Academy and Scholars win in the week

  • U16s Scholarship ran out 50-6 winners on the road at Salford Red Devils on Wednesday afternoon.
  • Academy came from behind twice to beat Bradford 26-16 on Thursday evening.
  • Read both match reports below and see match highlights on Wigan TV HERE.

Warriors U16s Scholarship and Academy teams both ran out winners as they played earlier in the week.

The U16s Scholars got their season off to an emphatic start as they put on a dominant performance, scoring nine tries to take a 50-6 win over Salford in their opening game of the year.

The Academy side were well challenged by Bradford Bulls at Odsal and had to come from behind twice to get themselves the 26-16 win and make it two wins on the bounce.

Academy Report

The hosts opened the scoring in the 3rd minute as they worked themselves upfield with some great half-breaks, but it was Charlie Barrett who finished off the move on the last play as he dived over the line from the play the ball. The Bulls extended their lead on 20 minutes as Bradley Wheeler crashed over on the left edge as the hosts put on another flowing attack into Wigan territory to put Bradford 8-0 up.

Wigan got themselves back in it through Ethan Fitzgerald who latched onto a cross field kick to touch down with ease in the left corner, converted by Ratchford to reduce the deficit. Ellis Hobson burrowed his way over in the 33rd minute to get Wigan in front for the first time and put the Warriors in with the 10-8 lead at the break.

Bradford hit back with another two tries as Harry Grey went over in the 46th minute before Ethan Banham flew over on the opposite corner in the 55th, but a fourth unsuccessful conversion attempt only gave the Bulls a 16-10 lead.

Jacob Kilner-Douglas got one back for Wigan, cutting through a gap on the hour mark to leave Wigan trailing by two, Reagan Sumner then carved open some space to put Wigan ahead and as it looked like Wigan were heading for victory Lewis Pinder then ran away to score one last effort for Wigan and seal a 26-16 victory.

Bradford Bulls Academy: George Flanagan, Ethan Banham, Todd Horner, Bradley Wheeler, Kelby Hayward, Josh Perkins, Myles Lawford, Jack Briggs, Charlie Barrett, Jack Toulson, Joseph Kellett, Harry Gray, Bailey Arnold

Interchanges: Jake Goldthorpe-Smith, Lewis Hough, Jack Iceton, Harry Milnes

Tries: Barrett (3′), Wheeler (20′), Gray (46′), Banham (55′)

Goals: Lawford 0/3, Flanagan 0/1

Wigan Warriors Academy: Finlay Rogers, Reagan Sumner, Jacob Douglas, Maddox Jeffrey, Ethan Fitzgerald, Tom Ratchford, Reece Bushell, Harvie Hill, Lewis Pinder, Harvey Wilson, Reece Stanton, Finley Beardsworth, Ellis Hobson

Interchanges: Billy Myers, Max Wood, Harry Smithers, Joe Baldwin

Tries: Fitzgerald (25′), Hobson (33′), Douglas (60′), Sumner (69′), Pinder (80′)

Goals: Ratchford 1/3, Myers 2/2

Scholarship Report

The Warriors U16s got their season off to a fantastic start with a resounding 50-6 win over Salford Red Devils on Wednesday night.

Hayden Grime got the Warriors scoring under way as he crossed in the 9th minute, finishing off a fantastic team try, before Jack Farrimond got himself a try in the 14th minute, converting his own effort to give Wigan an early 10-0 lead.

Daniel Knott got on back for the hosts on the half hour mark in what would be Salford’s only score of the game, but it was a great solo effort from the winger who left his defender on the floor to race down the right edge and score, converted by Wheatley to reduce the score to 10-6 in Wigan’s favour. Taylor Kerr extended the Cherry & Whites lead a few minutes later though, Farrimond converted again to give Wigan a 16-6 lead at the break.

Wigan went on a rout in the second half as they scored six unanswered tries in a well-rounded performance. Lewis George went over almost immediately from the second half kick-off, the effort was converted once more by Farrimond.

Other scores followed quickly as Kerr added his second of the evening, before Noah Hodkinson added to the tally. Full-back Nathan Lowe was next to get over the whitewash, before Jack Farrimond secured his brace, also converting both efforts to take the score to 44-6.

The final score came from Nathan Lowe who, alone with Farrimond and Kerr, secured a double on the evening as Farrimond added his 7th conversion to complete a 50-6 victory.

Salford Red Devils U16s: Isaac Wheatley, Daniel Knott, William Thomson, Ruben Ruane, Mason Andrews-Smith, Jack Purtill, Sean Murray, James Shields, George Moloney, Kieran Cooke, Max Adamson, Matthew Gardiner, Samuel Atkinson

Interchanges: Joshua Hopkins, Joshua Blinkhorn, Morgan Morris, Joshua Barnard

Tries: Knott (30′)

Goals: Wheatley 1/1

Wigan Warriors U16s: Nathan Lowe, Hamza Butt, Noah Hodkinson, Taylor Kerr, Hayden Grime, Charlie Yeomans, Jack Farrimond, Kian McDermott, Dylan Kelly-Duffy, Lukas Mason, Josh Cartwright, Keegan Boyd, Kalum Rathbone

Interchanges: Lewis George, Matthew Thornton, Jack Lightbown, Trent Kelly-Duffy

Tries: Grime (9′), Farrimond (14′, 59′), Kerr (35′, 44′), George (42′), Hodkinson (47′), Lowe (54′, 63′)

Goals: Farrimond 7/9

Saturday 26 March 2022