A 25-strong Ormskirk 2nd XV squad beat Waterloo 3rd XV in an entertaining game at Green Lane on Saturday 26th August. In front of a healthy crowd, Ged Dawson (2nd XV Captain this season) took the opportunity to try out different players in various positions throughout the four twenty-minute quarters.
Ably officiated by Ormskirk’s ex-Chairman (and current referee extra-ordinairre!) Gary Spengler, the Gingerbread Men took a healthy 19-0 lead into the half-time interval. Despite some soild defending from Waterloo, ‘kirk always looked the more likely team to score, coming close on several occasions before scoring three trys in quick succession. The ‘kirk pack (despite several key positional changes) dominated in the set piece, and the backs linked well together to create some exciting attacking forays into Waterloo’s ‘22′.
More changes in the third and fourth quarters disrupted the the home team’s cohesion somewaht, and the visitors took advantage of this with two well-taken scores to bring them back into contention. Ormskirk showed their resilience and quality though, and went on to score three more good trys from deep in their own half, culminating in a well-deserved 34-19 win.
The victory ensured that the 2nd XV - after a tough season last year - will go into this year’s campaign fired up and full of confidence. The healthy blend of youth and experience in the squad means that both the First and Second XV teams this year will benefit from the ‘whole Club’ approach championed by coach Phil Harland during pre-season training. With 3rd and 4th XV players down as well, one hopes that this enthusiasm and bonding will cascade throughout the Ormskirk’s playing fraternity.
Thanks to Waterloo for a good game of rugby played in excellent spirit, and for putting up a great fight - the two teams will meet again twice this season during their League campaign.
