Round 13 Dewsbury Celtic vs Hemel Stags


DEWSBURY CELTIC 24 HEMEL STAGS 22 – Crow Nest Park

Hemel’s midseason slump continued going down in a thriller at Dewsbury Celtic.
Stags opened the scoring in the first minute leaving the initial impression that were set to dominate but the youthful Celts had other ideas in an edge-of-the-seat contest throughout.
Dewsbury’s initial wound was self inflicted when they knocked on and conceded from the resulting scrum, Jared Searson bursting through to the posts, Barry John Swindells converting.
Celtic were unlucky not to level in the fifth minute, Scott Dyson intercepting in his own quarter and going 30 metres before feeding Pat Foulstone who went another forty before being mown down by the 17year old Keiran Dixon who made the most of his debut for the first team.
There was a feeling of déjà vu when Aiden Anderson intercepted three minutes later racing 70 metres to score in the corner. Although Dyson could not add the extras, he levelled five minutes later with a penalty for offside.
Hemel again paid for not completing their set of tackles.
Dyson was a having a major influence, dummying to score from close in, ten metres from the corner for an unconverted touchdown.
Hemel hit back cleverly, a delicate chip seeing Michael Crosby score aside the posts, Swindells edging them in front and a minute before the break they extended it, Stuart McIntyre sneaking in at the corner to make it 16-10 at the break.
Celtic, playing downhill in the second half, immediately put pressure on the visitors keeping them in their own half with some strong defence. Hemel was working hard to keep the determined Celtic attack at bay.
Playing downhill it paid off in spectacular fashion, Foulstone breaking clear and releasing Liam Edwards on the wing who passed back inside to Foulstone who crossed between the sticks and added the conversion to level again.
Fifteen minutes in to the second period, James Eatherley found a gap in the Hemel defensive line and took the opportunity, scoring by the posts, Foulstone goaling.
With six points between the sides, Dyson ratcheted up the pressure with a cleverly taken drop goal in the 67th minute which looked even more valuable when Ashley Fyson posted Stags only points of the second half with a try out wide which Swindells brilliantly converted to cut the gap to a point.
Four minutes from time, Josh West added a second drop goal . Hemel then piled on the pressure attacking the celtic line and when the Stags won a penalty in the dying minutes and the ref signalling there was one and half minutes to go the Stags deceided to go for the try instead of a game drawing penalty kick. The game was brought to an end after the first tackle which left the visiting team dumbfounded at the lack of time allowed.

Tries: Searson (1), Crosby (36), McIntyre (39), Fyson (69)
Goals: Swindells 3
Hemel Man of the Match: Barry John Swindells
Referee: R. Howe