Hoylake 3rd XV 12 - 48 Anselmians Mavericks

Hoylake 3rd XV v Anselmians Mavericks 22nd September 2012.[/b]

Well, Mother Nature is obviously not a rugby fan, as the cold & crisp Saturday morning turned into yet another balmy Saturday afternoon.
And so it was that the Mavericks took the short jaunt across the Wirral to Hoylake RFC for their third game of the season.
Bouyed by the return of their captain & the inclusion of numerous young, talented & fast backs, as well as the experience of the older players, a squad of 20 ‘warmed up’. It was pleasing to see Hoylake, with a mixture of young & old in their squad, now fielding 3 sides again.
From the kick off, it was clear that the Mavericks meant business, getting into the faces of the opposition & causing numerous turnovers. The pack stamped its’ authority at the set piece from the outset, driving Hoylake off the scrum, & winning plenty of line-out ball. The backs laid down their intentions by running straight & hard at the opposition. It wasn’t long before a few missed tackles gave the visitors the first score.
Tackling was generally good from both teams, with only the odd mistake leading to any advantage. The younger Mavericks backs were showing some excellent running & handling skills, off-loading in the tackle & keeping the ball alive, great to see in players who have generally not played together before. This was to result in further finely finished tries. The remainder of the half saw both sides exert pressure, resulting in tries both ways, and giving a half time scoreline of 12 – 27 to the Mavericks.
Enough water was taken on board at half time to cool even Thomas the Tank Engines boiler, and this was the impetus for the Mavericks to kick on.
The second half saw domination from the Mavericks in all areas, as superior fitness & some excellent tactical substitutions played their part. The forwards continued to dominate, whilst the backs asked too many questions of the Hoylake team. Three unanswered tries & conversions from the Mavericks resulted in a final scoreline of 12 – 48.
It is great to see the younger players – Chris Wildman, Jack Williams, Jack Woolley Luke Williams & Dom Bennett adding to the Mavericks fire power, & Matt Hayes getting better by the game.
On the score sheet this week were: Jack Williams (2), Harry Burnett (2), Gordon ‘Roy’ Rogers, Luke Williams, Jack Woolley & Tim Woodward, Matt Brookes (4 cons).
Most notable incidents of the game were Niv Pickards’ realisation that he can pass (Sonny Bill Williams ‘stylie’) to set up a try, and veteran No.8 Tim Woodward sprinting 3.5 metres into the corner, unchallenged.

Thank you to Hoylake for a great game & hospitality, and we look forward to seeing you later in the season.