Please note the reports featured on the HULL DOCKERS UNDER 10’s web site are based on fact, with a hint of opinion and on occasions humour. If you are offended please wait for the ‘public’ version to be published in Hot Shots. Please feel free to leave comments constructive or otherwise.

After last weeks second half collapse the boys had been promised a hard week at training and that is exactly what they got. Having had two solid sessions the boys had responded well and everything was looking good for a match against the team that have been setting the bench mark to aim for over the past couple of seasons.

Last season the boys had performed well for the first game though in the second game had been completely out played. Having had a good game at Saltend earlier in the season Dockers had to demonstrate that it wasn’t a one off. Both teams where without several players due to holiday commitments in a game officiated by a referee with plenty of experience.

Dockers started the game with a high kick from Charlie Richmond which the Skirlaugh Bulls fullback allowed to bounce giving the home side the opportunity to close down the opening attack. Rhys Bryant made three good tackles back to back as Dockers kept the visitors penned in their own half before they made a break which brought the Bulls good field position before the attacking player lost his footing making the tackle easier than it could have been. Good defence on the Dockers left saw the ball turned over at the end of the first set.

Dockers first set started with strong drives through James McCulloch, Jordan Ellerington and Lee Gibson before Charlie Webster ran the ball finding Josh Brannigan on the Dockers right. Charlie’s Webster and Richmond linked though found yards hard to come by before Charlie Webster put up a bomb which was again allowed to bounce allowing Charlie Richmond to immediately stop the Skirlaugh response. Skirlaugh's set came to an end with a bomb which Dockers allowed to bounce and the Bulls to recollect though the player was well tackled and kept short to turn the ball over close to the home line.

Jordan Ellerington set the platform before Josh Brannigan and Johnny Nolan took early runs to make some strong yards. However, Johnny Nolan’s neck was once again the focus of opposition defence as a lazy tackle caught the winger high, giving a penalty to Dockers. James McCulloch led the attack before Oliver Dearing attacked the line making good yards in the process. Jordan Ellerington kept the team moving forward before Charlie Webster took the ball wide to Josh Brannigan, though the Dockers fullback had lost his compass with a run that cost his team a few yards. The ball was knocked backwards allowing Jordan Ellerington to make up a bit of ground before Charlie Webster again took the ball wide where the ball was lost backwards for a second time, collected by Charlie Richmond who was quickly tackled. Dockers came to the end of their set with a kick that went dead without causing the defence too much problem.

Skirlaugh worked through their set and finished off with a good kick which was well fielded by the Dockers fullback though another lateral run saw the Bulls defence tackle him touch and goal giving Skirlaugh a repeat set. However, a knock on at acting half let the home side off the hook. James McCulloch and Lee Gibson made good yards though Skirlaugh were again penalised for a high shot. James McCulloch and Jordan Ellerington again set the platform before Charlie Richmond made a good break though the influential half back was injured in the tackle forcing him to leave the field and forcing the home side to rearrange the attack. Charlie Webster and Josh Brannigan linked before bringing in James McCulloch for another run. Charlie Webster and Josh Brannigan again linked with the latter finding Johnny Nolan out wide though a good tackle saw him taken into touch fro the first scrum of the game.

Skirlaugh made good yards through open rugby towards the Dockers line where they put in a grubber which was collected and returned by Johnny Nolan. Jordan Ellerington settled play down before Josh Brannigan took the pressure off the forwards with a run. Charlie Webster then kicked deep, early in the tackle count, and a good chase saw the Bulls stopped in their tracks before they could make a response. Jack Rourke was involved early in the tackle count with back to back tackles before Skirlaugh switched the focus of the attack to the Dockers left. Again the Bulls finished the set with another big kick which was well taken by Rhys Bryant who took a big one on one hit which saw the second Dockers player leave the field in the space of five minutes, this time with a nasty head injury.

Drive one came from James McCulloch before Josh Brannigan and Oliver Dearing both took a scoot from dummy half to gain good yards for the home team. Charlie Webster, Josh Brannigan and Johnny Nolan combined on the Dockers left before James McCulloch was brought in for another run. Another Charlie Webster bomb was allowed to bounce in field before going dead as the home side continued to complete their sets. Two good breaks saw the Bulls finally get the first points on the board with a well worked try despite the efforts of Jordan Ellerington, which was converted to give the visitors a six point lead in the fifteenth minute.

James McCulloch and Teerth Dhesi took the opening drives before Oliver Dearing took on the line with a run from acting half. Charlie Webster brought in hard working props James McCulloch and Jordan Ellerington for runs in the visitors half. This time Charlie Webster kick was caught on the full over the line allowing the Bulls to take the tap on the ten yard line. Dockers were soon back in possession as Skirlaugh made an error on tackle two. Dockers then took some training ground practice to the game as they started to get a half back at first receiver giving James McCulloch more space to work with. Josh Brannigan took a scoot from acting half back though was quickly halted as the referee blew for half time.

Hull Dockers 0 – Skirlaugh Bulls 6

Having competed well for the first half Dockers needed to avoid a similar slip to the previous weeks encounter.

Skirlaugh started with a similar kick that had caught the boys out in the early season fixture though the boys were wise to it and Charlie Webster collected the ball as it headed towards the touch line. The boys continued with the change of structured, started at the end of the first half, with Charlie Richmond returning to the field bringing in James McCulloch wide of the ruck. Teerth Dhesi took drive two in before Charlie Richmond tested his injured leg with a run. Oliver Dearing took the ball wide to Josh Brannigan though the fullback was quickly tackled. Charlie Webster finished the set with a kick that was ‘trapped’ by the Skirlaugh fullback who picked up the ball under pressure from a quick chase. Kaine Warnock was heavily involved with back to back tackles before Skirlaugh completed their six with a kick that beat attackers and defenders alike into touch. James McCulloch settled play with a drive before Charlie Webster took the ball wide to Jack Turner who made strong yards and took some pressure of the pack. Teerth Dhesi and Oliver Dearing continued the play with the latter ‘dropping off’ to Charlie Webster though the scrum half was stopped early in his tracks. However, he was able to get the ball out to Teerth Dhesi in support which gained the home team extra territory. Charlie Richmond then broke the first line of defence with a good run before falling to a good tackle. Charlie Webster got the ball in the air under pressure which was well fielded and returned into the defence of Jack Rourke who is developing into one of the teams most dependable tacklers.

Once again a lack of concentration from a Skirlaugh forward on tackle two saw the ball knocked on and returned to Dockers in good field position. Jordan Ellerington, Teerth Dhesi and Lee Gibson settled play down with good drives before Charlie Webster attacked the line attracting three defenders. Johnny Nolan took the ball to the Dockers right where Jack Rourke took the pass and made further progress to the visitor’s line. Charlie Webster opted for a change of kick as he kicked to the Dockers left though Jack Turner was unable to collect the ball before it ran into touch.

The resulting scrum was well defended with three Dockers players pushing the Bulls player back. The ball was lost in the tackle with the referee deeming it had been stripped, awarding the penalty to the visitors. Skirlaugh made huge yards with their biggest forward who set up good field position only for another lapse in concentration at acting half seeing the ball fumbled and returned to the home side. Teerth Dhesi took the first drive before Oliver Dearing and Charlie Richmond combined on another attack which saw poor discipline cost the Bulls as they were again penalised for another high tackle. Jordan Ellerington twisted and turned in the tackle to shrug off defenders before Lee Gibson hugged the touch line to make good yards followed by runs from Kaine Warnock and Charlie Richmond. Charlie Webster, Josh Brannigan and Johnny Nolan combined, though the Dockers winder was well marked. Charlie Webster again deployed the bomb though the ball was well taken under pressure.

Skirlaugh opened play up after making big yards though the final pass was wayward and found its way into touch at the half way point in the second half for a Dockers scrum. Charlie Webster fed Johnny Nolan who took the ball wide before making his way towards the half way line. Jordan Ellerington again took in a settling drive before Oliver Dearing took the ball wide where Teerth Dhesi took the ball forward. Charlie Webster and Josh Brannigan moved the ball back to the opposite flank before Johnny Nolan put a kick in that didn’t cause the visitors any concerns as it ran dead. Another good Skirlaugh set saw them close to the Dockers line though their kick had a similar result as it was allowed to bounce dead.

Dockers props started the response before Josh Brannigan was quickly wrapped up. However, the referee called play on which did nothing than allow the Skirlaugh defenders a second bite at that cherry and the ball coming loose, turning the ball over in the home half. Despite the attentions of Jayden Cattle Skirlaugh penalised the mistake with the games second try which again came in the fifteenth minute of the half and was converted to double the Bulls lead.

Charlie Richmond took a brave early run against the Skirlaugh forwards which made good yards before Jordan Ellerington put in a settling run and Josh Brannigan went from acting half for a scoot. Johnny Nolan tried to find the gap though a good one on one hit saw him flat on his back. James McCulloch took a drive close to the line before Charlie Webster slipped in a grubber kick which was well collected by the Bulls under pressure. Skirlaugh’s forwards made good yards in a move that saw Dockers third injury of the game as Jordan Ellerington picked up a knock to the leg. The Skirlaugh Kick was a low awkward one though was well collected by Liam Broadwell though he was tackled over his line to give the Bulls a repeat set. However, good line defence saw the home side hold Skirlaugh out.

Dockers drove the ball out of defence though again Charlie Webster opted for an early downfield kick to relieve the pressure. Skirlaugh made two further drives before the referee blew his whistle for full time.

Final score, Hull Dockers 0 – Skirlaugh Bulls 12

After last weeks disappointing second half capitulation Dockers transferred a good weeks worth of training onto the pitch with an encouraging display which was based on a good attitude. Whilst the boys didn’t manage to get on the score board they defended well, including back to back sets in a ten month period that has seen them go from leaking nine tries, to five and then two in this match. They also managed to convert training ground moves to the pitch which showed their development. The boys also adapted well to the adversity of losing players to injury which will see them well prepared for the coming weeks as several players are missing through injury. Another pleasing aspect was a performance that saw few penalties and errors from the boys which is testament to their concentration for the full forty minutes.

Skirlaugh played well and deserved the win which was a good advert for rugby, at the age group, in a match that was well officiated. Hopefully the boys knocks are nothing more than that and they make a full recovery for the weekends Veterans Day matches. Man of the match could have gone to a whole host of players though was awarded to the whole team for their efforts.

Next up is a round robin with All Blacks and Holderness at the Veterans Day (Sunday 13.30 meet on the hill on East Park) before another tough match at Hull Isberg.