PONTEFRACT 31 WEST LEEDS 12

PONTEFRACT 31 WEST LEEDS 12

After last weeks disappointing defeat it was back to the home comforts of fortress Moor Lane as Pontefract put on a brutal display to sweep aside opponents threatening to catch them in the league.

The first half was frustrating for the home faithful, as promising positions were lost with poor decision making and errors at the breakdown and lineout. From one such error Leeds worked their way up the field and from a line out break moved the ball out wide for their speedy full back, and nemesis of the past, to score an unconverted try.

It was important Ponte replied quickly, and they did. With returning back row forward Brodie Matthews playing like a man possessed, centre Andy Coleman, who was a handful all afternoon, made a searing break which gave Ponte position near the line for big Josh Hough to do his thing with a trademark pick and drive try. This was soon followed by a replica try from ever consistent number eight Calum Rogers which Liam Kay converted to make the score 12-5 to Ponte.

With the scrum going forward at a rate of Knots, a tight game was obviously the way forward but Ponte could not quite go through the phases without errors. West Leeds brought the game level at half time as a speedy Leeds player easily rounded not so speedy prop Hough to make a break for a converted try.

The second half belonged to Ponte with Leeds never looking like scoring. Ponte were, however, having to work hard to break down a stubborn defence. The breakthroughs did eventually come as Liam Kay showed a bit of individual class to register two carbon copy drop goals direct from drop outs under the posts. He backed this up with a penalty as the referee marched Leeds back three times for dissent from the same penalty to bring it into kicking range.

These points took Ponte to two scores ahead and from then on it was a matter of chasing tries for an extra bonus point. This was helped by Leeds going down to 14 men with a straight red for a late tackle on Kay. The next try soon followed as a 40 metre (yes 40) break from young prop Ethan Potts led to a dominant scrum from which prolific winger Lucas Ketteridge was put in at the corner.

Ponte rang the changes with sub Joe Morgan, on for barnstorming Bailly Matthews, making his first appearance for a long time and looking the part. The bonus point try soon followed with the constant scrum pressure leaving Leeds looking broken. Ponte almost scored as full back Richard Hossack juggled the ball with the line at his mercy. It did not take long for the try to come however, as winger Ciaran Tucker, who had backed up well from his opposite wing, scored from an excellent offload from fellow winger Ketteridge.

It was a fantastic result for Ponte and consolidates their position in the top three with half the season completed. Man of the match for Ponte was Brodie Matthews but he was just one of many from the whole pack in which Leo Harrison, Tim Pickersgill and Niall Sandwith also stood out. In the backs, Kay was at the centre of everything with his job made easier by the excellent service from lively scrum half Josh Walker