Jack Charles kicked a last-minute drop-goal to help Hull FC Under 16s secure a dramatic 29-28 victory over rivals Hull KR Under 16s at the University of Hull this evening.
Hull KR’s youngsters mounted several comeback attempts in the game and they eventually drew level with their Black & White counterparts with little over ten minutes remaining in the contest.
But just as the spoils looked set to be shared, Charles nailed a drop-goal from 25 metres out to send the young Hull FC players into delirium.
The Match
FC made a real statement with their first examination of KR’s defence. Stan Broadbent made a quicksilver break down the left flank and the winger managed to find an outrageous offload to allow Theo Roberts to score in the corner.
There was no loss of spirit within the Robins camp when Ellis Lowthorpe scooted over underneath the sticks to make it 10-0 to FC after ten minutes – shortly afterwards, Ryan Hall’s powerful line gave him a pathway to the try line to get Hull KR on the scoreboard.
A sin-bin made Hull FC’s task that little bit harder, but they weathered the storm impressively and made Hull KR pay when Roman Dawson returned from his ten-minute spell on the sidelines – Ben Johnson showing some neat footwork before reaching out to touch down.
The hosts continued to turn the screw on their rivals and they scored a fourth try off the back of a drop-out when Will Hutchinson darted out of dummy half to score under the sticks.
But before the interval, the Robins gave themselves a lifeline ahead of the second half when Hall crashed over to the left side of the posts for his second try of the evening.
HALF-TIME: Hull Under 16s 22-10 Hull KR Under 16s
Hull KR got the start to the second half they so desired when Hall collected a well-weighted Will Precious kick, before offloading to Jay Hampshire. The fullback straightened up to score underneath the posts and James Farrar’s simple conversion cut FC’s lead to just six points.
However, the Robins’ newfound momentum was very short-lived. Just two minutes later, another Hutchinson scoot out of dummy half saw the Black & Whites restore their two-score cushion.
In what was proving to be a real ding-dong affair, the pendulum swung once more. Hull KR were right back in it when Hayden Todd latched onto a Ryan Moses grubber kick.
The Robins were level when Hampshire burrowed over from dummy half from close range with just over ten minutes left.
The pressure was starting to show in the final stages of the match as both sides conceded careless penalties and coughed up possession cheaply.
But it was the Black & Whites who pipped the Robins to the post with the very last play of the game. Hull FC’s fullback Charles barked out the orders as he set himself for a drop-goal attempt from 25 metres out. As the ball sailed through the uprights, he raised his arm in the air and sprinted towards his team mates to celebrate the moment.
Ironically, Charles is the son of former Hull KR forward Chris Charles, who made over 200 appearances for the East Hull club.
FULL-TIME: Hull FC Under 16s 29-28 Hull KR Under 16s
Squads & Scorers
Hull: Charles, Broadbent, Westerman, Maclean, Barfield, Johnson, Roberts, Briggs, Lowthorpe, Horsfield, Clark, Kirby, Dawson
Hull Interchanges: Collier, Hutchinson, Kemp, Thompson, Turner, Watkinson, Watts
Hull Tries: Roberts, Lowthorpe, Johnson, Hutchinson (2)
Hull Goals: Westerman (4/5), Charles (DG)
Robins: Hampshire, Forsyth, Ratuvou, Lyon, Farrar, Moses, Precious, Wilson, Gray, Taylor, Hall, Lawler, Todd
Robins Interchanges: Argent-Moss, Grant, King, Rea, Smith, Tansey, Wright
Robins Tries: Hall (2), Hampshire (2), Todd
Robins Goals: Farrar (4/5)
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