Ormskirk First XV Match Report – 16.09.06
Birchfield 34 Ormskirk 0 (EDF Cup – Preliminary Round)
Despite such a heavy defeat in the first round of the Cup, Ormskirk started off this tie looking the better team. For the first 15 minutes the travelling Kirk men dominated their opponents. Jamie Wroe, filling in at fly half performed very well, kicking for position. Glyn Roberts the ever present flanker was on hand putting in the big hits and with Tom Prescott and Kieran Mahood worked hard at winning ball. The front 3, Blackwood, Tracey and Jones, took the scrums well while second rows Jonny Bennett and Captain Cliff Kirby made sure that any line-out ball was cleanly won and presented for distribution to the backs via scrum half Andy Healey.
This positive start to the game was to be short lived. Something must have upset the balance; Ormskirk began making the most rudimentary mistakes. Dropped balls, missed tackles and poor decisions were leaking into an otherwise water-tight ‘kirk ship. Nearly every player on the park was guilty of at least one of these faux pas. Suddenly the lack lustre Birchfield team found form and Ormskirk were struggling to find a way to compete. Individual errors allowed Birchfield to cut through the Ormskirk defence. Going into the second half ‘Kirk found themselves chasing a 22-0 deficit.
As they had done at the previous kick off Ormskirk started well in the second half, but the ambition was short lived. Again, struggling to keep possession and create, Birchfield were allowed to play their game. There were good moments from Ormskirk players, birthday boy Andy Wroe put in a few good tackles, as did all the backs. Mark Hutchings got around the park well when he came on. Unfortunately these positive moments were too few and far between. To their credit Birchfield played a quicker, harder more upfront game than Ormskirk.
Captain Cliff kirby said, “A long list of individual errors cost us this game” adding, “The team must start to put into practice all the good work during the summer months for their next match against Warrington on Saturday”.
