East Rugby League Cup - Quarter Finals Brentwood Eels 20 -v- 40 St Albans Centurions After Iain Langley was carried from the pitch following a potential leg-break, the Centurions were reduced to a squad of just 13 players in the first-half. But with Coach Simba Mupamhanga scheming away at acting half and Captain Joe Baker leading from the front, St Albans responded magnificently to last week’s league defeat against the Eels to earn a famous cup victory. The match started brightly enough with Tom Spratt touching down in the second minute after some exceptional handling from the forwards to keep the ball alive. Brentwood responded in style with two tries of their own in an uncompromising start to the contest, well-controlled by the young referee. It was the ref who immediately ordered an ambulance to be called when a 3-man tackle on Langley saw him fall to the floor in agony. The first half was played out without troubling the scoreboard any further. The second half began as the first, with Jake Lawrence converting his own try on 42 minutes. And then the big boys took over. Playing downhill, the forwards put on something of a masterclass as first Joe Shaw and the player-coach Mupamhanga broke through a tiring Eels’ defence. The ever-reliable Scott Clellow added another try after the hour-mark before Baker made it half-a-dozen on 71 minutes. In the final minute, a second try for Lawrence completed a famous cup victory. After the match, skipper Joe Baker, was delighted: “Against all the odds we came away with a thoroughly deserved win. It seems we’re at our best when our backs are against the wall. I couldn’t be more proud of the lads today but know that it will count for nothing if we don’t carry the same level of performance into the next game”. The Centurions are away to Milton Keynes Wolves on Saturday k.o. 2pm. Update - Good news for Iain Langley (left) who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg. The leg is not broken but it has been put into a splint and Iain is on crutches. Best wishes to Iain from all at St Albans Centurions. Also a big thank you to Brian and his wife Linda who waited at the hospital and took Iain back to Hatfield … and not getting home until after 9pm. Comments are closed.
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