Sat 5 Apr 2025
Morley 25 – 26 Old Crossleyans 1XV
With news of Doncaster Phoenix's win over Old Brodleians coming through from an early kick-off, Old Crossleyans knew only a victory against third-placed Morley would secure their place at level six in Regional 2 North East. In a closely contested match, the Crocs managed to come out on top, with Morley dropping the ball over the try line in the final play of the game.
Despite fielding a much-changed side with many players playing out of position, Old Crossleyans put in an outstanding performance and earned a well-deserved win, ensuring their survival in the league for another season.
The Crocs were the first to get on the scoreboard when James Hinchliffe reacted quickly to a loose ball from the back of a powerful Morley scrum. A perfectly weighted kick from Jack Hammond set up Matthew Beswick, who chased it down and finished the try excellently, giving the Crocs a 0-5 lead.
Morley responded just four minutes later with a try of their own, levelling the scores. Following a high tackle in the Crocs' 22-metre zone, Morley opted for the penalty, taking the points to edge ahead 8-5.
Shortly after, following an infringement on George Banham just metres from Morley's try line, Ross Peltier powered his way over despite the odds. James Johnson converted the try, putting the Crocs back in the lead at 8-12.
Just before halftime, Morley were awarded another penalty attempt, but the kick went just wide, leaving the score at 8-12 as the teams headed into the break.
Crocs extended their lead shortly after halftime when James Hinchliffe pounced on a loose ball at the lineout and powered his way over the line. James Johnson's conversion from the touchline pushed the lead further to 8-19.
Morley responded by steadily working their way down the field, capitalizing on a few penalties conceded by the Crocs. This allowed them to close the gap with an unconverted try, bringing the score to 13-19.
Morley knocked on straight from the restart, and the Crocs forwards quickly took control, providing a strong platform from the scrum. From there, Peltier showed his strength, shrugging off multiple Morley tacklers to score a converted try that few players would have been able to manage to make the score 13-26.
Morley scored two successive tries within minutes of each other, one of which converted, taking the score to 26-25.
With just a few minutes remaining Crocs gained possession and tried to pick and drive to run the clock down. Strong counter rucking from Morley gave the home team possession for the last play where a pass to the Morley winger was just beyond him with the try line vacant.
For the second season in a row Old Crossleyans appear to have avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth. Despite facing challenges throughout the campaign, the inconsistency of the 2XV in particular, they managed to scrape together just enough points to stay above the relegation zone—literally in the dying seconds of the season.
