Hoylake 1st XV v's New Brighton

Hoylake 20
New Brighton 0

A great day all round for the club who hosted New Brighton for the first time ever in a competitive league fixture. A well-attended pre-match meal meant that there were a good number of supporters from both sides, contributing to the local derby atmosphere.

Both sides were without key players, most notably for Hoylake, skipper and talisman, Steve Young who injured his knee in the battling performance against Sale the previous week. With this in mind and the morale sapping defeat at the hands of New Brighton earlier in the season, it was an amazing turnaround for the boys in red, white and green.

The platform was set by the aggressive forwards, who for the first time this season dominated both the set piece and the loose. They were well marshalled by skipper for the day, Matt O'Neill, and even without Young, the backs had no problems in cutting loose when required, marshalled outstandingly well by the returning Jack Lavin at 10.

Hoylake were on the scoresheet first, as prop Phil James, crashed over the line in the corner. Not long after, Lavin hit a penalty to give the hosts a surprise but well-earned 8-0 lead. New Brighton had an opportunity to cut the arrears midway through the half, but their usually reliable kicker put his attempt wide of the left hand upright.

With a reasonable wind at their backs, the visitors continued to try and play a short game, using their forwards and centres to try and break the gain line. The telling Hoylake defence stood firm and eventually forced mistakes from their opponents. It was a mystery why New Brighton opted not to play the corners and to try their luck out wide, a decision they will have rued with hindsight.

As it was, Hoylake made it to half time, without really having their line threatened. The only real scare was the very last play of the half, when New Brighton's skipper and open side fly hacked a rare Hoylake fumble and seemed to be clean through until Hoylake blindside and man of the match, Guy Byatt, came from nowhere to snuff out the danger.

The second half followed a similar pattern, but the difference was the boot of Jack Lavin which on 3 or 4 occasions made 40 or 50 yards which seemed to sap the life out of the New Brighton pack. They continued to try and break the Hoylake line but the defence was resolute. Eventually, the game was secured by two tries from Lavin, both of which came from handling errors by New Brighton, as a result of the defensive work of the Hoylake back line. Lavin had enough strength, pace and ball control to punish the visitors and put the game beyond doubt.

It was a day that all involved with the club can be proud of. From the pre-match hospitality, the support and singing in the bar afterwards, to the preparation from the coach and the performance on the pitch. No doubt that New Brighton will be kicking themselves for the under-par performance on the pitch, but Hoylake more than earned the victory with a passionate, structured performance. If only we could emulate this every week!

As mentioned, Guy Byatt thoroughly earned his MoM award with a typically tireless and abrasive performance. He was ably backed up by Rob Shaw at 7 and the rest of the forwards. Jack Lavin put in a match winning performance but it was one of those days when it was unfair to single out individual players. There wasn't a bad performance from 1 to 17. The less said about the 18th man the better...

This Saturday, Hoylake travel to Ashton-on-Mersey who are a tough nut to crack, particularly at home. Hoylake will again have some changes to contend with so a similar performance is going to be required if the victory is going to be secured.