. The full back again converted.

Rhys Carruth immediately made up for the error by knocking back the kick off and Lewis Sheridan picked it up and jinked towards midfield from where Declan Sheridan again scooted over. Chris Hough converted.

Simon Moore charged the restart back with an unstoppable run and his quick play the ball gave Declan Sheridan the space he needed to scoot through, only to be stopped illegally in a tackle that, with Mayfield rampaging, probably deserved more than just the penalty and two points it got.

The scores were level with 15 minutes to go and Mayfield seemed to have got back on top, despite an obvious weariness in their legs. This fatigue was compounded by penalties awarded to Miners by the referee which resulted in a  try for Leigh from quick play the balls. 

Mayfield needed to dig deep and they did so, again drawing penalties that on another day could have seen the sin bin occupied.

Mayfield scored a try wide on the right; Sean Watkins touching down after quick hands from Zak Baker and Matty Ashton. It was again too wide for Chris Hough to converted and despite having scored five tries to Miners four, Mayfield were 26-24 down.

Any hopes of the grandstand finish were dashed as Mayfield failed to deal with the restart, then made errors exiting their own half. Miners grabbed a converted try to seal the win and break Mayfield hearts.

The defeat should not take too much of the gloss off what has been a hugely impressive season for Mayfield, in which many young players have broke through to the first team, and great effort and entertainment has been given by all players proudly representing Mayfield, at all levels.

Mayfield team: Lewis Sheridan. Munya Samanyanga, Matt Calland, Callum Marriott, Rhys Carruth. Zak Baker, Chris Hough. Aidan Gleeson, Callum Ogden, James Shaw, Sean Watkins, Simon Moore, paul Brearley. Seta Tala, Liam Whalley, Matty Ashton, Declan Sheridan.