U15s - Easter Tour

BARNSLEY U15'S 41 RHYL U14'S 0

Barnsley played the first game of their North Wales tour at a rain swept Rhyl and once again turned in a superb all round performance to come out on top by a margin of 41 - 0.

In atrocious conditions the Shaw Lane side played an expansive game despite the driving rain and looked threatening whenever they had the ball in hand.

The first score came from a well worked move by the backs. The ball was shipped out quickly to the wing, and after a crafty loop inside Adam 'the Dodworth demon' Parr crossed in the corner.

The second try resulted from a break down in play on the 10 metre line where the devastating Blake Marsland-Gray pounced on a loose ball. He then put in a couple of his trade mark hand-offs before planting the ball under the posts. Josh Lewis added the conversion.

It still looked to be a tight game at the half-way point, but the second half saw Barnsley playing down the slope, and they gradually powered their way in to an impregnable lead.

The opening score of the half saw came from a quick tap penalty where the ball was swiftly moved to Josh Lewis who stepped on the gas and slithered his way round the Rhyl defenders to cross wide out.

The fourth try was a real joy to watch for the traveling supporters as the leggy Greg Cranston side-stepped his way past half way, and fed Joe 'Forest' Maycroft who made no mistake by sliding over in the corner. The ball had traveled through seven pairs of hands, even though it was more slippery than an eel in a bath of baby oil and brought a cheer from all on the side lines.

Following a scything tackle from Sam Wollerton the ball was picked up by the lightening quick 'Choco' Thornton. In turn he spread it wide to Greg Colbridge who powered his way over for the first of his 3 tries. Josh Lewis again added the conversion.

Greg's second try followed soon after as he shrugged off two defenders with powerful hand offs and rounded the winger to score in the corner.

His hat-trick was completed when the Rhyl fly half threw a speculative pass in his own half. Greg scooped the ball up at pace and sprinted over under the posts. He also converted the try.

The referee had a difficult job choosing the man of the match as there were at least 15 candidates. Sam 'super-fit' King had another immense game, Kane Feek tackled everything in sight and every player handled the ball superbly in swamp-like conditions. However despite penalising him several times during the match the referee chose Blake Marsland-Gray for his tenacity and never say die attitude.

BARNSLEY U15'S 7 WREXHAM U15'S 15

After a short foray in to the delightful Denbighshire countryside after a slight sat-nav malfunction, Barnsley U15's arrived at Wrexham for the second game of their North Wales tour.

Much to the relief of the players and supporters, the Welsh weather god changed from distinctly angry to a much more pleasant and sunny disposition.

The Shaw Lane side again gave their all in a tight encounter, but were unlucky to lose by a margin of 15 - 7.

The Welsh outfit was first on the score sheet when they moved the ball out wide along the back line and crossed in the corner.

This seemed to fire up the Barnsley side who looked superb going forward in the rucks. It was fly half Josh Lewis who capitalised on a sustained period of Barnsley pressure to open the account for the visitors. He pounced on a loose ball on the 10 metre line, and jinked his way past the entire Wrexham defence to score under the posts. He also added the conversion to make the score 7 - 5 to Barnsley.

The Wrexham forwards then took advantage of a quick penalty to regain the lead.

The second half started at a furious pace with both sides making some crunching tackles. Wrexham gradually made inroads in to the Barnsley half, but the Shaw Lane side managed to fend off attack after attack. However the grueling game on Saturday eventually took its toll, and Wrexham drove over the Barnsley line for the only score of the half.

It was an enthralling game for the supporters to watch, and the players were a credit to their club throughout. Again it was a hard decision to make for man of the match, but the coach chose 'iron man' Blake Marsland-Gray for another superb display of tackling.

The tour was a great success and enjoyed by players, coaches and parents alike. Special thanks go to the Moss duo Karen and Ian for organising everything, and making sure the players were transported safely.