Latchford Albion 34-22 Heysham Atoms

The Atoms had show some improvement of late but they slipped back into their old habits of giving the opposition a head star, falling behind to three early tries and a 14-0 deficit.

The first Latchford try was scored on only the second possession of the game as a lacklustre Atoms side just weren’t at the races defensively.

A glimmer of hope in terms came in the form of a charge down by Andrew Collins and a 20 yard bust from winger Kyel Dempsey.

This encouragement was short-lived however as a cross-field kick was fumbled and picked up by the enthusiastic chasers from Latchford, who scored their second try.

The third try was again a result of a defensive mix up that had the coaching team scratching their heads.

Not for the first time this season, the Atoms found some form and roared back into the game with Jamie Cottle in particular trying to inspire his side from full back.

Persistent short passes close to Latchford’s line looked to have failed to reap any rewards until hooker Livingstone found man of the match Harrison with a cut out pass – he went under the posts for a morale boosting score.

This was followed up immediately with a Cottle inspired break as he found a chink in the armour of Latchford’s right hand defence.

The gap was created and Al Crookall scored his first try since returning from his stint of playing out in Australia.

The quick-fire comeback was complete as Cottle again hit the same gap straight from an attacking scrum. It was centre Andrew Collins that benefited from the space created and he burst into the open gap to outpace the cover for a Livingstone converted try.

The Atoms got a bit carried away on the next set as they forced a pass on the half way line. The transition from defence to attack was swift by the Warrington side and the Atoms’ lead was short lived as they conceded in their right hand corner.

This should have been a warning to the Atoms but another mistake was punished heavily as a contentious kick and chase try was awarded right on the bell of half time, giving Latchford a 24-16 lead.

Early in the second half the Atoms again failed to deal with a kick properly and this led to a goal line drop out and an easy try that Latchford didn’t have to work too hard for.

The Atoms were then awarded an attacking scrum some 35 metres out and Jake Harrison picked up from the base. He showed great evasion and persistence to get himself over the line for his eighth try of the season with Michael Forrest converting.

In the closing stages, the Atoms were forced to defend well, only to cough the ball up far too easily, putting them immediately on the back foot.

It was not until the final play of the game that the game was finally put to bed as Latchford created an overlap for their right winger to go in at the corner.