After the disapointment of going out of the Lancashire Cup the under 13s were keen to put up a good showing in the plate quarter final against old rivals Leigh. The coaches were forced into several changes to their starting line-up after several players were unavailable due to illness and disciplinary reasons. This gave the opportunity for call ups to new players Danny Holloran, Luke Millington and John Wood and for them to experience cup rugby.
The game kicked off with a swirling wind blowing around Green Lane and with spectators well wrapped up against a very wintery chill. Ormskirk wasted no time in taking the game to Leigh. Early on the signs were there that Leigh were in for a torrid time. After only a few minutes on the clock Ormskirk’s much heavier pack won the ball against the head in a scrum just outside the 22. The ball was driven forward by Craig Ennis who neatly offloaded to Olly Hogan who went in under the posts for the first try. From the kick-off Ormskirk again piled forward eager for more points. This appeared to be the case when the forwards again released Olly Hogan to go over, only for the try to be disallowed for an incorrect grounding.This however only seemed to spur ’Kirk on and it wasn’t long before the backs passed the ball neatly down the line to winger Tom Anderson who burst through to score under the posts. Again the kick off saw Ormskirk driving forward again and for Tom Anderson to take the ball at pace and score again under the posts. Leigh were putting in a brave display against a much bigger Ormskirk pack but just couldn’t get any decent possession to play any rugby. Another great win against the head by Andy Jones saw another good kick and chase by Graham Bishop with Leigh grateful just to put it into touch. However there was to be no respite for Leigh as ‘Kirk won the line-out and for the ball to be spun out to Olly Hogan for him to score his second of the game.The game was finally put beyond Leigh’s reach when full-back Matt White ran half the length of the field into the corner where the referee adjudged he had been fouled and a penalty try was awarded.To improve things today we were succesful with our conversions with Graham Bishop and Matt White sharing the spoils between them.
Full-Time: Ormskirk 30*  Leigh 0Â
In the end a comfortable victory but won with the aid of some excellent rugby. The coaches were very pleased with the standard of rugby and the overall performance of all the players and in particular the new boys who all played like they had been doing so for years. The only downside to the day was an injury sustained by Olly Hogan who was later taken to hospital suffering from what looked like suspected concussion.Also a big thank- you to the Leigh players who never gave up trying and forced Ormskirk into playing some of their best rugby of the season.
Ormskirk can now look forward to a semi-final at either Southport or Sedgley Park in a couple of weeks time.
