P&S win against Seaham

It was a big day for Prudhoe and Stocksfield with the visit of table topping Seaham. Seaham had won all of their league games bar one this season whist P&S had previously lost just twice and one of those games had been at Seaham.
In the game at Seaham the home side had bullied P&S. The big powerful forwards had dominated and overwhelmed a side significantly weaker than the side that has emerged in the ensuing months.
Both sides had been well prepared and well represented for the original fixture scheduled for last week. For the rearranged fixture both sides had lost several players. P&S were without half a dozen possible front row players but were delighted to be able to welcome back BJ Neill. Missing four or five backs saw a back line reshuffle with Luke Murtough moving into the centre and Robbie Fergus taking a wing spot.  
Seaham started off playing up the slope and going at a hundred miles an hour. They found themselves up to the P&S 22metre line and set out to defend that position. For the first three minutes P&S made no progress. The first scrum was telling. The experience of BJ Neill was crucial and when a second scrum followed P&S got a good strike, Mikey Brown spun the ball to Chris Russell who paused and held the pass so as to allow Steve Rogers to take the ball at pace and simply carve the Seaham defence open to give P&S the first score of the day.
Seaham responded and came back into the P&S half with determined effort. The home defence was solid and very well disciplined. They absorbed the pressure and slowly drove the bigger forwards back down the hill.
The visitors discipline was not so good and they soon lost a second row forward for a ten minute break after he was seen to collapse a maul.
P&S went further ahead through a well struck penalty from Chris Russell.
It got better for the home side who again from a position in their own half moved the ball quickly out to Andy Oliver on the left wing. Andy hit his stride and left the opposition flat footed and trailing in his wake as he ran in the home sides second try.
With both sides restored to fifteen Seaham again drove forward and for ten minutes the game moved only a few metres from the P&S 22 metre area.
A forward rush saw P&S move down and an intercepted Seaham pass saw the home threequarters running with ball in hand and moving it out wide. Andy Oliver was left with a fifteen metre run in his second try and take the P&S lead to 18-0.
Seaham moved back upfield and as the minutes ticked down to half time so the home side began to lose their disciple and after a very clear warning from the referee Rob Earnshaw offended and was awarded a ten minute break.
So at 18 – 0 up P&S were to face the first ten minutes of the second half with fourteen men.
The second half saw Seaham again on the offensive. The plan seemed to be to play a restricted game with the bulk of the possession being kept to the forwards and expanding only as far as the half backs who looked to set up the forwards again.
P&S looked wide every time. The confidence in the team to give the ball air makes it difficult for many sides to match them.
Seaham did extremely well to defend on both the left and on the right wing as Mikey Brown found himself in touch fractionally before he touched down.
Seaham did manage to cross the try line and reduce the deficit but were unable to gain any real grasp on the game. For P&S each and every forward made huge efforts to match a bigger robust pack. In the backs Matthew Kilgore and Chris Russell did very well defending whilst Steve Rogers caused concern to the opposition each time he had the ball in hand.
Luke Murtough and was sound in both attack and defence and all in all it was an excellent performance by P&S.
The next league game sees P&S visit Sedgefield where they will need to again perform to coach, Ginge Wills, highest standards to gain a win.