London Chargers 36 Bristol All Golds 18
National Conference South
Report by Queen Anne’s Revenge
Conditions: Sunny, dry, windy
When Jermarie Chatham left the field late in the first stanza blooded and dazed his day appeared to be over. However the All Golds’ medical staff aided his recovery to enable him to re-enter the fray with his cut head swathed in bandages. The high water mark of a compelling contest for Bristol was deep in the third quarter when the excellent All Golds’ rake Adam Turner smartly offloaded to Chatham. Receiving the ball 80 metres from the home side’s try line he crashed through the London defence and left their rear guard in disarray as he majestically swept upfield outpacing all comers on his way to his glorious first ever 4 pointer for the All Golds. Debutant Alex Onyeahasi tacked on the extras and Bristol re-took the lead at 16-18. This was indeed to be the All Golds’ apogee as they never recovered from the loss of their puppet master Callum Merrett who was ruled out for the entire second period due to injury. This meant the Bristol kicking game at the end of sets was non-existent. Conversely London’s Isaac Greene was quite superb. His short and long kicks were first class and caused mayhem and crucial handling errors in the All Golds’ ranks. Such mistakes coupled with some very fine execution by London were ultimately to decide the outcome of a cracking contest in the Capital. All Golds head coach Simon Martin will be pleased with the whole hearted effort of his side with each one contributing positively. Sam Gilder, Adam Turner and Louis Birch all typified the resilience in defence. However it was Eric Davidson who played the entire 80 minutes who ultimately stood out on both attack and defence. Joshua Olugbodi was worthy of plaudits too for a stand out showing for the Chargers.
Tale of the Tape
15:55 – Kick off.
16:02 – Bristol takes the lead through powerful winger Bristolian Liam McGrath who intercepts in his own half and scorches in from long range. Merrett goals. 0-6.
16:21 – Skilful dummy half Doug Chirnside spots a gap in the defence and cuts through from far out. Josh Graham was backing up to touch down under the sticks. Greene goals. 6-6.
16:28 – A lovely short ball from Merrett to David Gamble results in the latter plunging over for his first ever All Golds’ try with his first ever touch of the ball in Rugby League – and on his debut too! Merrett goals. 6-12.
16:35 – Greene sends Chargers’ custodian Elliott Stockdale over. No goal. 10-12.
16:40 – Half time.
16:48 – Kick off.
16:50 – Tom Oldroyd waltzes through from a scrum move. Greene goals. 16-12.
17:02 – Jermarie Chatham responds. Onyeahasi goals. 16-18.
17:11 – Greene’s delicate kick is fumbled by Bristol. Greene regains possession and touches down and converts. 22-18.
17:21 – Oldroyd completes his brace. Greene tacks on. 28-18.
17:24 – Lovely swift handling by the home side sends George Brown over in the corner. No goal. 32-18.
17:35 – A replica London move sees Kiwi Brown score in the same spot. No goal. 36-18. Full time.
Scoring sequence: 0-6, 6-6, 6-12, 10-12 (HT); 16-12, 16-18, 22-18, 28-18, 32-18, 36-18.
Penalty count: Chargers 6, All Golds 2.
Men of the Match
Chargers – Bradfordian Tom Oldroyd was a major threat all match. His fine 2 try haul was impressive and well merited.
All Golds – Queenslander Eric Davidson was nothing short of superb for the All Golds. His devastating surging ball carries and bone jarring tackling contributing greatly to a memorable occasion.
All Golds head coach Simon Martin:
“Extremely proud of the lads after yesterday’s performance.
“Our first half display was outstanding, one of our best performances of the season so far. We were fully committed in both attack and defence, strong carries, huge tackles and a real determination to work for each other.
“The second half was much tougher as injuries and fatigue started to take their toll, but the effort, character, and resilience shown by the boys was immense. Everyone dug deep and continued to fight for the team right until the final whistle.
“As we head into the second half of the season, there’s plenty to be excited about. Hopefully yesterday’s performance gives us the belief and confidence to kick on and build some momentum for the challenges ahead.”
Teams
London Chargers: Stockdale; Brown, Oldroyd, Ferrandery, Normington; Flanagan, Greene; Armour (W), Chirnside, Olugbodi; Armour (J), Burgess; Stevens. Subs: Sims, Cary, Graham, Adebayo.
Bristol All Golds: Merrett; McGrath, Smith, Birch, Chatham; Gilder, Lewis; Davidson, Turner, Parkin; Davies, Short; Weetman. Subs: Macklin, Gamble, Onyeahasi, Jackson (not used).
Referee: Obi Ijeoma (RFL).