Eleven tries were scored in total against a totally outgunned, but enthusiastic Peterlee outfit, with powerful centre Adam Ryder and wing speedster Corey Noel grabbing the headlines. Ryder muscled his way to five scores and Noel completed a scintillating seven minute hat trick of tries in the second half of the game that was played in incessant North East rain against the still winless Pumas.

Rangers had full backTom Eidson and prop forward Dan Farrand out injured from the previous weekend, plus Haydon Sutcliffe, Andy Boothroyd, Neil Barrett, Joe Parkinson, Matt Adam, Jason Southwell and Jordan Williams all unavailable. Their places were taken by player-caoch Richard Knight, Dan Pawson, youngsters Luke Pogson and Calum Linton, Michael Murphy and Paul Horsfall. Lee St Hilaire, Michael Lang and Rob Joyce still remain on the long-term injury list.

Rangers were extremely quick out of the traps and took a commanding twelve point lead within the opening five minutes of the game. The early blitz was started after just two minutes when back rower Sam Rochford raced onto a short ball from Knight to speed over unopposed to score, followed on five minutes with centre Ryder collecting an Knight pass to outmuscle his opposite and score straight from a scrum. Knight added the two conversions of a total of seven successful kicks on the day and the visitors were in total command with the first quarter of the game still in progress. As the ball became slippier Underbank’s ball control suffered and a series of handling errors resulted and the scoreboard didn’t tick over as expected. However, Ryder did cross on 23 minutes for his second after snaring a Knight drop-off pass and plotting his way through a ragged defensive line. Knight added the extras and the Holmfirthers led 18-0. Several other chances were created in the closing fifteen minutes, but due to the poor conditions and poor ball handling all went begging.

Coach Knight gave his charges a real blasting at the break, and Rangers returned to the field with renewed purpose and resolve, and put in a far better performance in the second half showing far more respect for the ball and adding eight scores against a demoralised home side in the process. Ryder completed his hat trick on 46 minutes with a carbon copy of his opener as he outmuscled his opposite after receiving a ball from a scrum twenty metres out. Then it was Noel’s chance to share the limelight with Ryder as the winger snared a remarkable seven minute hat trick of tries, mainly thanks to outstanding centre play from Alex Chatterton who released his wing partner for all three dashes to the line. The first was from 70 metres with the final two from inside the Pumas own quarter. Besides Chatterton’s massive contribution, Rochford, Pogson and Murphy all showed super quick hands in Noel’s second score. Following on from ‘The Noel Show’, Ryder wanted some more of the headlines and he was able to do so as he powered over for two more tries in the 63rd and 70th minutes to complete his five-timer. Lock forward Briggs then ran a great line onto Knight’s delayed short pass to score and the scoring was completed just before the fulltime whistle as prop forward Sam Dalby rumbled back a Pumas’ drop out a full forty metres bouncing through and past several would be tacklers for a fabulous try. Knight added four second half conversions to make the final score a healthy 58-0 victory to Underbank.

Centre Adam Ryder unsurprisingly was selected as the Rangers’ Bengal Spice Man of the Match for his powerful finishing, but he was pushed hard for the award by Corey Noel and the highly impressive Alex Chatterton.

Rangers team: Luke Pogson, Corey Noel, Alex Chatterton, Adam Ryder, Dan Pawson, Richard Knight, James Usher, Dave Valentine, Stephen Berry, Luke Karolczuk, Sam Rochford, Michael Murphy, Nick Briggs. Subs: Courtney Allette, Sam Dalby, Calum Linton, Paul Horsfall