A gallant Hull FC Under 16s were narrowly edged 22-18 by St Helens Under 16s in a competitive affair at the University of Hull.
First-half tries from Rhys Yorke and Josh Horne kept Hull on terms at the break, as tries came at a premium with defences on top.
But a quickfire second-half double from Jack Campbell put the visitors firmly in control, meaning Jackson Smith’s late try for Hull was merely a consolation for the hosts.
The Match
Hull started on the front foot and found a way over the whitewash inside four minutes, but Finlay Davies’ bullet pass out wide to Kirils Prigorkins was adjudged to have travelled forwards and the score remained 0-0.
Again, Hull threw some shape at St Helens, but an aggressive defensive line was keeping the hosts at bay. But when Tyler Eccles took possession and found Yorke on the right flank with a cutout pass, the winger wasn’t going to allow the opportunity to pass him by as he opened the scoring.
A lapse in discipline invited pressure onto Hull’s try-line, but the early signs looked solid on the defensive front, particularly when a sharp run out of dummy-half from Jude Morley was thwarted by Eccles and Finley Wilson on their goal-line.
The host’s rear-guard remained firm, but it was eventually breached by a persistent St Helens side. Yorke lodged a big appeal towards the referee that he was tackled in the air when attempting to catch a high kick, but the contest saw the ball spilled and Nathan Percival picked up the spoils to score.
That try gave Saints a spring in their step and they hit Hull again with immediate effect as Tyler McGann dummied through the defensive line and stepped past fullback Eccles to dot down underneath the sticks.
As opposed to allowing St Helens gain a head of steam, the Black & Whites grabbed a hold of the contest once again, putting their Merseyside opponents under pressure with some smart, deep kicks.
That gave FC the field position, and an uncharacteristically slow defensive line was just the invitation Horne needed to step his way through to score on the stroke of half-time.
HALF-TIME: Hull Scholars 12-12 Saints Scholars
After an exhilarating first-half, a real question was to be asked of both sides’ defences. And it was Hull’s who broke first in the second-half.
Campbell took up a deep position at fullback when receiving the ball, giving him chance to size up Kingsley Sharpe and step past the Hull stand-off to score from close distance.
The game remained finely poised heading into the final quarter, but both sides squandered opportunities, with Hull guilty of potentially over-playing at times, particularly when Ellis Chapman’s floated pass out wide just sailed over the head of its intended target in Prigorkins.
Still, the Black & Whites had a resolve about them and they dug their heels in to prevent Luke Brighouse from screeching in at the left corner with a spectacular scrambling effort.
But Saints did manage to get a decisive second try of the second-half. The dangerman out of the back, Campbell, arrived onto a pass at pace and once again had the beating of Sharpe with a big left-footed step to score.
As the setting sun shone through the clouds, there was once again light for the FC fightback when powerhouse prop Smith cannoned his was over the try-line from close range with ten minutes on the referee’s stopwatch.
A desperate Paleaaesina offload caused carnage, as Hull spread the ball wide to Logan Edwards, whose drive for the line came up just short. On the next play, Spencer George spilled possession as he tried to crash over the try-line and it appeared that FC’s race would be run.
FULL-TIME: Hull Scholars 18-22 Saints Scholars
Squads & Scorers
Hull: Eccles, Prigorkins, Hayward, Cheshire, Yorke, Sharpe, Horne, Donnachie, Davies, Smith, Cass, Kassim, Wilson
Hull Interchanges: Boulter, Chapman, Edwards, George, Nelson-Hewitt, Paleaaesina, Turner
Hull Tries: Yorke, Horne, Smith
Hull Goals: Davies (3/3)
Saints: Campbell, Brighouse, Taylor, Moss, Carter, McGann, Maden, Johnson, Morley, Lyon, Knox, Percival, Matagi
Saints Interchanges: Beale, Gilford, Heath-Ellison, Jones, Patterson, Roby, Watson
Saints Tries: Percival, McGann, Campbell (2)
Saints Goals: Campbell (3/4)
STORY SPONSOR
