Rugby league: Mayfield 52 - 6 Lock Lane

Date published: 21 June 2024

In pouring rain, Mayfield put in a great performance against bottom club Castleford Lock Lane, at the Mayfield Sports Centre on Saturday (15 June).

With Joe Taira back in the side after his hamstring injury, the forwards were firing on all cylinders again. Taira, Mills and Travis Long, started strongly, running straight and hard at the Lock Lane defence. It only took four minutes for them to register their first try as Dakota Tolhurst finished a neat passage of play with a try in the corner.

The scene was set and within twenty minutes Mayfield were three tries up 12 - 0, as Lewis Butterworth and Tolhurst, with his second crossed the line. The score would have been more but all the tries were out wide and Parr just couldn't find his range.

Despite the conditions this Mayfield side just wanted to play rugby, and that's what they did. Behind everything Mayfield did there was a firm platform, as Sean Slater, Dev Long and Sam Wright provided the structure for the team to build on. As the rain poured there was always going to be mistakes and Lock Lane pounced as Mayfield put the ball to ground, 12 - 6.

The score line suggested the visitors were still in with a shout in this game, and Mayfield had to up their defence to make sure they didn't get another score. Strong defending from Jordan Parr, Zac Baker and Eli Ponton prevented this, and but for a superb try saving tackle from Harry Sheridan, Lock Lane could have drawn level. It wasn't to be though, and with the half time whistle imminent Dev Long put up a massive kick, which was fielded comfortably by the Lock Lane winger. Then in came Tolhurst with a brilliant tackle which dislodged the ball straight into the arms of Butterworth, he was tackled but offloaded to the supporting Baker who strolled in unchallenged for a try which Parr converted, 18 - 6.The Yorkshire sides shoulders slumped as the whistle blew, it's tough being bottom of the league; everything seems to go against you.

It's hard to see why Lock Lane are at the bottom, they never stopped trying and came straight at Mayfield from the start of the second half. Sam Butterworth's side just had too much for them, the whole side seems to be hitting a run of form and the confidence that brings was evident on Saturday. The scoring came at regular intervals through the second half as with only four minutes gone Corey Newsham scored the first of what was to be a hat trick of tries, his first at this level.

Other scores came from Sheridan, Slater, with a typical hookers try from acting half. Not to be outdone the other hooker Cole Connolly bagged himself one as well. Dev Long converted five out of the six second half tries to round off the scoring and a great personal performance from the scrum half. Once again it was the backs who were scoring the points in this game with just the two hookers crossing from the forwards, but make no mistake the forwards played a massive part in this victory as they played the opposition off the park.