Wheelchair Reserves beat Rochdale

  • Match Report as Wigan Warriors Wheelchair Reserves win away at Rochdale Hornets.
  • Warriors made it three wins in a row in the Wheelchair Championship.
  • FT | Rochdale Hornets Wheelchair 26-70 Wigan Warriors Wheelchair Reserves.

Match Report as Wigan Warriors Wheelchair Reserves came away victorious away to Rochdale Hornets on Sunday afternoon.

Report

Immediately showing his talents, Nathan Roberts blazed through a gap and raced away to open the scoring. Chris Greenhalgh added the extras to extend the lead to 6-0.

Quick to reply, Martin Dougan was released down the right flank and able to touch down in the corner. Levelling the scores with a successful conversion was Kyran Holt.

Setting the platform for the next try, a strong carry by Jordan Burns allowed Greenhalgh to attack the slow retreating defence before supplying Rob Gregson with a late pass. From there, Gregson was able to evade a last ditch tackle and put the ball down.

With a period of solid defence from both teams, the next score came from the kicking tee. Holt adding the two points with the Hornets being were awarded a penalty for accidental offside.

After this, the Warriors took firm control of the half with four consecutive tries. Roberts firstly set up Greenhalgh with a short pass, before completing his hat trick with two further tries. In between, Mark Williams opened his account in the right corner after some quick hands from Reece Duddle. Making it four from five conversion attempts, Greenhalgh now put his side 34-8 in front.

Having the final say in the first half, Greg Bramwell chased down a kick and was able to get to the loose ball a split second before the retreating defence. Adding the extras, Holt narrowed the gap at the break to 20 points.

The Home side started the second half just as they had ended the first. Back to back tries brought them right back into the game, Dougan getting his second and Holt crossing the line for the first time in the game. Converting both tries, the gap was now down to just 8 points.

Improving on his already impressive tally, Roberts had bagged two more tries by the hour mark. Using his excellent chair skills, he got around the last defender to sprint down the line and score his fourth, before a try close to the line made it five for the afternoon.

With a full squad of 10 players, Wigan continued to rotate from the bench, Wes Thomasson, Heather Robinson, Leila Hamrang, and Stuart Ord all getting some good time on court over the course of the game.

The early spark from Rochdale had now been extinguished by the Cherry & Whites, with Greenhalgh the next to score. Soon after, Williams crossed twice more to also complete his hat trick. The second of which saw Greenhalgh’s chip kick bounce only inches from the line, and despite it looking like it would go in touch, Williams skilfully collected the ball with one hand and rolled in to score.

Finishing off the scoring, with both a try and kick, Greenhalgh became the third Warriors player to complete their hat trick. Plus, with another successful conversion, he took his personal tally to 34 points for the match, and the full time score to 70-26.

Coach Quotes

Watching the game from the sidelines, Head Coach Phil Roberts said, “We lacked composure at times, certainly in the first half, which gave Rochdale opportunities that they took well. When we maintained our focus, our defensive line was solid and we executed superbly. It was also great to see 10 players get a run, with 6 of those playing in their first season”.

The team are next in action on Saturday 3rd June, when they host North Wales Crusaders at Preston College, the side that defeated them in Round 1.

Rochdale Hornets: Sophie Bamford, Martin Dougan, Gavin Dobson, Greg Bramwell, Kyran Holt.

Interchanges: Stephen Scott, John Waterworth, Debbie Johnson, Cath Bamford.

Tries: Dougan (2), Bramwell, Holt.

Goals: Holt (5/5)

Wigan Warriors: Chris Greenhalgh, Nathan Roberts, Mark Williams, Rob Gregson, Jordan Burns.

Interchanges: Reece Duddle, Wes Thomasson, Leila Hamrang, Stuart Ord, Heather Robinson.

Tries: N.Roberts (5), Gregson, Greenhalgh (3), Williams (3).

Goals: Greenhalgh (11/12).

Monday 01 May 2023