Wetherspoon demonstrates new boys' potential

Hunslet 30 London Skolars 6

The game's newest professional club continued to learn its harsh realities yesterday, although there was a period in the middle of this Arriva Trains Cup match when they looked capable of competing at this level.

Hit by three early tries, the novices regrouped impressively and could have been level before they ran out of steam in the latter stages.

There was an obvious gap in power and physical toughness between the two sides from the start and Hunslet soon took the lead when Wes McGibbon took Phil Hasty's pass. An incisive attack through Danny Fearon and Jon Liddell then set up Gareth Naylor and when Naylor scored his second courtesy of a Paul Seal kick that bounced back kindly off a goalpost, it looked ominous for the Skolars.

They had not shown many ideas on their rare opportunity to attack, but eight minutes before half-time they got a morale-boosting try when Richard Pollard kicked through and the full-back Kirk Wetherspoon won the race for the ball.

That turned what had threatened to be a processional half into a much closer contest and the determined new boys had a series of chances early in the second half to make it closer still.

Mike Ogwusogu should have touched down when the Hunslet defence made a nonsense of Pat Rich's kick and Scott Roberts allowed himself to be caught by Naylor after taking an intercept. Jake Johnstone lost the ball in a tackle as he crossed the line and Charlie Oyebade was taken into touch before he could ground the loose ball.

It all amounted to too many missed opportunities and a home side that had been outplayed in the third quarter took advantage when Wayne Freeman went through a series of tackles for the try that ended any possibility of a fight back.

Fearon's storming run then set up Seal as the Hawks pulled clear, with Liddell completing his tally of five goals from as many attempts.

"If we got points for crossing the line we would have probably come away with a victory,'' the Skolars' coach, Mark Croston, said. "You have to give them credit for some good defence. We have four new players in our side today, but they all did themselves proud.''

The Hunslet coach, Roy Sampson, admitted his side had lost their way in the middle 40 minutes and that the Skolars could have made it very interesting had they scored. "But that might have worked for us and given us the kick up the backside we need,'' he said.

Hunslet: Jackson; Powell, Higgins, McGibbon, Raynor; Liddell, Hasty; Ibbotson, Hawley, Brent, Seal, Fearon, Naylor. Substitutes used: Lyons, Freeman, Hughes, Coyle.

London Skolars: Wetherspoon; Oyebade, Johnstone, Roberts, Ogwusogu; Rawson, Pollard; Osborn, Henare, Nkrumah, Tito, Hainey, Rich. Substitutes used: Dellar, Bennett, Wallis, Simpson.

Referee: M Dawber (Wigan).