Travels with Dinno Yorkshire Cup edition: Hull Ionians

Apologies for the delay in posting this week but things to do places to be in my ever exciting life.  Last Sunday morning Dinno took on Hull Ionians in the first round of the U13 Yorkshire Cup.  The draw for the cup was intriguing as there were seventeen ties so at some point  there has to be a play off between two teams to get the numbers down. However, since that is a logical way to do things it is unlikely to happen.

The boy had not been picked in the first team but on my insistence had got his kit ready and was going up to support his teammates.  I then turned my mobile phone on at about 8.30 to see a flood of texts and voicemails from the coach. I rang back and spoke to Tracey who is Dave's wife and she said that two players had been injured the day before and would Thomas be able to play. I got Tom to change into his match gear and we set off on a bright autumnal morning heading towards Hull.

The traffic was light and we arrived in good time. This time we actually managed to find the club by using the directions rather than using the force which we did the last time we went there a couple of years ago with Huddersfield.  The ground is set in rolling countryside and the clubhouse at Brantingham Park includes a fitness centre.

After the usual pleasantries I went with my namesake, Jonathan and a guy named Phil to go and sample the delights of the cuisine on offer in the clubhouse. I had my usual, bacon sandwich and hot chocolate.

The bacon was OK but could have done with being cooked a bit more. The hot chocolate came with optional marshmallows. You will be very proud to hear that I resisted this temptation.

We returned to the pitch for the start of the game. Just as we reached the pitch the Hull team all trooped off to the changing rooms. As our coach put it 'Mind games won't help them.' The referee appeared and called the teams in. Unfortunately Hull had not reappeared at the appointed time. There were some anxious looks from the Hull contingent and the referee kept glancing at his watch. At one point there was a possibility that Hull could have lost there own home fixture because they weren't ready on time.  Hull eventually appeared and the game started.

Dinno have a tendency of not playing for 80 minutes. They will sometimes have a very strong first half or a strong second half but rarely both. This is partly down to making substitutions which affects the flow but which is also necessary for the development of the squad.  We got out of the traps very quickly. After a strong passage of play our winger Adam cut inside and went over for a try. Ben then converted the kick. a few moments later Rupert, a flanker burst through and went over for a second try. The conversion did not follow but within ten minutes we were 12-0 up. After some good defensive work from a lineout the ball got into the backs and the ball came out to Jacob who went over for a try which was converted 19-0. That was the half time score.

At the start of the second half we won a penalty. Rupert sold a dummy  and ran in under the sticks 26-0. Hull came back through their number 7 with a try and a conversion 26-7. From a scrum our scrum half Kai drove over the line. By this time we had lost our kicker Ben to injury and so the score moved to 31-7. The Hull team then came back with two tries but I am still not sure if they even attempted conversions or not. The match finished 31-17.

The boy was disappointed because he was on for 10 minutes hardly saw the ball and was substituted.

In the next round we face Morley. It will be a tough match but if we can neutralise their star player we should make it.  Next week we are at home in a 4 team something or other with Ashfield, Wath and Barnsley.