Rugby league: Challenge Cup - West Hull 16 - 18 Mayfield

With a couple of late cry-offs Sam Butterworth called in 'Dad's Army' to help pull his side through this Betfred Challenge Cup tie.

With almost fifty years of rugby between them, up stepped Rob Kershaw and Mark Biggins and they certainly didn't let their side down.

This was a proper game of two halves that put players, coaches and the large band of travelling supporters through the mill.

Mayfield looked strong and disciplined from the start with Si Moore and Liam Donnelly, in particular, standing tall.

With only four minutes on the clock, the referee handed the home side a penalty for an offence that only he saw and, like all good sides, West Hull immediately capitalised on the advantage, quick rugby saw them gain yards and their winger sneaked over for the opening score in the corner, which was converted, 6 - 0. That was really the Wests’ only bright spot in a first half which Mayfield went on to completely dominate. 

Mayfield took control and James McDaid put Jack McConnachie in the corner for a try which Zac Hartley couldn't convert in the gale-force Humberside wind, 6 - 4. Mayfield continued in the same vein pummelling the Hull defence and it wasn't long before Cole Connolly engineered the gap to put Dec Sheridan in to give the visitors the lead, again the wind was too fierce for the conversion, 6 - 8.

Sheridan and Connolly continued to run the play and their teammates enjoyed the results. Hull tried to knock Mayfield off their game, but the Rochdale side held their discipline.

A cynical head butt from the home prop on Si Moore saw him red-carded and Moore given ten minutes for his retaliation. Hargeaves, Biggins and Donnelly dominated their opposite numbers from this point and all looked good for the mighty Mayfield as Connolly slipped a pass to Reece Hamlett, who once again showed his class as he powered through the defence to extend the lead, 6 - 14. 

Hull attempted to stage a comeback in the last ten of the first half, but Mayfield proved too good as they repelled the attack.

With a few minutes to go, a great break from Ieuan Higgs gave his side the front foot and McDaid made great use of this as he sprinted away from would-be tacklers to further the advantage, again the wind got the better of the attempted conversion, 6 - 14.

As good as Mayfield were in the first forty, they were as bad in the second. Their game management went completely out of the window.

They gave away the ball and needless penalties time after time allowing Hull to camp in the Mayfield ten for long periods; the only bright spot was the defence.

The effort was nothing short of phenomenal right through the team.

Travis Holden, Kershaw, Hamlett and Lewis Butterworth made some great tackles that kept their team in front. it was only a matter of time though, with so much possession, before a gap appeared and Hull grabbed a converted score, 12 - 18. The Hull side then had another man sin-binned, leaving them with eleven on the pitch.

From the resulting penalty, Mayfield opted to run the ball rather than take the two points on offer, a decision they came to regret as they lost possession late in the set. The mistakes continued and the home side kept coming. The crowd were doing their best to urge the team to victory as the clock wound down, but when the Hull centre squeezed in in the corner on the final whistle, they feared the worst. 16 - 18 with the kick to come.

Collective breaths were held and hearts stopped, but this time the wind was in their favour as the kick sailed low and wide and victory went to Mayfield. The crowd went wild and a great day out for the Rochdale club continued. 

Butterworth and Woods' side had no doubt pulled off a great win in Hull and there were some outstanding performances, notably Moore, Hamlett, Hargreaves, Sheridan and Connolly but the pick of them all was Liam Donnelly who ran his blood to water.

Coach Sam Butterworth said he would like to pass on his thanks to the supporters who made the two-hour journey to Hull. He says he feels they “definitely gave the team an advantage” and urged them on in the dying moments of the game when it could so easily have gone wrong.

All at Mayfield are hoping for a good draw in the third round where Rochdale will have double representation. Hornets beat the newly-renamed Midlands Hurricanes 36-16 in an entertaining lunchtime tie which was streamed live by BBC Sport.

When asked who they would like, Steve Wood just said: “Anyone at home.”

The draw for the fourth round will also be held in Rochdale on Tuesday evening (1 February) – when the six third round winners will be joined by the 14 Betfred Championship Clubs.