Leigh Miners 36 - 24 Mayfield

Cup holders Leigh Miners booked their place in the quarter finals of Conference Challenge Cup but only after a spirited fight from a never say die Mayfield side.

Trailing 24 – 6 at half time after an uncharacteristic collapse allowed the home side three quick scores, the travelling Mayfield supporters could be forgiven for thinking it was all over.

Mayfield had started well enough holding their own for the first twenty minutes with an Adam Dybdall score keeping them in the hunt. The Rochdale side then hit the self-destruct button with missed tackles and needless penalties costing them dearly.

The second half didn’t start well as more slack defence allowed the hosts another cheap score: 30 - 6.

The Mayfield forwards then clicked into gear and wrestled control of the game from Leigh. Joe Qanuici, Mitch Spackman, and Matty Moores were awesome pounding away at the opposition with drive after drive. Luke Sampson played the full eighty minutes without a break, a feat not often accomplished by a forward nowadays.

With ten minutes of the second half gone, Paul Brearley had made yards to the halfway line when Todd O’Brien, spotting the gap from acting half, stepped the defenders and went fifty metres to score by the sticks.

This lifted Mayfield and they found a new resolve.

Dybdall and Moores made the hard yards, prompted by Seta Tala playing at scrum half, and having his best game of the season.

Spackman was next to cross the line with a well taken try, converted from the touchline by Matt Ovington to make the score 30 – 18.

Mayfield sensed an upset and with Miners rocking they went all out for the victory.

When Aidan Gleeson crashed over for a try he converted himself the crowd went wild. 30 – 24, one score in it with ten minutes to go.

The game went end-to-end with try saving tackles from Dan Kaufman and Kristian Duffy keeping Mayfield in the hunt, but it was not to be, with Miners scoring right at the death to finish a spirited fight back from Mayfield.

Final score 36 – 24.

The cup dream is over for another season for Mayfield but they gained a lot from this game, especially in the second half when they showed that if they stick to the game plan they can match anybody on their day.

The pack deserve special mention for the way they dominated the second half, along with Seta Tala and Paul Brearley at half backs.

The M.O.M. award went to Joe Qanuici.

Mayfield Team: Dan Kaufman, Kristian Duffy, Nick Hargreaves, Wayne Ryburn, Komai Nualamatua, Paul Brearley, Seta Tala, Mitch Spackman, Todd O’Brien, Matty Moores,  Luke Sampson, Adam Dybdall, Joe Qanuici, Rob Kershaw, Aidan Gleeson, Matt Ovington, Ian Sampson.