Heysham Atoms 24-16 Thatto Heath

A tried and tested set play saw captain and prop forward Liam Hall crash over the line to give the Atoms the lead and Michael Forrest added the extra two points after a tight first quarter.

However, Thatto were soon level when a goal line drop out was conceded and the Thatto stand off squeezed through a gap to score his team’s first try.

Thatto Heath picked up the pace and the Atoms defenders struggled to cope with the speed and on 31 minutes they went behind for the only time in the game.

Things got a little worse for the Atoms as they lost the hard working Callum Hall for 10 minutes in the sin bin as he tried to slow the Thatto players down with a profesional foul as the Atoms went into half time 12-6 down.

The opening to the second period was all about the Atoms as they responded in magnificent fashion to their tempory lack of numbers.

Mark Walker’s strong running brought him his reward as his determination got him over the line to the right of the posts to bring the teams level again.

Stand off Dan Helme’s kicking game has been improving steadily throughout the season and he placed a well weighted kick into the path of winger Jack Lawton.

The bounce was kind as he anticipated it quickest and picked up to score by the left corner flag and the lead was now back in the Atoms’ hands.

Thatto’s stand off left his impression on the game, scoring his second of the day, before Liam Hall scored a crucial try that just gave the Atoms a little breathing space going into the final quarter.

Man of the match Olly Murray made good yards before Dan Helme offloaded in the tackle to Atoms favorite Dan Ginocchio who was held up short of the line.

Hall came onto the next pass from hooker Marrin and twisted and turned his way over the line for his 10th try of the season.

The Atoms finished the game strongly and gave themselves a little breathing space as they scored their fifth try of the contest through right winger Kyel Dempsey who has been one of the finds of the season.

The move started off on the opposite wing and was transferred back to the right where Andrew Collins offloaded over the shoulder to his winger who did the rest close to the right corner flag.

A couple of heated exchanges brought to an end this excellent game and maintained the Atoms’ impressive home record.

Next Saturday the Atoms will entertain Ashton Bears in the North West Counties Cup.