In a typical game of two halves Esher secured a win over a Leeds Tykes side that had showed much promise in the first forty minutes.
Tykes’ full-back Kieran Davies opened the scoring in the first minute with an individual effort when a quick dummy deceived the defence, and he scored unopposed under the posts. Maxwell-Whiteley missed the conversion as the wind took the ball causing it to bounce off the posts.
Esher’s first try came about from a Ben Fitzgerald interception deep in Leeds’ half He chipped the ball downfield for Sam Bullock to chase. The scrum-half ran the length of the field, kicking ahead and out-muscled Turagabeci to score in the corner.
Leeds’ second try came from a driving maul formed after a lineout. Hooker, Rhys Williams scored and Tighe Maxwell-Whiteley’s conversion was successful.
Esher moved the ball from side to side and beat the home side’s defence. Fitzgerald score in the corner with Sam Morley converting.
The Tyke’s next try came after Junior Nu’u made a break but was pulled down before the line. Leeds opted for the scrum penalty. Alex Pleasants was at the bottom of the pile as the maul surged over the line. Maxwell-Whiteley added the extras.
Jacob Mounsey scored Leeds’ fourth try out on the left wing after the forwards mauled before releasing the backs down the short side.
Esher were much the better side in the second half, managing the conditions better than their opposition. Leeds lack of discipline meant the Yorkshire side conceded a spate of penalties throughout the period. Morley took advantage of them, landing a penalty for a breakdown infringement. He added a second eight minutes later after a scrum violation as the away side’s confidence grew.
The middle stages of the second half were scrappy as both sides tried to improve on their scores to win the match.
Leeds’ John Okafor received a yellow card for a high tackle. Esher kicked to the corner with Andrew Hamilton going over from the resulting lineout. There was no conversion because of a successful Veable’s charge-down when Morley went to drop-kick the ball after it fell off the tee just as the time allowed was running out.
The outcome of the game was very much in the balance. Leeds piled on the pressure but too often they were let down by poor handling or indiscipline. An incisive broken field move from deep in their own 22, allowed Ben Atkins to claim his side’s try bonus point that Morley converted.
After the match, Trystan Lloyd, Leeds Tykes’ captain, said: “We played the conditions extremely well in the first half. We let ourselves down in the second half; not playing the conditions and giving the referee too many opportunities to make decisions against us that we got punished for.”
Final score 24 – 30
(HT 24-12)
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