LATCHFORD Albion came out 34-28 winners in a pulsating clash against Cumbrian rivals Ulverston which heralded a first victory for the new coaching regime of Martyn Ellis, ,Dave Rudd, and Dave Yii.
The returning Chris Griffiths was pivotal to Albion and it was his clever kick which was collected by wing Jake Ashton to open the scoring for the hosts. Lewis Johnston excellently converted In challenging conditions.
Ulverston responded with a well worked try, however Latchford extended their lead with a try featuring two of the clubs under 18’s players. Some crisp handling across the line saw the ball reach centre Jake Foulkes, who in turn fed Matthew Nash, and he found the space to dive in at the corner flag. Johnston was again clinical with the boot adding another touchline conversion.
The visitors got a foot hold in the game and two tries in five minutes swung the momentum in their favour, however on the stroke of half time, an audacious dummy by Griffiths saw him race unopposed under the posts, Johnston’s conversion leaving the half time score nicely poised at 18-16.
A converted score by Ulverston in the opening minutes of the second half could have rocked Albion, however their response was to take charge of the game.
First Troy Holcroft crashed over near the posts, holding off three would- be defenders before hooker Phil Woollacott’s reverse ball saw second row Lewis Johnston barge his way over the line. With Johnston adding both conversions, the hosts held an eight point advantage on the hour mark.
A further converted try by Ulverston reduced the deficit to two points, however it was Albion who finished the strongest and sealed the victory in the closing stages when they chose to run the ball on the sixth tackle. A long pass from Griffiths found winger Nash in space out wide, and he showed great strength and awareness to beat his opposite number and secure a great victory for the hosts 34-28.
While a great team effort, coach Ellis was full of praise for the performances of youngsters Foulkes and Nash who, in only their second open age appearance, produced strong performances throughout the game.
This Saturday Latchford have a further home fixture when they entertain Hindley at the Asics Victoria Park stadium with kick off at 2.30pm
Picture, by Chris Monks, shows the Albion players celebrating as Matthew Nash scores out wide.
Latchford come out on top in pulsating clash
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