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Match Report - Stoke v Leek
RACHEL Bailey11 Nov 2024 - 21:50
With thanks to Mike Yorke for the match report.
Stoke 41 Leek 38
Stoke made a blistering start to the game against near neighbours Leek, taking a 14-0 lead after just eight minutes. Both tries were scored by Sam Yorke, the first after three minutes, a catch and drive from a line out five metres out. The second, after the ball was moved quickly left for Yorke to squeeze low in the corner under the cover defence. At this point the visitors looked rattled, but any thought that they were out of the game were quickly dispelled. Their first foray into Stoke territory after seventeen minutes led to a penalty twenty five metres out, it was duly converted to get Leek on the board. A couple of minutes later Leek narrowed the deficit with a good try following some excellent handling, the conversion was added making the score 14-10. The game was being played at a frantic pace with possession changing hands frequently. Strong carries from the Stoke forwards sucked in the defence which allowed Jamie Loska to find a gap and score under the posts. As the half drew to a close, Leek managed to take the lead with two tries in three minutes. Jack Newton-Taylor entered the line from full back to cut through the defence and scrum half Joe Byrne followed his own chip, winning the foot race to score the try. Will Midwinter converted both to give Leek the lead 21-24. This was short lived however, Ciaran Shone slotted a penalty with the last kick of the half to make it all square at 24-24.
Stoke regained the lead six minutes into the second half. Strong carries from Josh Bailey and James Salt made good ground, the ball found its way to Jamie Loska who threw a long miss pass to winger Samson Shute who beat his defender to score in the corner. An excellent conversion from Ciaran Shone added the extras. The see saw nature of the game continued with Leek drawing level once again a few minutes later. Ollie Powell scored from the back of a maul following a line out, the conversion from Midwinter drew the scores level at 31-31. Things were becoming very tense with the game flowing from end to end. Captain Jamie Loska gave his side the lead after good work from Ciaran Shone, who was becoming increasingly influential. Shone found space on the left which allowed Jack Barry Neal to take the ball on, his feed to Jamie Loska resulted in his second try of the day. On twenty five minutes the tension got the better of Leek forward Eddie Cheadle , he was shown a red card for back chat after Stoke drew a penalty at a scrum. The penalty was kicked to touch and the forwards did really well to keep the ball at the back of the maul and drive Sam Yorke over for his hat-trick try. This gave Stoke a ten point lead with ten minutes left. Leek were not about to give up hope and closed the gap to just three points when Jack Newton-Taylor crashed over for his second try. With a penalty awarded just inside the Stoke half, Leek spurned the opportunity to draw level, instead going for the win by kicking towards the corner for a line out. The Stoke defence held firm and were able to see the game out with no further score and secure a very important 41-38 win.
Stoke made a blistering start to the game against near neighbours Leek, taking a 14-0 lead after just eight minutes. Both tries were scored by Sam Yorke, the first after three minutes, a catch and drive from a line out five metres out. The second, after the ball was moved quickly left for Yorke to squeeze low in the corner under the cover defence. At this point the visitors looked rattled, but any thought that they were out of the game were quickly dispelled. Their first foray into Stoke territory after seventeen minutes led to a penalty twenty five metres out, it was duly converted to get Leek on the board. A couple of minutes later Leek narrowed the deficit with a good try following some excellent handling, the conversion was added making the score 14-10. The game was being played at a frantic pace with possession changing hands frequently. Strong carries from the Stoke forwards sucked in the defence which allowed Jamie Loska to find a gap and score under the posts. As the half drew to a close, Leek managed to take the lead with two tries in three minutes. Jack Newton-Taylor entered the line from full back to cut through the defence and scrum half Joe Byrne followed his own chip, winning the foot race to score the try. Will Midwinter converted both to give Leek the lead 21-24. This was short lived however, Ciaran Shone slotted a penalty with the last kick of the half to make it all square at 24-24.
Stoke regained the lead six minutes into the second half. Strong carries from Josh Bailey and James Salt made good ground, the ball found its way to Jamie Loska who threw a long miss pass to winger Samson Shute who beat his defender to score in the corner. An excellent conversion from Ciaran Shone added the extras. The see saw nature of the game continued with Leek drawing level once again a few minutes later. Ollie Powell scored from the back of a maul following a line out, the conversion from Midwinter drew the scores level at 31-31. Things were becoming very tense with the game flowing from end to end. Captain Jamie Loska gave his side the lead after good work from Ciaran Shone, who was becoming increasingly influential. Shone found space on the left which allowed Jack Barry Neal to take the ball on, his feed to Jamie Loska resulted in his second try of the day. On twenty five minutes the tension got the better of Leek forward Eddie Cheadle , he was shown a red card for back chat after Stoke drew a penalty at a scrum. The penalty was kicked to touch and the forwards did really well to keep the ball at the back of the maul and drive Sam Yorke over for his hat-trick try. This gave Stoke a ten point lead with ten minutes left. Leek were not about to give up hope and closed the gap to just three points when Jack Newton-Taylor crashed over for his second try. With a penalty awarded just inside the Stoke half, Leek spurned the opportunity to draw level, instead going for the win by kicking towards the corner for a line out. The Stoke defence held firm and were able to see the game out with no further score and secure a very important 41-38 win.
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