Of the starters 5 play in the AMNRL
Stars earn their stripes
Published on 05/11/2007
ON THE CHARGE: Double-try scorer Liam Harrison powers through the USA line JOE RILEY REF: 0408388
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RUGBY LEAGUE
THE Americans are fond of their parades and processions.
They form a centrepiece to all their holidays, with huge floats and a carnival atmosphere filling the streets of cities and towns across the land.
Yesterday they were exposed a different kid of procession, one they will quickly want to forget.
In what was a warm-up game for their World Cup qualifier against Samoa on Friday, the USA were blown out of the water by tiny, little Cumbria – not even very big for a county, let alone a country.
Paul Crarey’s county charges played with pride and energy for the full 80 minutes, running in 12 tries and never looking like conceding a point on their own line.
With players drawn from the three professional Cumbrian clubs, as well as Salford, Batley and York, the home team at Craven Park were a formidable outfit.
But the visitors from across the pond – even if many of them are really Australians in sheep’s clothing – packed in some mighty players themselves.
USA skipper Matthew Petersen plays for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL, as does team-mate David Myles, while Ryan McGoldrick has just been promoted to Super League.
So, while not a familiar name on the international rugby scene, the Americans have an impressive squad. They were just totally blown apart by Cumbria.
Central to that destruction was the partnership of Liam Harrison and Craig Calvert on the left wing.
Between them they crossed for five tries and they left the USA with no clue as to how to stop them.
Harrison opened the scoring on nine minutes when he got on the end of a Darren Holt chip over the defence to touch down in the corner.
The game was even for much of the first half, Petersen playing a forward pass to Nathan De Bartolo when the USA were 10 yards from the Cumbria line and wasting their best chance.
Louis Tulio, of the lesser-known Philadelphia Flight team, also came close when he got on the end of a good passing move along the line, but the Cumbria defence held firm to keep him out.
Just after the half-hour mark the home side started to turn on the style.
Leading by only six points at this stage, they came alive as Scott McAvoy made a break down the left and passed out for Harrison to complete the move for his second score.
A similar move was finished by Calvert minutes later and Barrow boy Gardner scored on his return to Craven Park after Tulio dropped the ball in front of his own posts.
The second half started with Nick Beach, playing in the unfamiliar position of hooker, kicking over the defence and running onto the ball to score Cumbria’s fifth try.
All the while Darren Holt – a man whose future as a Barrow player remains uncertain – was knocking the conversions over for fun, 30-0.
Harrison set Calvert away for his second try of the afternoon with a well-timed pass – the only try not converted by Holt all afternoon.
By this point it was becoming a rout, with the USA offering very little in the way of attack and Cumbria breaking their lines with great regularity.
Carl Sice fed Calvert for his hat-trick, Gardner put the ball through for Sice to score himself and McAvoy scored a much-deserved try as he spotted a gap on the left.
This took Cumbria past the half-century mark, but they were not done yet.
Gardner played the final pass for Beach to add his second before Dexter Miller finished off a move started by a Holt chip.
The scoring was rounded off in the final minute when Brett McDermott stormed clear of the USA defence on halfway and almost fell over the line under the posts as tiredness caught up with him.
It was a fitting end to a game in which Cumbria had given their all to defeat their visitors from America.
Cumbria: Broadbent, Calvert, Mossop, Harrison, Gardner, Holt, Bainbridge, Vaughan, Sice, Jackson, McDermott, Whitehead, McAvoy.
Replacements: Beach, Wilson, McDonald, Miller.
Tries: Harrison (2), Calvert (3), Beach (2), Sice, McAvoy, Miller, McDermott.
Goals: Holt 11/12.
USA: Petersen, Tulio, Coppedge, Kelly, Dortone, McGoldrick, Myles, Lanfranchi, Marando, Woodbridge, Cunz, Cantoni, De Bartolo.
Replacements: Vassilakopoulos, Stelutti, Isbrandtsen, Confer, Brazier, Mulligan, Arundel, Tasker-Howard, Massey, Conway.
Man-of-the-Match: Liam Harrison.
Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).
Attendance: 1,028.
View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.nwemail.co.uk/digitalcopy
Other stories from this category that may interest
Stars earn their stripes
Published on 05/11/2007
ON THE CHARGE: Double-try scorer Liam Harrison powers through the USA line JOE RILEY REF: 0408388
1of 4 Prev| Next
RUGBY LEAGUE
THE Americans are fond of their parades and processions.
They form a centrepiece to all their holidays, with huge floats and a carnival atmosphere filling the streets of cities and towns across the land.
Yesterday they were exposed a different kid of procession, one they will quickly want to forget.
In what was a warm-up game for their World Cup qualifier against Samoa on Friday, the USA were blown out of the water by tiny, little Cumbria – not even very big for a county, let alone a country.
Paul Crarey’s county charges played with pride and energy for the full 80 minutes, running in 12 tries and never looking like conceding a point on their own line.
With players drawn from the three professional Cumbrian clubs, as well as Salford, Batley and York, the home team at Craven Park were a formidable outfit.
But the visitors from across the pond – even if many of them are really Australians in sheep’s clothing – packed in some mighty players themselves.
USA skipper Matthew Petersen plays for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL, as does team-mate David Myles, while Ryan McGoldrick has just been promoted to Super League.
So, while not a familiar name on the international rugby scene, the Americans have an impressive squad. They were just totally blown apart by Cumbria.
Central to that destruction was the partnership of Liam Harrison and Craig Calvert on the left wing.
Between them they crossed for five tries and they left the USA with no clue as to how to stop them.
Harrison opened the scoring on nine minutes when he got on the end of a Darren Holt chip over the defence to touch down in the corner.
The game was even for much of the first half, Petersen playing a forward pass to Nathan De Bartolo when the USA were 10 yards from the Cumbria line and wasting their best chance.
Louis Tulio, of the lesser-known Philadelphia Flight team, also came close when he got on the end of a good passing move along the line, but the Cumbria defence held firm to keep him out.
Just after the half-hour mark the home side started to turn on the style.
Leading by only six points at this stage, they came alive as Scott McAvoy made a break down the left and passed out for Harrison to complete the move for his second score.
A similar move was finished by Calvert minutes later and Barrow boy Gardner scored on his return to Craven Park after Tulio dropped the ball in front of his own posts.
The second half started with Nick Beach, playing in the unfamiliar position of hooker, kicking over the defence and running onto the ball to score Cumbria’s fifth try.
All the while Darren Holt – a man whose future as a Barrow player remains uncertain – was knocking the conversions over for fun, 30-0.
Harrison set Calvert away for his second try of the afternoon with a well-timed pass – the only try not converted by Holt all afternoon.
By this point it was becoming a rout, with the USA offering very little in the way of attack and Cumbria breaking their lines with great regularity.
Carl Sice fed Calvert for his hat-trick, Gardner put the ball through for Sice to score himself and McAvoy scored a much-deserved try as he spotted a gap on the left.
This took Cumbria past the half-century mark, but they were not done yet.
Gardner played the final pass for Beach to add his second before Dexter Miller finished off a move started by a Holt chip.
The scoring was rounded off in the final minute when Brett McDermott stormed clear of the USA defence on halfway and almost fell over the line under the posts as tiredness caught up with him.
It was a fitting end to a game in which Cumbria had given their all to defeat their visitors from America.
Cumbria: Broadbent, Calvert, Mossop, Harrison, Gardner, Holt, Bainbridge, Vaughan, Sice, Jackson, McDermott, Whitehead, McAvoy.
Replacements: Beach, Wilson, McDonald, Miller.
Tries: Harrison (2), Calvert (3), Beach (2), Sice, McAvoy, Miller, McDermott.
Goals: Holt 11/12.
USA: Petersen, Tulio, Coppedge, Kelly, Dortone, McGoldrick, Myles, Lanfranchi, Marando, Woodbridge, Cunz, Cantoni, De Bartolo.
Replacements: Vassilakopoulos, Stelutti, Isbrandtsen, Confer, Brazier, Mulligan, Arundel, Tasker-Howard, Massey, Conway.
Man-of-the-Match: Liam Harrison.
Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).
Attendance: 1,028.
View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.nwemail.co.uk/digitalcopy
Other stories from this category that may interest
