Sedgley Park 30, Doncaster 23

SEDGLEY Park maintained their unbeaten league record at Park Lane last Saturday but newly promoted Doncaster pushed them all the way in a competitive and enjoyable Roses encounter.

The Yorkshiremen started the better and were soon six points to the good. Sedgley were penalised for lying on the ball and stand-off Phil Ure kicked the penalty.

Worse was to follow for Sedgley were pushed off their won ball in a scrum, which led to a penalty and an attacking Doncaster line-out. A good move involving the blind side winger caught the home backs offside and again Ure was on target.

Gradually Sedgley got back into the game, playing to their strengths - which are the mobility of the pack and the pace of the backs - and after eighteen minutes the team took the lead, right wing Paul Morris scoring near the posts from a well-worked scissors with number eight Jon Duncan. Rob Smith converted.

Sedgley's defensive qualities were then called upon and centre Sion O'Hare, who fell on a dangerously rolling ball, and Duncan, who intercepted a would-be scoring pass, came to the rescue.

Left wing Dan Fenn was prominent so Sedgley ran the ball out of defence, and he was even more prominent moments later as he scored his team's second try. Sedgley were looking very sharp with ball in hand and swift handling left to right - and back again - created the overlap. Andy Kimmins' pass was not the best the big 'un has ever given, but Fenn ran back to gather it, slipped his man on the outside and scored with ease. Smith converted gloriously for 14-6.

Sedgley were buzzing with full-back Mike Wilcock heavily involved in incisive attacking moves and Smith extended Sedgley's lead with an easy penalty before O'Hare, Fenn and Wilcock combined for the last named to score in the left corner, the last action of a superb first half's entertainment.

Sedgley began the second half well, but it was Doncaster who scored first after eleven minutes.

The home team seemed to have the visitors' backs well covered but full-back John Liley, formerly of Leicester, managed to sneak over.

A half-time substitute, Liley proved a handful and two minutes later he made the initial break and give the scoring pass for left winger Chris Conway to score a try which Ure converted and Sedgley's lead was cut to just four points.

Smith gave his team some breathing space with another penalty but things were not going well for the Park Lane lads.

The scrum was coming under increasing pressure, poor kicking out of hand was not helping and the Doncaster flanker and captain Richard Senior was playing like a man possessed.

However, a well weighted kick by Morris caused Doncaster to kill the ball near their own line and Christian Radacanu scored from short range with a long reach of a long arm. Smith's conversion attempt shaded the wrong side of the post but his side held the upper hand and a try by visiting centre Matt Donkin came too late to affect the result.

Tomorrow Sedgley face their sternest task of the season so far, a visit to second-placed New Brighton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.