Leigh Miners v Hull Dockers 19-7-14

Leigh Miners 30 v 16 Hull Dockers

Leigh Miners picked up two more competition points yesterday afternoon with a 30-16 home win against Hull Dockers, but it was far from convincing as they struggled past a determined Dockers side who are scrapping away at the wrong end of the table to stay in the top flight. It was the visitors who opened the scoring early on with a try from Jon Eccles after some quick thinking on the last tackle from their halfbacks, Craig Skelton converting to make it 6-0. Miners hit back a few minutes later when Leon Brennan in his first game back scored out wide on the right to make it 6-4. Both teams where reduced to twelve men for ten minutes when a brawl started after a challenge on Scott O'Brien, Jimmy Muir for Miners and Aaron Bradley for Dockers going into the bin. During that ten minute period it was the home side who took advantage of the extra room and took the lead for the first time when Leon Brennan stepped his way through the Dockers defence to score to the right of the posts, Jonny Youds adding the extras to make it 10-6, Dockers retook the lead with a few minutes of the half remaining when Craig Skelton got on the end of a neat grubber kick to score at the side of the posts, Skelton adding the extras to give Dockers a 12-10 lead going into the break.

Miners hit the front for a second time after the interval when after some good build up play, Centre Shaun Dowie hit a nice line to go through and send his winger Jack Probert in at the corner to make it 14-12. The visitors wouldn't go away though and was back in the lead when second rower Jon Eccles went over for his second of the game out wide on the left to make it 16-14 but again that lead didn't last for long as Miners replied with a close range try from full back Jonny Youds to nudge Miners back in front at 18-16 with just over an hour played. The game could have gone either way in the final twenty minutes but it was the home side who finished the stronger, scoring two late tries from Shaun Dowie and Danny Jackson, Jonny Youds converting both tries to give Miners a 30-16 victory to keep them in the top six but leave them knowing they will have to improve their performance massively if they are to trouble champions West Hull away next weekend.

MINERS TEAM = Jonny Youds, Andrew Groves, Leon Brennan, Shaun Dowie, Jack Probert, James Muir, Scott O'Brien, Chris Bower, Mathew Meaden, Darryl Kay, Tom Parkinson, Danny Jackson, Tom Farrimond, Subs = Ellis Grimes, Dave Rowlands, Matt Astley, Todd Appleby

MINERS MOM = Darryl Kay

DOCKERS TEAM = Daniel Patrick, Jonathan Long, Steven Milne, Richard Lamplough, David Palmer, Craig Skelton, Andrew Kay, Arron Bradley, Nathan Powley, Christopher Lyth, Craig Render, Jon Eccles, Mike Jarvis, SUBS = Paul Fletcher, Dominic Proctor, Matthew Johnson, James Carrick

DOCKERS MOM = Steven Milne