Narrow defeat for Wizards

WARRINGTON Wizards suffered a narrow defeat to reigning Champions Huddersfield Underbank Rangers in a hard fought Conference Three encounter played that was played in driving rain.
The Wizards trailed 18-4 at the break but a sterling second half fightback got them to within two points of Rangers before a late try from the home side saw them secure the win, although the brave Wizards did leave with the consolation of a bonus point.
Huddersfield opened the scoring after two minutes when a mistake by the Wizards deep in their own half was punished as Rangers got possession and loose forward Nick Briggs went over under the posts. Stand off Neil Barrett converted and then eight minutes later a fine attack by Huddersfield pinned the Wizards back and the ball was slipped out to full back Will Midgley who scored under the posts to give Barrett the simplest of conversions.
Just after the midway point of the half a kick down field by Briggs was collected by the Wizards but the ball came loose and winger Jayden Covell-Wood was able to pounce on it and score in the left hand corner. Barrett goaled superbly from the touchline before the Wizards finally got themselves onto the scoresheet straight from the restart as scrum half Graham Healey’s kick swirled in the air and was brilliantly collected by winger James Rosson and after a couple of quick play the ball’s a superb pass from behind his back by loose forward Paul Reynolds found Rosson who went over in the corner to make the half time score 18-4 to Rangers.
Three minutes into the second half a kick by Wizards stand off Alan Reddecliff was collected by Reynolds and he raced twenty metres before finding substitute Ian Stephenson on his outside to score in the corner. Healey landed a lovely touchline conversion and then thirteen minutes later some barnstorming runs from the Wizards pack got them deep into the Huddersfield half and this allowed prop forward Christian Froggatt to go over under the posts. Healey converted to narrow the deficit to just two points.
The Wizards then had chances to take the lead but unfortunately they were unable to take any of them and eight minutes from time Huddersfield centre Adam Ryder made a break deep into the Wizards half and he found winger Courtney Allette who stepped past four defenders to score in the corner and give his side a 22-16 victory.
Best for the Wizards were second row pair Sean Conway and Matt Clarke, lose forward Paul Reynolds and winger James Rosson.
After the game Wizards Assistant Coach Paul Alcock, who missed the game through injury, said, “We started very slowly and that has probably cost us in the end. Once we managed to get into the arm wrestle we did really well and caused them all sorts of problems. I think that we have thrown the game away rather than Huddersfield winning it as we were the better side for long periods. We had a bit of disruption with six players missing this week but we still had a quality seventeen out there that should have got us the win. We lost a bit of direction when Alan Reddecliff went off injured in the second half but I cannot fault the effort of the boys; we just need to be a bit smarter and not give away silly penalties. There were plenty of positives to take away from the game; it was nice to have Matt Clarke back in the starting line-up for the first time in fifteen months and James Rosson has come in at late notice on the wing and performed very well. Sean Conway was back in his natural second row position and was deservedly named as our Man of the Match.”

WIZARDS
Danny Gregory, James Rosson, Craig Woolvine, Craig Middlemore, Christian Taylor, Alan Reddecliff, Graham Healey, Dan Crampton, Hayden James, Christian Froggatt, Sean Conway, Matt Clarke, Paul Reynolds.
Subs: Warren Ayres, Ian Stephenson, Dan Stubbs, Mike Leicester.