Blackpool 17 - Chorley 36

Professional Chorley don’t give in to Thuggery

It’s been over 2 years since I’ve been back involved with rugby and I’ve seen even at this level the game has moved on. More young people now use the gym and are fitter and eat better, the professionalism of amateur clubs has moved more towards the professional, just like we are trying to do. Even the standards of the pitches have improved to a high standard. One thing I also saw a change in was violence on the pitch, I’ve been and many of you reading this will have been involved in some violent games. Oxford RLFC v Crawley in 1999 is one that leaps to mind where violence erupted in the game for over 15 minutes, playing in the BARALA Cup against a team from Batley whose sole purpose in the game was to put some of us in hospital. But having not been involved in any rugby for nearly 17 years, I arrived back at Chorley and could see these changes as the games went by.

That was until yesterday, what some players saw before the game and what they had to endure during the game was out and out thuggery. I had a lot of respect for Blackpool, especially as it looked like they were trying hard to grow the rugby club and display high standards. Yesterday, that all went, what I saw from some of the Blackpool players and it was only a few, supporters and even the coach was absolutely disgusting for the game of Rugby. I can’t say anymore as a lot of this is with the police and awaiting investigation.

From the kick off we instantly piled pressure on the Blackpool defence with the forwards making driving runs and with Cal Gale and Sam Hodkin always getting involved with the hard graft, we were always going forward. A penalty 5 minutes in saw Ellery Hodson put us 5 metres from the Blackpool line. Dom Anderson who has worked so hard on lineouts put in a perfect throw, Kieran blaydes fed Ellery who put in a perfectly timed pass to Micheal Jessiman, Dom Anderson had wrapped round with Hamish Rendall and getting quick ball from the ruck saw Jake Peake nearly go in the corner for an opening try. Minutes later we won another penalty, Ellery Hodson stepped up but the ball clattered off the upright and fell straight to a Blackpool player. On 10 minutes we were still dominating possession and from a lineout a good throw from Dom Anderson saw us bulldoze over for a Chris Highton. Due to a Ellery Hodson groin strain, Ryan Berry stepped up to make it 0-7. Hamish Rendall caught the ball from the kick off and powered us into Blackpool territory, Stuart Hammond then came bursting onto a ball with Joe Laddle in support. Two phases later as Cal Gale had made another wall busting run, Kieran Blaydes fed Mick Richardson but he just couldn’t hold onto the ball with the try line beckoning for him to cross. For the first time in the game Blackpool had now imposed themselves on our line, a penalty for not rolling away saw Blackpool with a chance to get on the scoreboard in front of the posts to make it 3-7.

Minutes later we had a scrum on the far side then a lineout, I’ll be honest I couldn’t see what was happening as there seemed to be a bit of a scuffle between two groups of players with for some reason the Blackpool coach and a few supporters on the pitch. As I say this is with the police, but when I was called on by our players and saw Jake Peake with an horrific eye injury and Ryan Berry laid prone on the floor with an eye injury, it was obvious something serious had happened. Then from nowhere the Blackpool player coach who was a substitute, still on the pitch and after receiving a red card, decided I’d be his next target and started making threats towards me. A Blackpool player also received a yellow card, what does say a lot is they picked on our two smallest players. It all started to make sense now, as myself and other players had started walking onto the pitch before the warm up, some Blackpool players were shouting all kinds of threats towards us. What they didn’t know though was, we were ready, I’d watched them play Colne & Nelson a few weeks before, we knew they would try and bully us, it didn’t work. One thing I will say about the Blackpool players, it was a minority, one player during the game apologised whilst the game was going on and said he was embarrassed, another walking to a lineout asked if Jake was ok and said, “we are not all like that coach”.

Ryan and Jake both had to come off with Jake taken immediately taken to hospital. This all made us even more determined and Hamish Rendall smashing the ball in Sam Hodkin again living up to his name, bulldozed through to take us 15 metres out. We were awarded a penalty and despite the groin strain Ellery Hodson made it 3-10. Halftime couldn’t come soon enough, a little change around in positions and the message was, be in control of aggression and do not react.

From the kick off Dom Anderson made a powerful tackle and Blackpool spilled the ball, with the ball loose, Chris Highton saw an opportunity and kicked the ball forward, now if you saw the two Blackpool players Chris was up against in a race you’d say he had no chance of getting near the ball, but as he got a second chance to side foot the ball forward and with the try line within reach, the Blackpool winger just managed to clear the ball. From the drop out we piled the pressure on Blackpool again on the far side and after numerous penalties and warnings from the referee, a penalty try was awarded to make it 3-17. Blackpool though had again looked to play rugby and now had a lineout 10 metres from our line, a long throw saw us totally switch off and the Blackpool forward stroll in for and what looked like a throw that went wrong but ended up going right. 10-17.

10 minutes after the break, Mick Richardson made a break form a scrum and had Chris Highton in support, with Chris shouting “Inside… outside….inside.. outside” as he weaved from side to side looking for the killer pass, Mick made a great pass to send Chris over in the corner, the conversion was missed and we led 10-22

15 minutes into the second, Kieran Blaydes was pole axed by a huge high shot from one of Blackpool’s biggest players on one of our smallest and was given a second yellow and sent off. With Kieran having to come off and no substitutes left due to injury, we had to take ourselves down to 14. 25 metres from the Blackpool line and after some good combinations of forwards and backs working together, Chris Highton dummied and saw a gap and jogged over under the posts and with Ellery Hodson still in obvious pain and was battling through the game, made it 10-29

With 8 minutes to go Blackpool again crossed after a great run from the powerful and very quick Blackpool winger, from his break they pushed forward and scored just to the right of the posts with a scoreline of 17-29 probably flattering them. With a minute left, Mick Richardson yet again on made a break just inside his own half and had two to beat, as he looked round for a bit of pace an agile winger or pacy back, he looked to his right and saw Sean Livingstone, our prop. Mick said himself afterwards that he definitely didn’t expect to see Sean racing down the line in support. Mick put in a neat pass and Sean Livingstone who has just made himself a utility prop and winger, raced in to score a great try. Ellery converted and the referee blew the whistle to make it 17-36.

Chris Highton was voted man of the match and continued his, don’t walk over to the coach after the game routine LOL, it's actually funny and becoming a ritual now and I’d probably see it as unlucky if he didn’t do it. Chris was great, 3 tries and a proper captain’s performance. Ellery Hodson battling through with a groin strain, Hamish Rendall constantly showing controlled aggression with his defence and runs. Kieran Blaydes was immense at scrum-half and always had us going forward at pace and was always covering any tackles that broke the line. Everyone was brilliant and showed great resilience, attitude and composure and I think that this game has made us stronger, it’s brought us more together than anything else could have.

Jake has a fractured eye socket and still can’t see out of his eye, Ryan has severe bruising to his eye and we are yet to see the damage to Kieran’s Shoulder. Many other things happened before the game and during it which I won’t go into.

Some amateur players at any sport have jobs, a mortgage, a family and they are relied upon to contribute to that. People get injured obviously, that comes with any sport at any level, but what you don’t expect is what happened in this game, thuggery, it’s totally unacceptable in rugby and in any sport.

Next up this Saturday is our first home game of the season against Broughton, 3pm kick off.