ANDREW BENNETT MEMORIAL TROPHY FIRST ROUND

HOYLAND WIN BY DEFAULT

Postponed by the league for Illingworth failing to produce a team twice this season

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Match abandoned by ref due to abuse from Drighlington coach

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Replay of abandoned game

WATERLOGGED PITCH

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Replay of abandoned game

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Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 58 Drighlington 8
Hawks End Season On A High
 

Sheffield signed off their season with a 58-8 drubbing of sorry Drighlington, in a replay of the game Hillsborough had in the bag, until the Drighlington coach got the game abandoned. How the Drighlington players must have been wishing their mouthy coach had kept quiet and just accepted the original result

More or less from the kick-off Gareth Braddock picked the ball up from acting half, span through the tackles, and sprinted 60 yards to score after less than a minute on the clock. More was to come after a great bit of play by Luke Holt and Billy Glossop took the Hawks to 20 yards off the tryline, Centre Vinny Caldwell bulldozed one would be tackler, and went through the gap to touchdown. Joe Barber added the extras and at 12-0 with less than 10 minutes gone, a whitewash was on the cards. The demolition continued with Joe Barber and Leon Malcolm-Downs linking up well, and with fullback Harry Whales joining in to create an overlap, Barber burst through the gap to score. A lack of communication minutes later allowed Drighlington to create an overlap, and score in the corner.
Sheffield needed some inspiration, and it came in the form of recent signing Neil Harrison. The stand-off, playing his first game in Hillsborough colours, caused havoc in the oppositions defence all game, and his efforts were rewarded with a great solo try, after he stepped inside the centre, rounded the full back and touched down under the posts. Very shortly afterwards Allen followed up through the gap to score his first try of the season, and this was followed by Braddock collecting his second.
James Caldwell and Liam Whales came as replacement wingers. Liam Dryhurst returned from injury and replaced Allen. The fresh legs showed just how different this year could have been if Sheffield had been able to field a full strength side all season. The experience of Scott Maclean helped guide the young pack through the game, and it was off the back of one of his breaks that Sheffield extended their lead through Araud, who scored his second try in as many games. Liam Dryhurst went over for a try followed by Gregory and then Caldwell, who in turn unselfishly passed to Liam Whales, to scored in the corner for his first ever try. Caldwell then got his second .

Scorers: Braddock (2) V. Caldwell (2) Araud, Allen, Barber, Harrison, Dryhurst, Gregory, L.Whales. Goals: Barber (7)

Man of the match: H. Whales.
 

Stunned Thornton Ripped Apart By Ruthless Hawks...4th March 2006

Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 42 Thornton 6

Match Photos---click HERE

Spectators at the Hillsborough Arena were treated to an almost perfect display of Rugby League by a Hawks team that continued to show why they are still considered a dangerous team to face, despite lying second bottom of the league before kick off.

The rejuvenated pack welcomed back experienced forward Benji Araud, who hadn’t played for the Hawks since before Christmas, and with a few other players making themselves available Hillsborough fielded 17 players for only the 3rd time all season.

Hillsborough came out fired up and ready to go, but conceding 3 penalties for offside in the first 5 minutes allowed Thornton to piggy back up field, and brought them within 3 yards of the try line. The Sheffield line was too slow to react to the danger, and allowed the acting half to drop over the line for the first try, which was also then converted.

This simply riled the Hawks into action, and Thornton, who obviously now fancied their chances were blown apart by wave after wave of Hillsborough attacks. The ever improving centre Leon Malcolm-Downs, caused Havoc with his powerful runs; the pack rotated well, and a combination of Luke Holt and Richard Allen drove the home side close on a number of occasions. The Thornton line was eventually breached; after some great approach work by the forwards laid the ground work, the backs quickly spread the ball out wide and Billy Glossop, reverting back to stand-off, was there to touch down in the corner. 5 minutes later, 2 scoots from Vinny Caldwell and then Craig Short created the opening for Billy Glossop to turn provider to Joe Barber to crash in on the opposite corner. The lead was then stretched by a great solo effort from Malcolm-Downs, who deservedly touched down under the sticks.

Thornton were unable to stem the tide, due largely in part to the ferocious defence displayed by the home side; a number of Thornton players were forced to rest on the sidelines as Hillsborough showed no mercy or respect to any of their opposite numbers. The great tackle technique, coupled with plenty of voice right across the defensive line clearly rattled the away side. The subsequent errors forced by this defence allowed Sheffield to add to the score with 2 more tries from Scott Maclean and Benji Araud. The final act of the half perhaps summed up the story of the game; winger Liam Whales, perhaps the smallest player on the field, picked up and drove his opposite centre 8 yards across the field and into touch.

The second half if anything proved to be a step up in levels, with the home side showing no signs of tiring or letting up. The unbreakable defensive line continued, and with the Thornton side tiring fast, and running out of fit players, the Hillsborough half backs took control of the game – Billy Glossop in particular having his best game of the season. With Harry whales, Ricky Gregory and Craig Short all in fine form, Hillsborough were in danger of having too many playmakers on the pitch.

Joe Barber's constant running eventually gave him his second try of the game, after having had 2 perfectly good tries turned down by the referee. Ricky Gregory carved himself a try after some good individual skill, all rounded off by a James Caldwell try, after Glossop ran the power play, Luke Holt drew the would be tacklers in and offloaded for the winger to score his second try in as many games. With Thornton nilled, and another player down after the yellow card was brandished for lashing out, the job was done.

Scorers – Joe Barber (2), Billy Glossop, James Caldwell, Leon Malcolm-Downs, Benji Araud, Scott Maclean, Ricky Gregory: Conversions – Joe Barber (5)

Man of the Match – Billy Glossop
 

Shell-Shocked Illingworth Dismantled by Rampant Hawks....18th February 2006
Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 50  Illingworth 4

Sheffield Hillsborough recorded their biggest win of the season against fellow strugglers Illingworth at the Hillsborough Arena.

The day started off well for the Hawks, who had 18 players available for the first time all season. In a first 20 minute blitz, it was the Hawks who took early control of the game, with Illingworth's backline unable to cope with the speed and power of Josh Illingworth, Steve Hunter and Gareth “powerhorse!” Braddock. A number of breaks upfield, coupled with some excellent defence to keep the away side trapped eventually paid off. Ricky Gregory opted to run the power play on the 5th tackle, and Vinny Caldwell stepped around a couple of static defenders to touchdown under the posts. Joe Barber added the extras, and then stretched the lead to 8 points with a penalty from 30 yards out.
Before Illingworth could regroup, the incessant Hawks attack began battering away, and after some good approach play, Gareth Braddock carved a hole in the centre of the pitch and raced 30 yards to touchdown. This was then followed by an Identical break by Leon Malcolm-Downs to score and after Joe Barber had added the 2 points, the Hawks were 20 – 0 up with less than 20 minutes gone. A bit of Hawks show boating stopped them extending the score, until Harry Whales crossed despite nearly falling over after some great play by Craig Short and Billy Glossop created a gap. This was all coupled with some enthusiastic defence from Sheffield, who knocked the opposition attack all over the field. Hillsborough let themselves down by allowing a single score from Illingworth which wasn’t converted after dropping the ball in their own territory.

The second half began the same way as the first, with the Hawks half back Craig Short, Ricky Gregory and Harry Whales bossing the centre of the pitch and creating wave after wave of attacks that came close to adding to the score line. With Billy Glossop reverting to Prop forward, the defence in the middle of the field was shored up and it became a simple task of seeing how many points Hillsborough could chalk up. A number of Illingworth forwards were forced onto the sidelines after colliding with a tough and very vocal defence, and as the tiredness began to set in, Hillsborough's patience finally paid off when Ricky Gregory left the markers for dead at the ruck and cruised over for his 7th try of the season.
Scott Maclean and Mick Heyes were added to keep the younger lads heads together and make sure of the result. Craig Short them showed a great turn of pace and found a gap in Illingworth's defence, but was halted just short. Steve Hunter diffused a few high kicks from deep, and made some excellent yards up field.
The next try came after a scoot by Vinny Caldwell from acting half beat the centre and winger, and despite the fullback getting across, he couldn’t stop the offload to Harry Whales, who in turn found Gregory to score. Braddock then took advantage of a break by Phil Hedges and crossed for his second, followed minutes later by Billy Glossop, who sneaked in from acting half and then added the conversion to make it 50 – 4.
Scorers: Tries – Vinny Caldwell, Ricky Gregory (2), Gareth Braddock (2) Leon Malcolm-Downs, Billy Glossop, Harry Whales.Goals– Joe Barber (6), Billy Glossop (3)
 

Man of the Match (3-2-1) Steve Hunter, Craig Short, Ricky Gregory

Hawks Rattle Title Contenders....11th February 2006

Slaithwaite 42 Hillsborough Hawks 6

Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks failed to make it 3 consecutive wins this week, but showed the previous performances were far from one offs.

In a bruising encounter, the Hawks were outdone by sheer size and numbers on a pitch that most cows would turn their nose up at. For the first 15 minutes, Hillsborough allowed themselves to be intimidated out of the game, as Slaithwaite threw their forwards straight at the visitors, using their massive size difference to bulldoze their way through. The home side ran in 3 unanswered tries, before the Sheffield lads woke up and fought their way back into contention.

As in previous games, the Hawks defence was their highlight, Ricky Gregory and Craig Short leading by example in the big hit department. This clearly rattled Slaithwaite, who began using bully-boy tactics to try and unsettle the Hawks. A string of fouls, high shots, late tackles and general rule breaking went completely unpunished by the referee, much to the annoyance of the visitors. Despite that, Hillsborough did work their way into attacking areas, and when Vinny Caldwell and then Luke Holt were held up inches off the try line, Craig short threw a great pass out wide to James Caldwell, who knocked over his opposite number to score in the corner. It was also his first try for the Hawks since signing over a year ago, and capped a great return from injury. Joe Barber added the 2 points from a tight angle.

From that point, the game lacked any real openings, as the Hawks defensive line closed ranks, and some fine tackling from Liam and Harry Whales stopped any breaks down the right wing, whilst James Caldwell and Mick Heyes, with assistance from the full back Gareth, dealt with the attacks down the opposite wing.

The home side again attempted to disrupt the Sheffield flow by leading with elbows, swinging punches and breaking from the scrum before it had even left the scrum area! One resulting punch forced Rob Ridgley to Hospital to have 3 teeth removed. Again the referee offered no protection, in possibly the worst bit of officiating you will see in rugby.

Slaithwaite managed to go over on the break a few times to give the scoreline a more one sided look, but it certainly did not reflect how close the game was, or how well the Hawks held out against a side tipped for promotion. A view shared by the home teams coach, who was impressed with how well the Hawks defended, and tipped them to cause a few upsets next season if the side can stay together.

Hawks have a home fixture against Illingworth on Saturday with 7 more players due back for contention, as they attempt to pull of the great escape and avoid relegation. It is worth coming down to watch to see how well they have progressed. There is definitely a great team coming through at the Arena. All support is welcomed.
 

Controversy mars Hawks win ...28 January 2006

Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 14 - Drighlington 4

Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks second consecutive win was marred after the referee abandoned the game with only 50 minutes played after an altercation with the Drighlington sideline.

The match started off lively, with the Hawks setting out to continue the impressive form they have taken into the new year. With a squad of 16 players, including forwards Steve Maclean, Luke Holt and Greg Pursehouse who were all returning from injury, the Hawks set out to reverse their heaviest defeat of the season, when they took just 10 available players down to Drighlington and were promptly whitewashed, despite still managing to score 2 tries. Both teams made early handling errors, and kept gifting possession back and forth for the first 10 minutes. Fortunately for Hillsborough, their ever improving defence was on form again and spurred on by some great defensive work from Liam Dryhurst and Craig Short, kept pushing the Drighlington attacks back. As Sheffield started to get into the game, the away side began slowing the play down by lying on in the tackle, obviously watchful for the Hawks marauding scoots from dummy half which had carved open Thornton the previous week. It was to be Drighlington who scored first, after the Hawks were initially given head and feed at a scrum on their 10 yard line, a bit of indiscipline caused the referee instead to award a penalty to the away side, who quickly moved the play out onto the left wing and scored. Luckily, they missed the kick and the lead was kept to 4 points. With the return of Scott Maclean, the Hawks found the bit of experience they have missed for most of the season, and it was fitting that he should level the scores. A smart bit of play by Phil Hedges, followed by a run from dummy half by Vinny Caldwell took the Hawks to within 15 yards of the try line, Billy Glossop popped a pass for Steve Maclean to power his way over for his first try of 2006. Joe Barber coolly added the extras. It was then the turn of Hillsborough's pack to boss the game, as Richard Allen and Luke Holt found gaps all over the field to exploit. Steve Maclean then burst through the line, knocked over 2 would be tacklers, and fed Joe Barber who had wisely followed on his shoulder. Joe moved through the gears and was never going to be caught, although he was unable to convert his own try. The crowd sensed a massive upset on the cards, and through some excellent runs from Gareth and Steve Hunter, made their way upfield again. Halted just in front of the line, it was again a quick pass from the half back that allowed Greg Pursehouse to bulldoze over the line and increase the lead by 4. Billy Glossop missed the conversion. Hawks should have scored more tries. Leon Malcolm-Downs was halted inches short after powering his way through the Drighlington line, Ricky Gregory put 2 excellent kicks across field which were knocked on by chasing Sheffield players with the line at their mercy and but for a slight touch from a Drighlington player that was missed by the referee, Luke Holt would surely have crossed for a well deserved try.

Half time Hawks 14 – Drighlington 4

The second half kicked off with a shell shocked away side, having obviously received a verbal blast at half time, come out all guns blazing. It was all swallowed up by the home defence, who never looked like missing a tackle all day. Each attack was met with enthusiastic defence, and Drighlington found it virtually impossible to cross the Hawks advantage line. Just as the game had settled, and Hillsborough had managed to weather the storm and begin attacking again, came the incident that caused the abandonment. Drighlington had just been pulled for a forward pass, and both sides were setting up for a scrum. The away coach shouted something across at the referee, who marched over and sent him off from the touchline. In the ensuing moments, more of the away sides touchline got involved and the referee decided that both he and the touch judge felt sufficiently threatened enough to abandon the game, and awarded the win to the Hawks. It was a disappointing way to notch up a win, but the Hawks can be satisfied that they were on top, and would most likely have gone on to win the game comfortably. We now wait for the referee to fill in his report to find out if the result will stand.
 

LOCAL GAMES 4TH FEBRUARY

LOCAL GAMES 11th FEBRUARY

Week 19 - 28th January 2006

DIVISION FOUR FIXTURES

Meltham All Blacks v Wyke

Sheffield Hillsborough v Drighlington A

Slaithwaite Saracens v Brighouse Rangers A

Thornton v Littleborough

Rampant Hawks Notch First Victory  ....21ST JANUARY 2006

THORNTON (2) 6 HILLSBOROUGH HAWKS (8) 14

The Hawks recorded their first victory of the season after taking apart fellow strugglers Thornton, although they almost cost themselves the game with a number of uncharacteristic errors. Hillsborough arrived at Thornton looking to build on an impressive display against Littleborough the previous week. As neither side had won all season, this game had an extra edge to it before it had even started! Coach Geoff Archer decided to change the team around from previous weeks, with an almost new look starting 13. Gareth started at full back, Liam Dryhurst was moved to wing, Stu Perry moved to second Row, Vinny Caldwell was started at Loose Forward, and Billy Glossop went back to Stand off. Having won the toss, Hillsborough elected to kick off attacking downhill against a Thornton side who had included a few new signings, and a pack much larger than the admittedly small Sheffield pack. This decision paid off when the Thornton winger knocked on straight from a well placed kick off from Joe Barber. This allowed the away side to gain an early advantage, and though they spent some time in the home sides 20 metres, they were unable to force their way over. Backed by a large turnout of people, obviously expecting a Thornton win, the home side began working their way upfield, helped by some silly penalties given away needlessly by Hillsborough. However, in what is probably the best defensive performance from the Sheffield lads all season, each Thornton attack was met and beaten back and at times, Hillsborough were able to push their way back down field whilst still on the defensive. This was highlighted by Thornton having 4 sets of 6 on the trot as Hawks conceded possession and penalties at an unusual rate. Despite this, the spirited and at times last ditch defensive line held firm. Ricky Gregory was again influential at Scrum half, creating gaps and holes as well as muscling up for some exceptional defence. Craig Short returned from Injury to play Hooker, and his calm head and experience was a key factor as he began bossing the forward line and gaining valuable yards. As the pressure mounted, Hawks forced Thornton to drop out from under their posts after a huge amount of pressure forced the errors. James Caldwell took the kick, and stepped inside 2 chasing tacklers before being halted 20 yards short. Some smart play from around the ruck area took the Hawks to within touching distance of the try line, and when Craig Short ran in and knocked the markers out of the way for his first try of the season, it capped a fine first half an hour by Sheffield. Joe Barber added the 2 points. As the game see sawed back and forward, both sides came close. Vinny Caldwell stepped 3 men and made 40 yards before being halted just short. Thornton made their way back up field, and when they won another penalty, they took the 2 points on offer, obviously not wanting to be nilled in the first half. It was the away side who finished strongest, after Richard Allen and Liam Dryhurst opened up Thornton, followed by another break by Vinny Caldwell, who managed to work his way through the defensive line and just couldn’t release the supporting Ricky Gregory before being grounded by the fullback..

Half time – Thornton 2 Hillsborough 8
Hillsborough came out fully focused in the second half, and stopped giving away needless penalties. Thornton's much larger pack attempted to out muscle Sheffield, but the smaller, younger Hawks matched every attack with an unbreakable defensive line and refused to be bullied into submission. As the game wore on, the huge effort took its toll and a couple of players had to go off for a rest with dead legs and other knocks. The difference of having subs came into play this week, and the defense held tight. However, after soaking up some relentless pressure from the home team, it was inevitable that they would eventually concede, which they eventually did, as Thornton's stand off forced his way over. As they missed the conversion attempt, Hillsborough stayed ahead by 2 points. Again the game see sawed for the entire half, and must have been nerve wracking for both sides. The introduction of Mick Heyes into the forwards calmed the nerves, and he began to help lead the Hawks back into control of the match. As the side settled down the tactics from Sheffield came into play, and some thoughtful play by the backs, who began scooting from acting half quickly moved them up-field. When this didn’t work Billy Glossop simply moved them up field with some 50+yard kicks into touch. The Hawks best chance of the half came after Craig Short spotted a gap and made 20 yards with a clever run from acting half, and this was followed up with a neat bit of inter play between Nick Wood and Rob Ridgley which split the defence open again, although Michael Wall was unfortunate to not force his way over the line. Hawks best attacking options were Rich Allen, whose constant running caused all kinds of problems, and Captain Vinny Caldwell, who the home defence just couldn’t handle. As things got desperate on the Hawks try line, it was a combination of these 2 that provided the relief, as Rich intercepted a pass from Thornton 4 yards out, and Vinny took the resulting drive another 25 yards up the pitch. Leon Malcolm-Downs and Gareth took the pressure off with some tricky runs that created plenty of confusion in the home defence, but as the clock ran down, nerves were creeping in and both sides must have been wondering who was going to finish the game off. The answer came 5 minutes from time. James Caldwell fed Ricky Gregory with a quick ball from the ruck, and he in turn found Vinny Caldwell 20 yards out, who knocked one would-be tackler to the side, and showed quick feet and turn of pace to leave another defender and the full back for dead to score under the posts, and send the Hawks into wild celebrations. Joe Barber added the conversion. There was still time for one last scare, as Thornton won the ball direct from kick off, and but for an amazing tackle from Gareth and Ricky Gregory, would have scored to make the last moments extremely tense. The relief when the final whistle blew was evident, but it was a much deserved win, which was made on the back of excellent defence from the entire team, all of whom stood up to be counted.

Final Score: Thornton 6 Hillsborough 14
Scorers – Tries: Craig Short, Vinny Caldwell : Goals - Joe Barber (3)
Man of the match Award – 3rd. Gareth 2nd. Billy Glossop 1st. Vinny Caldwell
 

  Littleborough (8) 48 Hillsborough Hawks (0) 0.....15th January 2006

Hillsborough's search for their first win of the season continued after they were eventually overwhelmed by league leaders Littleborough.

A number of unavailable players meant that the Hawks took only 13 players across the Pennines to face an Undefeated and experienced Littleborough side. For the first 5 minutes, Hillsborough were forced to defend solidly as the home side started out as they meant to go on. Yet although they remained camped on the Hawks 10 yard line, each drive was repelled by a determined defence and it took a well executed move down the right flank to eventually force themselves over for the opening try. If the home supporters thought that would open the floodgates, they were mistaken. With quite possibly the best defensive display they had produced all season, Hillsborough kept their defensive line tight and refused to allow Littleborough in. In attack, the Hawks displayed the same level of guts and determination but their lack of forwards and subsequent size, made it difficult to punch any holes in the home defensive line. Nick Wood and Ricky Gregory began carving a few gaps through, but with no support running alongside were unable to do more than gain a few yards over the advantage line. Liam Dryhurst had an excellent game at loose forward, with his fearless tackling and constant running at the defence. Rob Ridgley provided their biggest threat, constantly unsettling the Littleborough defence with his running. The home side did manage to open the defence eventually, squeezing in for a try in the left corner after creating an overlap. Still the away side kept battling, James Caldwell coolly diffusing a kick over the top under pressure from 3 Opposing players, whilst the forwards continued to close the middle of the park.

Half Time Littleborough 8 – Hillsborough Hawks 0

The second half started as expected, with a Littleborough blitz as they attempted to batter their way through the opposing defensive line. Hillsborough, now down to 12 men after Nick Wood was withdrawn due to injury, manfully attempted to stem the flow, but the step up in gear, coupled with tiredness in the defence proved to be too big a mountain, and the home side began to cruise their way through, running in a couple of unanswered tries which were duly converted. It was obvious how relieved they were that their blushes had been spared by the manner they celebrated the 3rd try. As heads started to go down, the Hawks, whose oldest player is a mere 23, began to miss tackles and allow players to run unchecked. Credit is due to the more experienced players for keeping the team together and gaining some respectability in the end.  Despite that, it was the Hawks finished strongest, with Ricky Gregory, Vince Caldwell and Liam Whales all opening up the defence from dummy half and continuing to attack despite the game being over long ago. The score-line wasn’t a fair reflection on the game, and the Hawks certainly didn’t deserve to be nilled, but with a few returning players next week, this will give them the confidence to travel to Thornton and look for their first win.

LOCAL RESULTS

SATURDAY 17TH DECEMBER

DIVISION FOUR;
Selby Warriors 28 Wyke 26

Sheffield Hillsborough 22 Meltham All Blacks 38..

DIVISION SIX;
Hoyland Vikings A P Keighley Town A P

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LOCAL RESULTS - 10th December

DIVISION ONE
St Joseph's 18 Dodworth 42

DIVISION THREE
 Lindley Swifts 22 Rotherham Roosters 24

Dearne Valley Bulldogs 22 Underbank Rangers 10

 Hoyland Vikings 62 Hollinwood 6

DIVISION FOUR
Dewsbury Celtic 4 Littleborough 42

 Selby Warriors 54 Slaithwaite Saracens 14

 Sheffield Hillsborough 0 Wyke 58

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