Rugby league: Mayfield 40 - 12 Kells

Date published: 20 April 2023

Missing three key players and up against an in-form team Mayfield faced a tricky challenge at the Mayfield Sports Centre on Saturday 15 April with the visit of Kells.

With less than five minutes on the clock Sam Butterworth's side had put that thought to bed, a great kick chase after their first set gave them good position and hard work from Luke Fowden and Joe Taira helped them keep it. Dec Sheridan and Dev Long showed their partnership is blossoming as they took an early hold of the game and created the space for Kristian McVeigh to force his way over in the corner for the opening score, 4 - 0.

Kells looked as though the three hour journey had taken its toll on them as they strolled around the pitch with no sense of urgency. Mayfield are not the sort of side to let that sort of lethargy go unpunished and they made the most of the space as Dec Sheridan, Callum Ogden and Travis Long combined to put Dev Long in for a brilliant team try. Dev Long converted, 10 - 0.

Mayfield were in the mood to play rugby, that was obvious, Harry Sheridan, Sam Wright and McVeigh were exploiting the gaps created by the forwards Taira, Talatoka and Ogden were running hard and the visitors had no answer to them. Dec Sheridan and Dev Long were getting the best out of the team already and Tolhurst made the game look easy as he strolled through to extend the lead, 14 - 0.

Hargreaves then showed how he has developed as a player as he showed great awareness to pounce on a loose ball and then release it under pressure to start the move that lead to yet another great team try, finished by Wayne English and converted by Dev Long, 20 - 0.

Mayfield had been in absolute control up to this point but to their credit Kells showed they are a team to be reckoned with as they hit a purple patch and caught the home side by surprise. They almost scored but great defence from Harry and Dec Sheridan and Si Moore kept them out. Kells applied the pressure but Mayfield matched them, Moore relieved the pressure with a 60 metre break up field but Kells came straight back as the ball went to ground and their big sub went in for his side's first try, carrying three Mayfield defenders over the line with him, The conversion was good, making it 20 - 6 as the half time whistle sounded.

 

 

Coaches Sam Butterworth and Steve Wood sat the side down at half time and let them know they needed to switch back on and not let Kells back in the game. The next score was going to be an important one and it went Mayfield's way as Tolhurst crashed over after a great spell of pressure on the line, Long was again unsuccessful with the conversion, 24 - 6.

Mayfield seemed to remember the game plan and switched back on, with Dec Sheridan and Dev Long taking back control. It only takes a second though for things to change and when the Mayfield defence failed to deal with a simple kick, Kells were back in it 24 - 12.

Mayfield showed their maturity as they reacted to this score, no panic, no histrionics just a resolution to cut the errors and not allow Kells another try. What happened next was a key moment in the game as the Kells stand off put in a forty metre kick for his troops to chase. Instead up popped Harry Sheridan in his own ten metres. He scooped up the loose ball and raced 90 metres untouched for the score that killed off the Kells challenge, Dev Long converted, 30 - 12.

 

 

Twenty minutes to go and Mayfield threw the ball about, they played some great rugby, the forwards were running riot, doing all the hard work but it was a moment of pure magic from Sam Wright that produced the next score as he flicked out a pass of real quality, Fowden took the ball and was unstoppable as he smashed through the defence to touch down, 34 - 12.

With two minutes to go the Long brothers rounded off the scoring as Travis Long, running a great line, took a superb pass off Ogden and scored a try which Dev Long converted, 40 - 12.

The coaches man of the match award was presented to Dec Sheridan while the sponsors opted for Devlin Long, these two were absolute dynamite on the day and showed a great understanding of the way each other plays.

This was another good performance from the rejuvenated Mayfield side and another important two points on the board.