Scholars Fall To Defeat After Giants Dominate Second-Half

Scholars Fall To Defeat After Giants Dominate Second-Half

The Black & Whites Under 16s fell to their first defeat of 2023

Match Report News

Hull FC Scholarship failed to make it back-to-back wins at the start of the season as they fell to a 38-12 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Giants Scholarship this evening.

Despite a dominant first-half performance from the visitors, just two points separated the sides at the interval after tries from Eligh Wilkinson and Lennon Nicholson down the right edge.

Sam Howe’s early second-half try put the Black & Whites in front, but they had no response to a rallying Huddersfield spell, where the Giants ran in 28-unanswered points, largely thanks to a clinical kicking game.

The Match

Following on from a resilient Round One victory over Wakefield’s Under 16s, Wilkinson got Hull off to a perfect start just four minutes in when the ball was shifted wide and the winger got in at the corner.

After coming under numerous waves of pressure in goodball sets, Hull had held firm to keep the Giants scoreless inside 15 minutes. But a Lloyd Kemp pass was intercepted by Demir Acarer and the visitors had their just rewards following a strong spell.

They extended their lead just under ten minutes later when Marshall Land’s kick popped up into the grateful hands of Zach Brown, who just had to reach out and score despite Mason Tempest’s best efforts to hold the fort.

Eventually, Hull wrestled their way back into the contest through Joseph Thompson’s 40/20, after being camped inside their own half for the majority of the first-half. Lloyd Kemp shifted the ball along the line to centre Lennon Nicholson, whose mercurial footwork saw him dance over the try line.

HALF-TIME: Hull Scholars 8-10 Giants Scholars

The Black & Whites took advantage of some poor Huddersfield discipline early in the second-half, with Sam Howe crashing over from close range just seven minutes in.

Hull could’ve extended their lead just a few moments later, and they thought they had when Ellis Opie careered onto a short ball, but the referee disallowed his try for a double-movement offence after an intervention from the touch judge.

Bad habits from the first half began to creep in again for the hosts, and failure to put pressure on Harry Fell’s kick to the corner saw Luke Hirst react first to the loose ball.

The Giants started to put on a kicking clinic and posted back-to-back tries – another kick to the right corner sent Ashton Hepworth cruising over the whitewash.

Huddersfield back-rower Archie Sykes had been a constant threat throughout the evening, and he took advantage of some slow line speed to break through a tackle and race away to score in the left corner.

Putting boot to ball was the key to success for the visitors, who were in again when Fell’s well-measured kick was claimed by fullback Logan Blacker, beating his opposite number in an aerial duel.

Luke Hirst managed to claim a second of the evening to rubber stamp the victory for Huddersfield, when he finished off a sweeping move to the right corner.

FULL-TIME: Hull Scholars 12-38 Giants Scholars
Squads & Scorers

Hull: L Kemp, O’Brien, Tempest, Nicholson, Wilkinson, Thompson, C Kemp, Turner, Swyer, McIntyre, Nutbrown, Mainprize, Calver

Hull Interchanges: Davies, Horne, Howe, Opie, Render, Walker, Watkinson

Hull Tries: Wilkinson, Nicholson, Howe

Hull Goals: Wilkinson (0/3)

Giants: Blacker, Atkinson, Brown, Chippendale, Acarer, Fell, Land, Houston, Lumb, Algar, Sharma, Sykes, Beety

Giants Interchanges: Appleyard, Bottomley, Carnekie, Hepworth, Hirst, Newton, Orimogunje

Giants Tries: Acarer, Brown, Hirst (2), Hepworth, Sykes, Blacker

Giants Goals: Beety (5/6), Blacker (0/1)