MATCH REPORT: HURRICANES 36 OLDHAM 41
Elliott Wallis scored twice during a frantic final quarter. Pic: Andy Shaw
MIDLANDS HURRICANES 36 OLDHAM 41
DAVE MUSSON, Portway, Sunday 7 August 2022
HURRICANES head coach Rich Squires was left rueing a poor first hour on Sunday, after a remarkable final quarter almost saw them pull off an unbelievable comeback.
With an hour gone, two tries a piece from Owen Restall and Connor Carr, plus additional scores from Sean Slater, Kian Morgan, and Dave Hewitt – as well as a Martyn Ridyard field goal – saw Oldham 39-0 up and cruising.
But a frantic last twenty minutes saw the Hurricanes score six unanswered tries – two each for Tyler Hepple and Elliott Wallis twice, as well as singles from Phil Cowburn, Nathan Newbound.
In the end, the Roughyeds’ clinical earlier showing just about gave them enough to claw their way back up to seventh and end the Hurricanes’ slim chances of making the play-offs.
Squires said: “You can’t just turn up after 60 minutes and expect to win a game. We didn’t show up, we were pretty flat when, coming off last weekend, it should have been the opposite. You can’t afford to do that.
“We’ve clearly got points in us - as the last 20 minutes showed. We only had seven sets in that first half, and then we didn’t complete. Everything went against us, but it was our fault and they were clinical.
“There are positives from that last quarter. But, for me, if you score 36 points in a game you should be winning it. When we’re clinical, we score points - but they managed to do it for a longer time than us.”
Liam Welham, Nathan Newbound and Elliott Wallis hunt down Owen Restall. Pic: Andy Shaw
Oldham struck first in the fifth minute with some neat handling down the left that saw Restall saunter in for his sixteenth try of 2022.
The Hurricanes thought they’d struck back five minutes later when Bailey Dawson finished off a delightful move through the hands, but sadly the Hull KR loanee knocked on while grounding the ball and the try was chalked off.
Oldham weathered a brief storm from the hosts then struck again just after a quarter of an hour. This time favouring their right edge, they whizzed the ball through the hands for Carr to finish.
Just after the half hour, they had a third when a delicate pass from the impressive Hewitt found Carr, who ducked an attempted tackle to double his tally. Ridyard missed the conversion, but coolly slotted a drop goal a few minutes later.
Oldham continued to dominate possession after the break and scored crucial back-to-back tries. First, Slater scooted over, then Morgan skipped through after Hewitt’s sumptuous 40/20 gave them field position.
Oldham’s sixth try came five minutes later; the Hurricanes failed to deal with a high kick, and Liam Copland pounced onto the loose ball then fed Restall, and Morgan stepped his way through a flailing Hurricanes defence on the next set, before slipping in Hewitt for a deserved try.
Hurricanes defending with force. Pic: Andy Shaw
On the hour, Hurricanes finally breached the Oldham line – for the first time in 2022. An interception and searing break from Kieron Lawton gave them good position, before Hepple burrowed over.
That score lifted their spirits, and they were in again moments later - Wallis caught a lofted pass and cruised in for his second try in successive matches.
With eleven minutes to go, the hosts scored their third, with the try of the match. Attacking their left edge, the hosts ran at pace before a delicious Ben Stead inside pass gave Cowburn a try.
Two minutes later, incredibly, Hurricanes scored again. Once more Stead was at the heart of a speedy move, this time picking out Wallis from a host of supporting runners.
There was suddenly a buzz among the home supporters, and it was credit to the Hurricanes’ late revival that Ridyard opted for the kick at goal with a penalty ten metres away from the line.
But the hosts secured the ball from the kick off and swiftly moved up the pitch again resulting in yet another try, this time Newbound crashing over from a few metres out.
Hepple somehow dug his way over again on the hooter to cap a crazy final quarter from the Hurricanes, but it was too little, too late and their play-off hopes slipped away.
The Hurricanes return to Portway next Sunday, 14 August, when they host Doncaster - kick off is 3pm.
Hurricanes man of the match: Tyler Hepple
Bailey Dawson tries to break the line. Pic: Andy Shaw
MATCHFACTS
HURRICANES: Lawton, Wallis, Wilkinson, L Welham, Freeman, Collins, Stead, Walton, Cullimore, Bull, Dawson, Clavering, Hepple.
Subs (all used): Windley, Boardman, Newbound, Cowburn.
Tries: Hepple (60), Wallis (63, 72), Cowburn (69), Newbound (77)
Goals: Stead 5/5
OLDHAM: Morgan, Copland, Carr, Hartley, Restall, Ridyard, Hewitt, Field, Yarrow, Spencer, Ferry, Muranka, Whittel.
Subs (all used): Cameron, Coventry, Thornton, Slater.
Tries: Restall (5, 53), Carr (21, 33), Slater (45), Morgan (48), Hewitt (55)
Goals: Ridyard 6/8
Field gold: Ridyard (38)
Penalty count: 1-6
Half-time: 0-15
Referee: Bradley Milligan
Attendance: 183
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-10, 0-14, 0-15; 0-21, 0-27, 0-33, 0-39, 6-39, 12-39, 18-39, 24-39, 24-41, 30-41, 36-41