DURHAM CITY 66 CARLISLE 14

A rampaging City display at Hollow Drift against a Carlisle side struggling with injuries but never short of spirit started the New Year off in fine style to maintain their fifth position in the Regional 2 North League. In control virtually throughout, they led from the first minute and never looked back scoring 10 tries with some particularly noticeable performances, none more so than on the wings where 18 year-old debutant Scott Rochester racked up 4 tries and his counterpart Matt Quinn another 3, both displaying pace, trickery and excellent finishing skills –in a different way, praise about the finishing skills of No.8 Peter Dent might have been mentioned had he been able to add one more to the two tries he registered, but recognising that it was a possibility that he might have to join the wingers and buy the beers if he also got a hat-trick, he used his considerable experience, bluff and bravado to ensure he was replaced before his pocket suffered!

It was Dent who initiated the first try, fielding a high ball on the left in City’s half and making progress before the ball was moved wide to the right for Quinn to race home. Scrum-half Paul Armstrong converted and was on target again after 17 minutes when the short side was opened up following a drive and Rochester skipped along the touchline from 30 metres to score. Minutes later, a long break by centre Brad Pears and great pick-up from his inside pass opened the way for Quinn’s second try which Armstrong again converted and, at 21 – 0, City were flying.

The bonus-point fourth try and Quinn hat-trick was secured on the half-hour mark when they moved the ball wide from a line-out, Dent then got the first of his tries following some good inter-passing near the posts and Rochester finished the half off, jinking his way through for their sixth try after more good interplay by the pack and, with Armstrong adding two more conversions, City ‘s lead by the interval was stretched to 40 – 0.

Perhaps inevitably, with the game effectively secured and rolling replacements coming and going like yo-yos throughout the second-half, City’s foot came off the pedal a little and, for a while, Carlisle came into it exerting pressure in the home 22 and getting on the scoreboard when full-back Jake Whittaker nipped over from a quickly taken 5 metre penalty which stand-off Jason Israel converted.

Dent plunged over for his second try for City after 56 minutes from a similar situation, but 10 minutes later Carlisle matched it with No.8 Josh Holmes driving over from a 5 metre scrum and Israel converting to reduce the arrears to 45 – 14.

But in the last quarter of an hour City re-asserted themselves to score 3 further tries, good phase play opening the way for Rochester to outpace the cover and score before coming across field to support a fine interception and run by centre James Coxon to register his fourth. With lock Chris Metcalfe diving over from close quarters for the final try and Armstrong converting all 3 to take his tally to 8 for the game, it proved to be a good day for City after a gap of 5 weeks for weather and the Christmas break.

CITY: Nathan Bushnell; Matthew Quinn, Brad Pears, James Coxon, Scott Rochester;
Alex Garden, Paul Armstrong ©; Niall Pace, Mark Davison, Will Hodgson, Ben Glanville,
Chris Metcalfe, Will Seymour, Will Jewitt, Peter Dent.

Replacements: Jack Cahill, Clem O’Rourke, Kevin Showler.