Round-Up: Morton powers up Bees with four tries

NATIONAL THREE NORTH

With 48 points on the board at half-time Martin Whitcombe set his men the challenge of more than doubling that score to run in a three-digit total.

However, the Bees' ambitions were thwarted by an excellent second-half display from the visitors who held the Wagon Lane men to only 19 points whilst running in two deserved scores themselves.

The win lifts the Bees to third in the division, having now run in 400 points exactly in their 12 league games thus far, making them the leading points scorers in this division by some distance.

A man-of-the-match performance from winger James Morton netted the young powerhouse four tries, while not to be outdone, the division's leading points scorer, Gavin Stead, wracked his total for the season up to 172 points with two tries and six conversions. Stead also hit a post twice with difficult kicks from wide out.

The scoring was opened by Brett Mitchell on five minutes and the Bees ran a point a minute until just before half-time when they upped the ante considerably and crossed three times in four minutes with a score from Tom Cokell sandwiched between scores from Stead and Morton.

Rochdale came out for the second half clearly not wanting to be completely humiliated and had the better of the play for the opening 20 minutes of the second period. Perhaps the Bees had eased off and were not totally focussed in that period, but credit to the visitors who claimed scores from Robert Neave and Nick Duncan to add a touch of respectability to the scoreline.

The Bees did regroup in the final 10 minutes and were rewarded for their efforts in the near darkness of the final few minutes with tries from the ever combative Guy Ford and veteran stand-off Philip Greaves.

The season reaches halfway next week when the Bees face a difficult trip to the Lake District to face Penrith.

Cleckheaton 24

Wheatley Mills 19

NORTH ONE EAST

Cleckheaton took full advantage of a break in the weather to gain both maximum league points and to progress to the semi-final of the Yorkshire Cup, as the match had been agreed to count for both competitions.

Wheatley Hills' Guy Townsley missed a penalty in the fourth minute, but Dave Scully gave a lovely delayed pass to hooker Mark Cahill who sprinted through for the first try.

Townsley missed the conversion but the visitors continued to press.

Poor Cleckheaton tackling enabled full-back Craig Jeffels to score a try which was unconverted.

A clean lineout catch by lock Dave Freeman was mauled to the line and veteran Neil Gillan was awarded the try which was unconverted.

Another Freeman catch provided the possession for the Cleckheaton forwards to instigate their rolling maul tactic once more and Andrew Piper scored the try which Iain Gordon converted.

Cleckheaton were now in control and scrum-half Olly Depledge sent in Ross Hayden for a try, but Gordon missed the conversion. The visitors slashed the deficit with two Guy Townsley penalties.

Tom Brooke sprinted to the line for the bonus point try which was converted from wide out by Gordon.

Time was running out for Wheatley but in injury time, Townsley kicked a penalty which earned his team their own deserved bonus point.

Old Brodleians 31

Driffield 19

NORTH ONE EAST

Old Brodleians overcame some early ring-rustiness to record a bonus-point victory over Driffield.

They trailed 12-0 early on as Ryan Girking and Lee Birch crossed. However, Brods overcame their early sluggishness to pull themselves back level with tries from Richard Holbrough and Matthew Hoyle. Ollie Akroyd converted for 12-12.

Moon then chipped forward to score, Akroyd again successful with the kick but Driffield levelled via a Mark Bradshaw try, Birch converting.

In the second half, it was a very tight contest until the hour mark when the hosts made the breakthrough. Another instinctive chip and chase by Moon put him through for his side's fourth try of the game, although Ackroyd was unsuccessful with the kick.

Driffield spurned several chances, and instead, it was Brodleians who took their chance to secure the all important bonus point in the last five minutes when Danny Melia dived over, Ackroyd adding the conversion.