Final Heartbreak for Methley

Friday evening, 1st July 2011, saw Methley Rugby team travel to Castleford Rugby League Club to take part in a 4 team tournament. Having come third in this year 6 tournament last year with a year 5 team confidence was high. Methley (Harrison Scott (c), Jake McCaffrey, Charlie Dobson, Jordan Jepson, Ethan Noland, Annis Padgett, Georgia Scollan, Kyle Patrick, Tom Foster & Lewis Flockton) would be up against teams from Kippax North, Allerton Bywater and Swillington.

Methley were straight into action, playing their opening game against Kippax North. Methley made a great start passing the ball well and making probing runs every time they had the ball. In defence Methley were equally organised and committed making it very difficult for Kippax North to make any progress. Fantastic defence from Georgia Scollan and Ethan Noland allowed Methley to gain possession of the ball and build the first meaningful attack of the game. With Harrison Scott marshalling the attack Methley broke through Charlie Dobson down the right. Although tagged he was able to make a quick play the ball and the ball was spread down the line to Ethan Noland who sidestepped his marker and dived over in the corner. With plenty of time to go Methley knew that they had to keep their wits about them and set about defending their lead. Kyle Patrick and Tom Foster came on from the bench and helped the team with amazing chasing and diving tackles. Just after the half way mark came the moment of the game. Methley moved forward with pace and again, after another quick play the ball, Harrison Scott found himself with the ball. He broke forward at speed, beating two players and spinning past a third he scored a second try and Methley now looked comfortable. Annis Padgett replaced Georgia Scollan and Lewis Flockton replaced try scorer Ethan to help the team defend their lead. Although Kippax managed to sneak over for a try near the end, the final whistle eventually came and Methley were victorious 2 tries to 1. A great start to the tournament. Game one MVP-Ethan Noland.

Next up Methley took on Allerton Bywater. After their great performance in the first game Methley started the game with purpose and drive to go forward every time they had the ball. Once Methley soaked up some early pressure from Allerton Bywater a turnover allowed Jordan Jepson to move into dummy half and start to link up with Harrison Scott. With the Methley still only just off their own defensive line Harrison set off and again showed his pace. He burst through the line and went the full length of the pitch for an unbelievable solo try. A change of tactics from Allerton saw them try and close down Methley’s captain every time he had the ball. However Methley had several other aces up their sleeve! Strong running from Kyle Patrick and Jake McCaffrey allowed Methley to make good yards up field and then came the best handling move of the tournament. The ball came wide to Charlie Dobson who fed Harrison; he then drew his man and put Ethan Noland in in the corner. A great team try. With the team playing well Methley made changes and introduced Lewis Flockton who handled the ball confidently and ran with purpose. It was from one of Lewis’ great passes that Charlie Dobson managed to set off on a mazy run to score a third try and end Allerton’s fight. Or so they thought! Allerton came straight back and scored a great try in the far left corner and then came again at Methley. However Methley’s defence, brilliantly organised by Tom, Charlie and Kyle, held firm and kept them at bay until the full time whistle. A 3-1 victory for Methley. Game 2 MVP-Tom Foster.

After a 20 minute wait Methley’s final game saw them play Swillington. With Methley already certain of a place in the final there was a chance that complacency might set in however this thought was quickly dismissed as Charlie Dobson danced his way into the corner with the first attack of the game. This lead was quickly built on as good carrying from Annis Padgett, Kyle Patrick and Jake McCaffrey saw Methley move into Swillington’s half. It was from here that Jordan Jepson again linked up with Harrison Scott with the latter spinning his way through the defence to score Methley’s second try of the game. Whilst the year 6s had a break from the action Methley’s three year 5s (Tom Foster, Kyle Patrick and Lewis Flockton) were showing the opposition all of their skills. And it was after these three linked up that Methley’s third try came. A strong break from Kyle took Methley into Swillington’s half. Lewis then moved in and linked up with Tom who drew his man and fed Harrison the ball who had the easy task of strolling over for Methley’s third try of the game. Although Swillington finished strongly and did manage to score a try towards the end Methley’s defence was brilliant throughout especially from Georgia Scollan who made numerous tags defending her wing. Another 3-1 victory and a top of the group finish for Methley. Game 3 MVP-Harrison Scott.

The final, played on the main pitch at Castleford, saw Methley take on their opponents from the first game, Kippax North. The starting line up of Harrison, Jake, Charlie, Ethan, Jordan and Annis began nervously with a few handling errors but quickly settled into their rhythm. After a good break from Charlie Dobson the ball was fed by Jordan Jepson to Harrison Scott who broke threw a dummy and stepped through the defence for a Methley try. This however seemed to spur their opponents on. After putting three phases together they fed their winger who despite the diving efforts of the Methley defence managed to score and bring the scores level. As the game went on Methley constantly looked threatening. Ethan Noland reacted quickly to a dropped pass and managed to sprint half the length of the pitch for Methley’s second try but to the disbelief of the players and Methley supporters the referee disallowed it and brought play back for a Methley play the ball. Next came more frustration for Methley as Harrison Scott broke down the left wing. He beat his winger and evaded a second defender but was judged to be just in touch and again play was brought back despite Harrison having a clear run to the line. As the final whistle went the scores were still tied at 1-1. With Methley unbeaten throughout the tournament surely victory was theirs? Unfortunately not! Heartbreak for Methley as Kippax were awarded the victory as they had scored more tires throughout the tournament.

Despite the disappointment of the final everyone who played in the tournament should be very proud of the way they played; several comments were made by Castleford coaching staff about the fantastic way in which the team played. This of course made it difficult to choose an overall MVP however one player had caught the eye throughout the tournament. He led by example on the pitch and scored and created many of Methley’s tries. A real captain’s performance from Methley’s MVP-Harrison Scott. Finally, a massive thank you to all the parents who gave up their Friday evenings to help with transporting the children and showing fantastic support throughout the tournament.

Methley Hit Opposition for Six!!

On a sunny Wednesday evening Methley Cricket squad travelled to Brigshaw to take part in a round robin competition against Kippax, Swillington, Allerton Bywater and Lady Elizabeth Hastings primary schools. The A team (Jake McCaffrey (c), Harvey Walker, Liam Birrell, Euan Cowan, Ross Carrington, Josh Neal, Tom Foster and Finlay Rooke) were quietly confident about their chances whilst the B team (Josh Gill (c), Ethan Gray, Tom Ibbeson, Emily Ibbeson, Jack Maskill, Jack Hanson, Cade Clibbens and Luke Phillips) were a little more nervous. However after their first games both teams were much more confident!

On pitch A Methley A team took on Allerton Bywater and elected to bat first. Immediately the opening pair of Jake McCaffrey and Harvey Walker began building a big score, their opening partnership of 45 being the largest by any team in the tournament! This set the tone for the rest of the innings as Euan Cowan & Finlay Rooke followed them with a partnership of 37. With excellent support from the remaining pairs Methley were able to set a mammoth total of 138. Excellent fielding and bowling from all team members meant that Allerton Bywater could not get anywhere near Methley’s total and a commanding first victory was achieved. The pick of the bowling in the first match came from Ross Carrington and Tom Foster who both bowled accurately and kept runs to a minimum.

Whilst this match was taking place Methley’s young B team were playing against Kippax on pitch B. Under the guidance of Mr Mohammed they were able to field and bowl brilliantly-Emily Ibbeson and Cade Clibbens both taking wickets and the rest of the team supporting them with good catches. After this fantastic fielding display Methley were then able to score the required runs to win the match. Both teams were off to great starts but still had a lot to do to reach the final.

In their next match the A team took on Swillington. They knew that this would be a much tougher challenge with Swillington’s coach also having coached many of the Methley players. After winning the toss Jake decided to ask Swillington to bat. Again Methley bowled and fielded with commitment and accuracy. They managed to restrict Swillington to a modest score thanks mainly to the bowling of Liam Birrell and Euan Cowan. After their excellent batting display in the first match Methley were confident of reaching their total however things didn’t go to plan. After a steady start from the opening pair of Josh Neal and Tom Foster wickets fell during the game. With runs deducted from the total each time this happened the game looked as if it was going to be close. When Euan Cowan and Finaly Rooke had finished their innings Methley were still only 7 runs ahead and the final pair knew they had to remain composed to guide Methley home. Far from being reserved Jake and Harvey set about finishing the game in style. Their final stand of 33 meant Methley won comfortably and now were set for the final!!

As the A team finished their game Methley B team had been playing against Lady Elizabeth Hastings knowing that the winner of the game would play Methley A in the final. With the A team watching, the B team worked hard to try and made it an all Methley final. Good bowling from Jack Hanson and Luke Phillips meant that coming into bat Methley B team had an excellent chance of making the final. Unfortunately despite the fantastic batting of Tom Ibbeson and Jack Maskill the total proved just too much and the B team were beaten narrowly by 3 runs! Although disappointed, the B team should be very proud of their achievement. With a team made up of year 3s and 4s, some of whom have never played in a tournament before, they managed to come third in a year 6 tournament! A fantastic effort!

This meant a final for Methley A team versus Lady Elizabeth Hastings. The result of the semi final seemed to spur the A team on. After losing the toss Methley were asked to field, a fact that pleased the Methley team. Having just watched Lady Elizabeth Hastings beat Methley B the A team set about taking wickets and winning the game. Fantastic fielding and bowling from all members of the team meant that Lady Elizabeth Hastings found it very difficult to score runs and with the team taking a total of 19 wickets the chances of a Methley victory looked promising. As Methley came into bat, Captain Jake McCaffrey roused his team with a strong team talk and they set about winning the game. Following on from their fantastic fielding display the batting was equally as good-Ross Carrington and Liam Birrell running well between the wickets and playing some aggressive shots. They were well supported with good batting performances from Tom Foster, Josh Neal, Finlay Rooke and an impressive Euan Cowan. It then fell to Harvey Walker and Jake McCaffrey to guide the team home, something they did with good style. At the close of the game Methley had managed victory by close to 100 runs! An amazing performance which meant Methley A were crowned champions.

After collecting the trophy all that was left to do was name the two players of the tournament. After watching the B team Mr Mohammed said that it was very difficult to pick a star performer. He was impressed with the team work and also the brilliant bowling of all the players. However in the end he opted for Ethan Gray who batted and fielded well throughout the whole tournament. In the A team competition for the accolade of Methley MVP was fierce. Brilliant batting displays from Jake, Euan, Liam and Harvey were also backed up with excellent bowling from Finlay and Josh Neal. As well as this excellent fielding from Tom made him a candidate however in the end, for a combination of all these attributes the Methley A star player went to Ross Carrington.

Everybody who took part should be very proud of their achievements. An excellent victory but more importantly some fantastic sportsmanship was shown throughout the tournament with Methley players and supporters also cheering on other teams. Finally a massive thank you to all the parents who helped to transport children between school and Brigshaw and also for staying and showing your support through a slightly longer than anticipated evening of cricket!