Ormskirk came to the business end of the season in a confident mood and were looking to beat Rochdale after an easy win over them earlier in the season.
Rochdale kicked off and were soon deep in the Rochdale half and were soon awarded an attacking scrum. From this ‘Kirk drove forward but a misunderstanding in midfield led to a knock on. Rochdale kicked the ball clear but it found Graham Bishop on the wing who sprinted forward before off loading to Tom Povey to go in for the first try.Rochdale came firing back into the game and a series of drives saw them move the ball upfield and only desperate Ormskirk tackling saw them kept out. However it was not long before further Rochdale pressure led them to the ‘Kirk line and a good forward drive saw them go over to register their first try.
This seemed to give ‘Kirk fresh impetus and Olly Hogan burst through and was just held up over the line.However from the resulting scrum the ball was moved out wide and Olly Hogan hit a neat line to go over for the second try. Ormskirk ended the half in complete control as Tom Povey pounced on a loose ball to race nearly the length of the pitch to go in for try three and the extras were added from the boot of Craig Ennis.
Half-time: Ormskirk 17  Rochdale 5
Ormskirk kicked off the second half looking to build on their first half lead However ‘Kirk were soon under pressure and a poor kick saw Rochdale run it back to score. Ormskirk were then unlucky to lose Tom Povey with a groin strain and for the first time ‘Kirk started to look vulnerable as Rochdale upped the pace of the game.It was not long before Rochdale seized on another opportunity after Ormskirk were penalised for holding on.The ball was cleared but a fine break saw Rochdale go in under the posts to reduce the difference to just two points.Unfortunately in trying to tackle the Rochdale player full-back Adam Selfe took a nasty knock to the back ending the game for him and a visit to hospital. The game re-started on the adjoining pitch. From the re-start the game went into a frantic period of play with immense Rochdale pressure.Ormskirk’s defence was magnificent holding back wave after wave of Rochdale attacks.When it looked as if Ormskirk had done enough to win the match a moment of controversy sealed their fate. With Rochdale attacking down the line it appeared to everyone that the Rochdale player had been well tackled into touch yet inexplicably this was missed by the officials and Rochdale went over for the winning try leaving many of the Ormskirk players furious with rage and close to tears. To rub salt in the wounds the Rochdale kicker converted from out wide.There was just enough time to kick off but Ormskirk could not generate the chance they so desperately needed.
Full-time: Ormskirk 17  Rochdale 22
A game of two halves but Ormskirk just couldn’t hang on to their lead after losing two key players and a wonderful fight back from Rochdale which just edged the game in their favour.Fortunately the news on Adam Selfe was positive and he didn’t suffer a serious injury. All The coaches and players wish Rochdale every success in the plate final against Tarleton in a couple of weeks time.
