Brave Mirfield Stags bow out of National Cup to Fryston Warriors

A brave Mirfield effort proved in vain as the Stags exited the BARLA National Cup in the quarter-finals at the hands of former finalists Fryston Warriors, losing out 42-12.

Despite being roundly written off, the visiting Stags made a flying start to proceedings and had their Pennine League Premier Division opponents on the ropes following an impressive opening quarter of an hour.

However, experienced proved the difference last Saturday as the Warriors battled back to level the scores, before taking a narrow lead into half-time.

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Fryston kicked on after the interval and never looked back, despite Mirfield’s efforts to halt the Castleford club’s charge, at Askham Road.

Mirfield enjoyed great territory during the opening stages and broke the deadlock in some style, after just seven minutes.

Full-back Ross Hayden kicked high on the last tackle of the Stags’ third set and regathered the ball inside the Fryston in-goal area to score.

Hayden added the extras and Mirfield had early control of the last-eight contest.

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It wasn’t long before Fryston hit back, scoring a converted try of their own.

The hosts then hit the away side with a breath-taking pair of tries, providing them with a 10-point lead.

With two minutes of the first half remaining, Fryston were awarded a penalty 40 metres from the Stags’ try-line.

In a sign of respect for their opponents, Fryston opted to kick at goal, although the attempt sailed wide of the mark and Mirfield finished the half strongly.

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The Stags went close on several occasions during the opening stages of the second period.

But Richard Silverwood’s men struggled to stem the Warriors’ flow.

After falling to 34-6 behind on the scoreboard, Mirfield bagged a consolation try when youngster Lewis Martin collected his own grubber-kick to take his side into double figures. Hayden converted from in front of the posts.

Fryston finished with a flourish on home soil, crossing to claim a pair of late tries to surpass a 40-point total and book their place in the competition’s semi-finals.

Forwards Richard Casanove and Ben Mather were stand-out performers for Mirfield, providing a solid platform for the visitors during the opening quarter and late on.