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Cas Tigers U16s 48 Salford Reds U16s 0 Oh the scoreline could have so easily been 99 nil if only!!!! In a totally miss matched final Salford never looked like scoring, as Cas 's defensive work was like a brick wall, even (I haven't had this confirmed, but the lads say he is) Salford’s Great Britain prop couldn’t dent the Cas defence, and when Craig Milnthorpe scored the first Goal,(after a penalty for a dangerously high tackle on Simon Thompson ) we knew it was going to be the Tigers night. Craig Westmoorland showed us why he is already signed to Cas, as did one or two others, however at times, because the opposition was so easy, Cas' playing got a bit sloppy, with passes going astray, and scoring opportunities missed. All credit to Salford for never giving up, but even Wigan would have found this sort of defence hard going. A problem that raised its head as the match wore on was the fact that (more than) one or two of the cas players were trying to impress with their individual skills rather than playing what is after all a team game. The down side of this was that, what should have been an exhibition match,(or even a good training session for the Widnes match on Saturday) turned into a game where players held onto the ball for two long, run out other players, and generally looked greedy with the ball. This is a problem that has become apparent every time cas have an easy game, and I am sure it was as frustrating for some of the players, as it was for the spectators. Having said all that though, the Cas Tigers finished the last home game of the season on a high note, and will go down in the records as The team that never lost a home game in the 1998/99 season. Well done lads!!! Oh yes man of the match Ginner who came on as sub, and was run out, god knows how many times - and still kept a song in his heart. Disgusting State Of Affairs No1 When the Salford lads got off their bus, they all looked very smart In their Salford tracksuits, and when they took their tops off. They even had Salford reds polo shirts. Oh hum I don’t even have to say what I am thinking do I. Disgusting State Of Affairs No2 Esrl plate final, Cas won the trophy, but where the hell were the Lads medals. Some one e-mail me with a quote for twenty odd medals (must have a Rugby payer on, coz they look good in the wall unit), and I’m sure me and Wanners dad can have a whip round and buy em all one cos god knows, for the effort these lads have put in. They deserve it!! WIGAN WARRIORS 37 CASTLEFORD TIGERS 0 I hope the Wigan lads did not go home and tell their parents that they won Castleford Tigers. Oh yes they scored more points than us, but they didn't beat us... Why.... I'll tell you. Undoubtedly Wigan are a class side (so are cas) the way these lads run onto the ball, their organisation, ball skills etc are all what you would expect from a Wigan side. They even had three international players as reserves and were playing at home. On the other hand Cas had seven first team players out, and for some of the lads, this was their third match in five days. But the highlight was to see Cas loosing by 37 points a minute into injury time, against the best (allegedly) u16s side in the country, with their heads high and still trying their damnedest to score. It brought a lump to your throat, and makes them all winners in my book. All the lads put in good solid performances, Blakey. Spedders, Westy and Chappie, all creating chances which Wigan were quick to pick up on and block. Thompson could have scored a couple of times if the delivery to him had been a little better, but this wasn't Cas' fault, this was the way Wigan immediately applied pressure as soon as Cas looked dangerous. Man of the match for me was Simon Thompson (yes you'll all say I'm bias) for a couple of reasons, firstly for the vast amount of hard work he put in, .secondly for laughing at a Wigan player who had just smashed him, and for having the bottle (or stupidity) to run the ball back in, when the same Wigan player had told him he was going to rip his f**king head off in the next tackle. The only downside of the game, and you can't really call them for it, was Wigan’s professionalism. On a couple of occasions when Cas were on the attack I saw a Wigan player go down supposedly injured, or the coach made a substitution thus breaking up the flow of play. Again. Although we did not win the game, in no way did Wigan beat us. TRICKS OF THE TRADE. I asked Tommo after the match, why I had seen him walk away from a tackle, after being awarded a penalty, laughing his head off. He explained that every time he tackled a Wigan player, they were grabbing his shirt so he could not get up, allowing the Wigan players to re-group. He thought he would have a go and the next time he was put on his back, he grabbed hold of the player on top of him, and then wiggled about, so it looked as though he was trying to get up, and the Wigan player would not let him.... Low and behold a penalty to Cas, and a smile on Tommo's face. Although it was funny, hearing Tommo tell the story (and we all know it goes on). It strikes me as a bit sad that 15 and 16 year olds are passing tricks like this on to one another... Or am I just being naive. Esrl Plate Semi Final Cas Tigers U16 44 Barrow 4 Another convincing win for Cas, who looked as though they were going to win from the kick off, a couple of tries early on relaxed the Tigers, who then settled down into a work man like routine, doing just what they had to. Try of the match was set up by Wayne Suttcliffe, who skilfully laid the ball off to his outside, when his weight could have easily carried him over the line. There is a lesson here for some of the Cas players, who after creating chances wasted them by holding onto the ball for too long. If this had not been the case then the score would have easily passed the half century. Cas also gave away far too many penalties, this is something that must be addressed, as I’m sure Wigan (on Friday night) will capitalise on anything the Cas lads let them have. Having said all that though there is no getting away from the fact that the Tigers under 16s have been moulded into one hell of a rugby League side, hard, skilful, and with a brilliant team spirit. Well done lads... The undefeated home record is still in tact The Tigers will now play Salford in the final, at home on sat April 14th. A word about Barrow : After a four hour bus journey, and then being totally out classed on The field, the barrow lads (and their coach and families) attitude was Superb. Their heads never went down, even when they were loosing by 40 points. When other teams would have given up and started putting the boot in (we have all seen it happen). These lads soldiered on. Even before the Final whistle their families were gracious in defeat complementing the Cas teams skill. This was one of the few occasions when i personally have clapped the opposition at the end of a match and meant it... It anyone from Barrow is reading this.. Even in defeat you were a credit to your coaches, and the game of Rugby league Castleford Tigers U16's 26 Bradford Bulls 0 Johny Hepworth, Glen Charles,Craig Milnthorpe: all out because of illness or injury, Simon Thompson : recovering from a bad bout of flu, Craig Westmorland : still has a bad case of flu, Five players drafted in from the year below.... Before this match started I personally thought we were going to get our butts kicked. Sorry lads!! I should have had more faith. I was wrong, very very wrong. From the kick off the Tigers performed like hero's to a man. Bradford had no answer to the superb defence that is Cas, who soon took the lead. Every person in a yellow shirt played their hearts out. Wayne Sutcliffe was strong both in defence and attack. Leon Wright demonstrated some fine handling under pressure, and the now fit Glenn Spedding played like Jonny ten men. Try after glorious try came, the best of which was Wayne Sutcliffes interception which then saw him run half the length of the pitch to see him score. By this time Bradford knew they were beaten - and so did their coach - CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER COMMENT Special mention to the lads that stepped in from the year below who gave a tremendous effort, and to a man played superbly. Cas' undefeated home record is still intact Castleford Tigers U16's 36 London Broncos 16 Try Scorers Craig
Milthorpe Although looking at the scoreline, this seems to have been an easy match for the tigers, this was not the case. After the game the ref commented that he had never seen an under 16s game played so hard.(obviously he has never ref'ed a Tigers u16s game before (100% or nowt)), With Spedding out through injury,the Tigers also lost captain Craig Milnthorpe* early on in the first half with a dislocated/broken thumb. Broncos massive pack created one or two problems , but as usual the tackling machine that is Cas got in amongst them to alleviate the threat. It was big hits all round especially from the likes of Sutclife and Thompson. This was strong hard rugby with no quarter being given and none being asked. A fine interception by the Broncos sent one of their players off to score a brilliant full length try, chased all the way by Jonny Hepworth (who would have caught him if the line had been just a few more yards away) Memorable performances were put in by Adam Chappell, who though only small has a heart like a lion, and gets stuck in where players twice his size would have second thoughts, and Glen Charles, who played his boots off, and for my money was the man of the match. Having said all that, Cas have got so many talented players in this squad if you took any one of them out and put him in another team he would stand out. In the end it was the Tigers stamina and strength that won the day, and as the Bronco's floundered the Cas lads were just getting their second wind, and were able to capitalise on the situation. A good all round team effort. And another deserved win for the Tigers. Now bring on Bradford!!! |
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