A YOUNG Grimsby RUFC side were beaten 24-19 away at Scunthorpe 2nds in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup.
Despite the scoreline, it was an encouraging performance from the young guns and things certainly look bright for the future.
Grimsby scored three tries to the home team's two at Heslam Park, but ultimately lost out by five points.
From the outset, the Blues started at a fast pace.
Young fly-half Brad Watson scuttled his way past three defenders to score.
Scrum-half Ben Nutting, given the kicking duties, coolly slotted the conversion.
This kick-started the home team into action and they scored a well-worked try. However, their normally faultless kicker pushed the ball just wide from the conversion attempt.
Scunthorpe then went for the kill. A repeated infringement at a ruck, which is perhaps what cost Grimsby the game, resulted in a sin-binning for Watson – and the dead-eye home kicker punished the Blues.
Grimsby strived to move the ball around at every opportunity, but time and again, inexperience and naivety in the rucks cost them.
With yet another indiscretion at a ruck, another yellow card was issued to the Blues. This time flanker Ben Stowe was the recipient.
This galvanised Grimsby, though, and a yellow card to the home team evened things up a bit.
Winger Jack Galewski took the ball from a quick penalty and crashed over the line for a well-celebrated debut score.
Another try from the home side prompted some positional changes for Grimsby.
The Blues attacked at every opportunity and a thundering run from winger Galewski cast defenders asunder before his wing colleague Scott McCreath popped up on his shoulder to finish the move well.
Watson's positional kicking kept the Greens pegged back, but the equally impressive boot of their fly half got them out of trouble on several occasions.
Forward colleagues Sam Vickers and Luke Chaplin found themselves playing in the centres, and they terrified defenders with some bone-crunching tackles.
As the home pack tired, the Blues' impressive scrimmaging unit of Jason Stead, Rory Rendall-Tyrell and Matt Pettiford, assisted by Matt Vincent and Stowe at second row, kept the pressure on the Scunthorpe side.
More penalties at ruck time led to two more yellow cards – a player from either side.
The difference at the end was the thunderous boot of the home kicker.
The Grimsby coaching team were impressed by the contributions of the young members of this development squad.
Grimsby are back in league action on Saturday when they travel to Amber Valley for a testing Midlands 3 East (North) encounter.
