Knowsley Road: The Home of Legends Since 1890
News
Academy Stay Unbeaten to Keep Pressure On at the Top
St Helens Junior Academy 30 v 0 Wigan Junior Academy
By Graham Henthorne, Team Manager
A dominant first half display set the tone for a comfortable victory over the old enemy and ensured that the pressure stays on the Bulls at the top of the Gillette Academy Table.
The Academy came out all guns blazing and stayed that way, spending much of the half camped in the Warriors territory either on attack or penning them in with some punishing defence.
Martin Waring was held up short in the first set of six after Jack Bradbury had caught Gary Wheeler’s cross kick and fed the winger.
But two tries in as many minutes from scrum half Jamie Ellis eventually broke the deadlock. The Saints went close on the right three times before another cross kick on the last was spilled under the posts by the full back and Jamie pounced.
The second of his brace came after massive yards down the middle from props Gareth Frodsham and Andrew Yates. The latter also had the presence of mind to slip a delightful offload to Ellis who scampered in from 20 metres out. Ellis converted both for a twelve point lead.
The visitors had a period of pressure of the own but the defence held firm for two repeat sets and forcing the knock on with another big hit.
On regaining possession Gary Wheeler struck a wonderful 40/20 to put Saints on the attack and from the resulting scrum scored himself in the left corner. Jack Bradbury was stopped short of the line but Jamie Ellis put Wheeler over from the play the ball.
Saints fourth try of the afternoon had a certain degree of good fortune, though I’m sure Gareth Frodsham will say that he put the ball in exactly the place that he meant to.
On the last confusion in the Saints kicking game meant that the ball found its way to the big prop rather than the intended Ellis or Wheeler. With the attackers bearing down on him he hoisted a towering bomb which landed in no-mans land between the defensive line and the bewildered full back. The bouncing ball was plucked out of the air by Tom Armstrong who took it to the cover before feeding Matty Ashurst to go under the posts.
Ellis made it four from four and the Saints were out of sight.
The second half was a much dourer affair. The visitors came out with a point to prove and the Saints tried to push the ball a little too much with the result that the Academy had already knocked on three times in the first five minutes of the half.
Phil Baines scored the final try of the afternoon soon after. Quick play the balls down the middle put the Saints on a roll and Joe Molyneux’s dart out of dummy half gained another valuable 20 metres. Jamie Ellis picked up at dummy half and sold two outrageous dummies to the defence which saw him through the gap. On reaching the full back he fed Baines, supporting as every good full back should, to give Ellis another easy conversion.
Coach Derek Traynor was understandably very pleased with the first half completion rate of 82 per cent and the resulting control which it gave the Saints. The visitors could not cope with the Saints forwards on the day as Frodsham, Yates, Ste Lucas and Danny Langtree continually punched holes in the line. Wheeler and Ellis revelled in the space provided and Jack Bradbury continued his game by game improvement proving a handful out wide.
|
St Helens Junior Academy
|
Wigan Junior Academy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saints Junior Academy:
Tries: Phil Baines, Gary Wheeler, Jamie Ellis 2, Matty Ashurst.
Goals: Jamie Ellis 5.
Wigan Junior Academy:
Tries:
Goals:
Half Time: 24-0
Full Time: 30-0
Share this article: 
« Saints Up To Second Latest Service Area Round Up »
Copyright 2007 – 2010 | Terms & Conditions | Legal Stuff | Privacy Statement
Web Design & Business Software Development by Bitopia Ltd.