Vale of Lune advance in Lancs Cup with win over Liverpool St Helens

Match Report: Vale of Lune  43  Liverpool St Helens 14

As the warm, August sun lit up a perfect pitch at Powder House Lane, match officials: Irvine, Beveridge and McMeeking called the teams to order for the Vale's Lancashire Cup campaign to get under way.

The fixture was the concluding preparatory outing before the 2024/25 league fixtures, and it had a clearly competitive quality.

As well as a cup-tie, it was the last opportunity for players to stake their claim on a first team place for the NW2 league, which begins next week.

Coach Dan Williams, assisted by Mark Goodman, Damon Hall and Paul Peters, had given over 30 Vale men a preseason airing, and an excited home crowd got to see the first XV lineup for the 2024/25 season. 

The Vale began with evident purpose, applying pressure whilst establishing coordination between the forwards and backs.

A lineout on the LSH 22 was taken cleanly, and a driving maul ensued. Hooker Harm Dokter made the final touchdown over the line for a Vale lead.

LSH came back strongly, pressing the Vale defence until a chink of daylight appeared. A converted try gave the lead to the visitors, but the Vale's resolve was just beginning to show itself. 

Centre Chris Ramwell gathered a bobbling, loose ball in his own half, and took on the LSH defence. Exploiting a gap that only he had seen, Ramwell zipped through it, fending off two credible tackle attempts, before reclaiming the lead under the posts.

Damon Hall found his range and the impetus returned to the home side. The Vale pack was not to be left out. Joe Wallbank took the ball, following some tenacious wing-play by Harrison Dodge, to outrun the defenders and score under the posts, giving the Vale a 19 - 7 lead at the half-way break. 

The second half brought about some experimental changes from the Vale bench. Some highly entertaining passing interplay in the LSH half pleased the crowd, and the cherry on that slice of the cake was a try by flanker Callum Hall to the left of the posts.

All efforts by LSH to press up the field were surgically cut out, with Dodge wielding the scalpel. Backs Ryan Busby and Campbell Murrell forced repeated errors by the visitors, keeping the play in their half. A penalty opportunity on the LSH 22 seemed to have been missed by Damon Hall, until he dashed over the line to touch down a stationary ball, as the hapless Merseysiders were caught napping. 

Winger Campbell Murrell added to the tally before LSH came back with a purposeful surge. Countless phases of play gave the visitors a second try, during which the Vale defence seemed to have blinked.

A final flourish from man of the match Ramwell put the cap on an encouraging squad performance.

It was an entertaining display, but the true value will come with the confidence it generates for the new NW2 season which begins at home against Northwich at 3pm next Saturday. 

Team.    A. Fowler, H. Dokter, G. Oyston, J. Wallbank, M. Goodman, C. Hall, K. Pickup, A. Powers (c) J. Fern, D. Hall, H. Dodge, C. Ramwell, D. Leighton, C, Murrell, R. Busby.   Reps: M. Mount, J. Mitton, J. Silverwood, A. Bolton.