U14s - Barnsley v Chesterfield

Barnsley 7 v Chesterfield 37

In a change to the advertised programme………………….this week’s visitors to Shaw Lane to face the Under 14’s were Chesterfield RUFC. Unbeaten since their last visit in October and flying high in the NLD Cup Competition, the scene was set for a fiercely competitive game of rugby.

The visitors were the first to show their intent; and as a result of some fine running and handling they took a 5 v 0 lead after 10 minutes play. Not to be outdone, Barnsley regained possession from the restart with the forwards retaining and recycling the ball as they marched up the field until the platform was provided for Fred Butcher to drive over to level the scores; Jacob Lawton then went on to score his first points of the season when he converted to give Barnsley a slender 7 v 5 lead.

With the home team clearly on the front foot, it wasn’t long before possession was regained and another scoring opportunity presented itself, only this time the referee adjudged the ball to have been held up.Then with only minutes of the first half remaining Chesterfield ran in their second try to give them a 10 v 7 lead.

In the second half, Barnsley’s desire seemed to evaporate as Chesterfield showed the form which has seen them go unbeaten in all competitions in the last couple of months. For whatever reason Barnsley were second to the ball and allowed Chesterfield the territory and possession which saw them go on to score a further 4 unanswered tries and earn a 37 v 7 victory at the final whistle.

Highlights of the Barnsley performance were the big tackles put in by Kyle Holmes and Jordan Darwin and the strong driving runs of Sam Owen and Eddie Fox, with the latter breaking through the Chesterfield defensive line on a couple of occasions only to be stopped by the bravery of the visitors full back.

Man of the Match awards went to Kyle Holmes (Forwards) and Jacob Lawton (Backs)