JUNIOR RUGBY ROUND-UP

A COMEDY of errors gave away a match which looked in the bag with four minutes to go. Widnes dominated the first half but an injury to Doran, scorer of the opening try and a key defender, was a major blow. The home side grabbed two tries but Widnes always looked stronger and Riley's score seemed to have clinched this game. An unthinkable mix-up on the 22-metre line gave three easy points to Chester and Widnes conceded a further try in the dying seconds.

Chester U14s 0 Widnes RUFC U14s 61

JACK Cosgrove scored three breakaway tries to put Widnes in a first half lead and Andy White, who showed great power and pace, crossed for four touchdowns to seal victory. Chris McLoughlin drove over the line from short range and Adam Higham completed the scoring when he sprinted the length of the field for the final try.

Widnes RUFC U12s 7 Chester RUFC U12s 14

THE WIDS failed to hold on to an early lead against a very strong Chester side. Justin Winstanley scored a try, converted by Ian Dennett, but Widnes had to defend for long periods of the game. The home sides' tackling was impressive but the visitors scored two second half tries. John Forrest had a magnificent game and was well supported by Gavin Hatton and Shaun Newall. New recruit Sean Campbell had an encouraging debut and Richard Costigan and Liam Dunbebin showed versatility by playing in the forwards and backs. In a second game Widnes overpowered the Chester second string by 21-0, Winstanley scored two tries and Forrest got one. All were converted by Dennett.

Widnes RUFC U11s 33 Chester RUFC U11s 14

WIDNES produced a powerful display and secured a well-earned victory with five great tries. Teamwork was a major feature of the performance and McAuley, Dyer and Fitzsimmons all made excellent debuts. Doolan, McLindon, Harden and debutant Fitzsimmons all crashed over from close range and Rigby scored one of his trademark tries. Kerr (2) and McLindon (2) added the extra points. Other fine displays from Burgess, Batterton, Seville, Tunstall, Bruffell, Newns at full back, Cooke, Oatley, Webb and Parry laid the foundations for this impressive victory.

Widnes RUFC U10s 30 Chester A U10s 0

THE U10s produced their best rugby to date in a scintillating first half display with the first two tries coming from Oliver and Haddad thanks to fantastic work in the scrum from Anderson, Roberts and Burgess. Nelson, Schofield and Lang ended the first half scoring. Chester put up a spirited fight in the second half but Wright added another try when Widnes' ferocious defence broke down a Chester attack.

Widnes RUFC U10 20 Chester B U10 0

CHESTER enjoyed good possession but couldn't break through Widnes' new front row of Clare, Bold and Brown. The latter two both steamrolled their way to the line for tries before Oliver got a breakaway try for the third. Brennan and Griffiths combined before the best try of the day saw Sophie Batterton dance around two men to get in the corner.

Widnes RUFC U9s 10 Chester A U9s 0

Widnes' Shaw managed to score the only try of the first half in a well-contested game. Widnes' defence of Atkin, Buckle, Doolan and Phillips was well matched by strong running from Knight, Glover and Brownbill. In the second half, Morris scored an opportunist try, which was created by strong tackling from Stewart, Thompson and Sam R.

Widnes RUFC U9s 30 Chester B U9s 10

WIDNES dominated and capitalised on some scrappy play and weak tackling from Chester. Brownbill scored four tries Philips gave Widnes a 25-5 lead at half time with a solo effort. Slack defence gave Chester a try after the break but Morris gave Widnes another try to bring the final score to 30-10.

Widnes RUFC U8s 50 Chester U8s 35

THE U8s battled hard in a seesaw game before finally coming out on top. Two tries for Jack Roberts, a hat trick for Lewis and five from William Roberts gave Widnes the win and Tunstall and Jack gave excellent support.

Widnes RUFC U7s 30 Chester U7s 20

WIDNES claimed victory against a much larger Chester side thanks to strong defensive work from G Cooke and Kenyon. Captain Stewart made powerful runs and Lang linked well with Critchley. Glover and Batterton took to the field after the break and the latter scored soon after. Chester kept coming back but the Lang/Critchley partnership was too strongr. Cooke thundered over the oppositions try line for the last try of the match. Try scorers on the day were Lang (4), A Cooke and Batterton.

West Bank U11s 34 Waterhead U11s 34

WATERHEAD took an early lead with two easy tries along the wing. Bank eventually scored two tries of their own. The home team were far from at their best and the game unfolded very quickly with each Waterhead try being answered by a Bank try. M.O.M was Craig Lawton who scored his third consecutive hat trick. Other scorers were Danny Gatcliffe (1t, 1c), Ian Hunt (1t, 1c), Shaun Attwood (1c), Danny Ruane (1t, 1c) and Craig Noon (1c).

Leigh East U13s 4 Widnes St Maries U13s 4

ST MARIES were lucky to come away with a point after spending the first half after defending their own line. The side was depleted with injuries but the squad put in a massive tackle count. Leigh took the lead to 4-0 at half time but a big effort in the second half put a lot of pressure on the opposition and a kick and chase allowed a superb try by Jonathon Leather in the dying seconds.

Leigh East U9s 0 Halton Hornets U9s 12

HORNETS completed their third successive win after totally dominating a determined Leigh side. Tries by Jonathan Griffiths and Greg O'Hare saw Hornets take an 8-0 advantage into the break. The second half saw Hornets camped on the Leigh line and a further try by Niall Whitfield. Outstanding performances came from top tackler Jonathan Griffiths, Harry Naughton and Greg O'Hare.

Wigan St Cuth's U10s 16 West Bank U10s 44

WIGAN never gave up the ghost so the Bank had to work hard for all their points but tries came a plenty with good flowing rugby and strong hard running.

Team: C Ellis (top tackler), P Naughton, M Middlehurst (M.O.M, 2t), L Myler (2t), J Sumner, R Grimes, T Heaton (2t), J Daly, F Gaskin, A Gorman, C Walsh (most improved player), J Shelley, C McParland, J Long, A Bate (coach's award, 3t).

Orrell St James U10s 6 Halton Hornets U10s 28

HORNETS notched up a third consecutive win aginst a spirited Wigan outfit and both sides exchanged hard but fair tackles. The strong running of Liam Hulme, supported by Ryan Risley and Andrew Stevens-Davies, who scored two excellent tries and had his best game in a Hornets shirt, laid the foundations for this victory. Ben Karalius tormented the home side with his darting runs and was rewarded with a three-try display. Conversions came from Gareth O'Brien, Matthew Hyland, Lewis Bailey and Jamie Hurstfield. Hornets next game is at home to Oldham St Anne's this coming Sunday.