Under 15 Vase Final

Ormskirk 12 pts  Sedgley Park 10 pts

SP Junior Section’s only chance of serious silverware lay with the under 15s, but they went down by the narrowest of margins in an exciting and skilful Vase final at Manchester.

There was not much to choose between the teams, it was obvious from the start, though Ormskirk had the better of the first quarter. They played some nice rugby, doing the basics well and handling smoothly. Beaten at the line-out and getting turned over in the rucks, Sedgley were struggling to get their hands on the ball.

The tackling was good, however, but eventually Ormskirk got away for the opening try.

This inspired an immediate Sedgley fight-back. More direct than their opponents, they battered away at the line and almost scored a try. In the end it needed the fancy footwork of Jamie Kettleborough to open up the Ormskirk defence and, two minutes before half-time, he danced through to level the scores.

There were signs that Sedgley were getting on top, that Ormskirk were being forced into a game they did not wish to play. I felt that if Sedgley could score first in the second half they would win. And we had the slope in our favour, now.

But, despite a good start, it did not happen. A mistake let Ormskirk into the SP 22. Twice Sedgley won back vital possession, and twice they kicked it down the throat of the Ormskirk full-back, possibly their best player. The try was inevitable, the conversion crucial.

Once again Sedgley came back with powerful forward play and straight running. Then it was the turn of the backs, and Tom Bedlow crossed in the right corner; 12-10.

With time up on the clock, Sedgley were awarded a penalty. The decision to go for goal was the right one, I thought, but the 35-metre kick was at the limit of Tom Egan’s range in the muddy conditions. He got the distance, but the ball curled a couple of metres wide of the right post.

Considering this was the Vase, the third level of Lancashire competition, this had been a fine game, fiercely contested and beautifully refereed. These players are a credit to their clubs; the managers and coaches are doing a fine job.