By Guy Harvey

After an extensive pre-season, Mark Butterill’s scholarship team was more than eager to get their season started. With the reserves and academy already underway in their seasons, the youngest members of our cohort were poised to make an impact and deliver a stellar performance.

The game began in an exemplary fashion, with both sides showing great promise. But it was the Rhinos that would cross the whitewash first in what was their first venture deep into Hull’s half. Daniel Stelfox running a hard line, taking the short pass from Kai Irvine and with the Hull defence anticipating the pass to go further on, had no answer for Stelfox’s charge.

Hull still playing with confidence would hit back shortly after, following a stray pass from Kingsley Sharpe Leeds could be blamed for switching off, allowing Hull centre Thomas Cheshire to react quickest to the ball and run through for the try. The rest of the first half would remain a tight affair but with minutes remaining Hull half back Joshua Horne would grubber the ball through early in the tackle count, with the Leeds defence unable to kill the ball Hull debutant Rio Kassim gladly took advantage and pounced on the free ball to score.

With the half time break almost upon us Leeds was penalised for a high tackle with Hull opting to take the two, however the effort was missed, and the teams headed in at half time with the score at 10-6 to the home side.

Both teams had a stuttering start to the second half with early errors, but the home side would take advantage of the field position gifted to them scoring first again. A fantastic move straight from the training field in the form of full back Tyler-James Eccles running an arced line to take a pass from half back Horne and charge over from close range.

That would be the end of Hull scoring for the night however, with Leeds then grabbing the game with both hands to dominate the rest of the game. Winger Tom Richardson would score in the corner after quick hands from Harvey Butterworth and Wade White would create an overlap for Richardson to dive in at the corner.

Richardson had his second minutes later after quick thinking and great vision from hooker Harvey Butterworth spotted the space outwide again, throwing a lovely looping pass straight to Richardson allowing him to dive in the corner in a carbon copy of his first try. Leeds were in fine form now and continued the onslaught when Zak Lloyd stripped the ball from Hull inches from their try line, hooker Harvey Butterworth got in on the action, firstly throwing an audacious dummy pass sending both markers one way allowing the hooker to dive over the try line to get on the scoresheet.

Hull were tiring quickly now but the young Rhinos were cruising and when forward Dacx Jones-Buchanan collected the ball twenty metres out from Hull’s try line there was only going to be one outcome, Jones-Buchanan charge through the Hull defence with ease to score under the posts.

The game still had ten minutes left to go, but Hull weren’t down and out and certainly giving every effort to bring the game back. However, the Rhinos didn’t want to give up their lead and showed that they could defend under pressure, doing so in great fashion which will have surely given great confidence to the coaching staff.

 Watch what coach Martin Wood and try scorer Harvey Butterworth had to say post match:

Hull FC Scholarship

• Tyler-James Eccles
  
• Rhys Yorke
  
• Leon Hayward ox’s
• Thomas Cheshire
  
• Zak Nelson-Hewitt
• Kingsley Sharpe
  
• Joshua Horne
  
• Finley Wilson
  
• Finlay Davies
  
• Jackson Smith
  
• Caleb Paleaaesina
  
• Rio Kassim
  
• Andrew McCracken
  
• Harri Lloyd
  
• Callum barley
  
• Vincent Donnachie
  
• WhenBilly Boulter
  
• Cohen Cass
  
• Logan Edwards
  
• Finlay mortimer
  

Leeds Rhinos Scholarship

• Mason Peach
  
• Luke Fagan
  
• Daniel Stelfox
  
• Micah Charles
  
• Tom Richardson
  
• Wade White
  
• Kai Irvine
  
• Dacx Jones-Buchanan
  
• Harvey Butterworth
  
• Caleb Rhodes
  
• Codi Ellis
  
• Zak Lloyd
  
• Jacob Hardy
  
• James Rowney
  
• Will Wilkinson
  
• Hughie Tinkler
  
• Logan Staveley-Carr
  
• Brennan Townend
  
• Jacob Tooala
  
• Robin Smith