This was indeed a game of two halves; the first half a war of attrition with neither side rarely getting inside their opponents 20-metre area, and the second a fast exciting affair which was more in keeping with the usual Hull-Westoe games of the past.
The game opened with torrential rain and heavy thunder which had its usual effect with the ball being spilled on numerous occasions. Hull enjoyed territorial advantage for most of the half but were unable to create any real openings for their fast threequarters to take advantage of. Both defences were on top form and discipline was very good with both sides only getting one kickable penalty each which were both missed. The only real scoring chance of the half was when James Ferguson’s fifty-metre kick out of defence to the right corner just ran dead before the chasing Steve Slingsby could get a hand to it and the result was a scrum back on the halfway line. The half-time whistle blew with both sides scoreless.
The game finally came to life in the 42nd minute when Westoe full-back Charlie Raynor made a break up the left flank and the supporting flanker Joe Maw was on hand to go round to score near the posts for the opening try. Surprisingly, Raynor missed the easy conversion.
Hull’s response was immediate and in the 44th min Hull skipper James Cameron reduced the arrears with a superb 40-metre kick from wide out. This gave Hull great heart and three minutes later flanker Ben Dorrington broke away with a 30-metre run up the left wing to score in the corner which again Cameron did well to convert.
Two minutes later Hull were in again when a penetrating run from full-back James Wigglesworth caused havoc in the Westoe defence and when the ball ran loose flanker Anthony Maka picked up the ball to cross five metres from the posts. Cameron’s conversion attempt hit the upright and bounced back infield but four minutes later he extended Hull’s lead with another 40-metre shot to put his side 18-5 ahead.
As the game went into the final quarter Westoe began to put the Hull defence under some intense pressure and in the 63rd minute a scrum near the Hull line saw a good push from the visitor’s pack and No 8 Ollie Steadman got the touchdown, but again Raynor was unable to convert.
18-10 and the Shieldsmen were back in the game and three minutes later they scored again when lock Iain Robinson scored following a rolling maul near the Hull line and Raynor was able to add the conversion to leave Hull with a one point lead.
Cameron missed a chance to increase Hull’s slender lead after Westoe were penalised in the 71st minute but by now Westoe had the upper hand and Hull had to defend against some constant pressure. They almost succeeded but in the 79th minute a move to the left across the Hull posts saw fly-half David Haswell dive over in the corner for the winning try and the bonus point, which Raynor was unable to convert. Hull had to be content with a losing bonus point after a game which they should have won. Hull were without the services of forwards Chris Murphy, Rob Devonshire and Ollie Cook and it is likely that with those players on the field the Westoe pack would have been contained.
A disappointed Hull skipper James Cameron was happy with the way things went in the first half. “Our attacking was not too great but defensively we were outstanding. The attacking dominance continued in the in the first twenty minutes and we had the game for the taking at 18-5 and to lose it at the death was very disappointing.” He went on to say “Westoe got a massive lift when they scored their second try to make it 18-10 and we were put on the back foot and began to make mistakes. Westoe scented the chance to snatch victory which they took. There were lots of positives going forward which I was pleased to see.”
Norman Angell