The Raiders ran good lines all day
West Wales Raiders 38
Devon Sharks 10
WEST WALES Raiders put themselves into a strong position in the first leg of the inaugural Heartbeat of Sport Memorial Shield as they put a less experienced Devon Sharks team to the Sword at Brixham Rugby Club.
Despite not having a game on the weekend, the Raiders decided to field a travelling squad of mostly reserves and development players to give them the opportunity to play against a team with aspirations of being a part of the Conference League South.
With an early kick off for the game scheduled, the Raiders arrived keen to get going with a fast start, and this proved to be the case as a young Raiders side put pressure on the Sharks from the off.
The first score came when some incisive play and quick handling led to the Sharks defending tight, creating space out wide for Dafydd Phillips who romped over. A difficult conversion for Daf Daniels proved to be no problem as he increased the visitors lead with the extras.
Daniels turned from convertor to scorer moments later when he crossed the line himself following a great deal of pressure from the Raiders players. Some smart handling by Rhys Davies saw the prop offload neatly from out of the tackle, catching the defence by surprise to release Daniels to gallop home. Daniels then converted his own score.
With the scoreline already looking comfortable for the Raiders at 12-0 after only 10 minutes of play, the visiting west Wales side took their foot off the gas momentarily and allowed the English side to get a foothold in the match. The lapse in concentration saw the homesters prop Josh Boaler rumble over after a smart inside pass, which caught the visitors firmly off guard. Sam Hedges knocked over the extras.
With moments of the first half remaining, the Raiders were looking like they were going to be made to rue their high number of missed opportunities, but their nerves were settled before heading back into the dressing room as mistake from the Sharks undid all their hard work in the half.
Raiders winger Liam Johnson was the beneficiary as he gobbled up a stray pass to extend his sides lead again, strolling home to stretch the lead.
This boost was countered immediately however as Marcus Phillips crossed right on the bring of half time to leave the score at 10-20, although this turned out to be the hosts last points of the match.
Throughout the game the horrendous weather had been an issue with the ball resembling a bar of soap at times, and after a period of dry and warmth at half time it was understandable that the players started the second period with little vigour or inspiration.
A slow period of 20 chanceless minute ensued as both sides called the changes in their ranks and emptied their benches.
Eventually life was breathed into the game by Raiders debutant Mathew O’Flanagan, who dived over for his first try, to his own personal delight, but also to the coaching staff, who knew the game was now all but won.
With fifteen minutes left the Raiders could’ve brought up the 50-point mark with the amount of chances they had, but they had to settle for 38 as they managed to cross just twice more, despite the Sharks being out on their feet.
It was a tough afternoon for the young Raiders at times, but ultimately they came through their test with flying colours as they triumphed in appalling conditions.
After the game Raiders owner Andrew Thorne commented: “It was great to see everyone involved enjoy the first test in the newly created link between both clubs, rugby league is growing and games like these help clubs grow.
“Devon Sharks hosted us well and it’s great to see how far rugby league is reaching. I was also pleased to see 6 under 17s players and 5 debutants who held themselves throughout the game which is great for the future of club”.
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