John Lowe

Doncaster Knights posted their first win of this season’s Championship over Moseley with a four try bonus point performance that took them to 7th place in the league table.

The Knights started with the same intensity that they had finished the game in Penzance and they went ahead with a penalty from fly-half Tom Luke after only 4 minutes. They could well have scored their first try minutes later when skipper Chris Hallam broke from deep inside his own half before racing 70 metres, but the Moseley cover just got to winger Michael Keating 5 yards out.

After 14 minutes the Knights eventually crossed the line when, after a period of pressure inside the Moseley 22, full back David Mcilwaine broke the defence before popping the ball to Keating who slipped it to the supporting openside flanker David Bradford to score a try that Luke converted.

The Knights gathered momentum as the pack drove Moseley back 20 metres from a lineout, Luke made the initial break before linking with assisting centre PJ Gidlow and Bradford whose final pass to Mcilwaine gave him the opportunity to dummy opposite full back, and former Doncaster favourite Anthony Carter, to score his side’s second try.

Moseley regrouped and gradually fought their way back into the game, but again McIlwaine broke the Midlands threshold before linking with Flockhart who made ground before placing a perfectly weighted grubber kick ahead. Bradford, appearing everywhere, won the breakdown battle before feeding the ball to the supporting Keating to touch down. Luke slotted the conversion.

Just when it looked as if the Knights were going to go in at the interval with a 22 points to 0 lead, Moseley flanker Ben Pons broke from halfway and evaded several attempted tackles to score a good individual try in the corner that was converted from the touchline by fly half Brad Davies.

Moseley came back at the Knights in the second half as, with the advantage of the breeze and the sun and inspired by Carter against his old club, they put the Knights under pressure. For the first 10 minutes of the half it was all Moseley but the Knights defence held firm and, when Moseley attempted a lobbed pass just outside the Doncaster 22, it was intercepted by Ollie Goss who raced 70 yards to score between the posts to give Luke an easy conversion.

Disaster struck the Knights from the restart when confusion in their ranks allowed the ball to bounce into the grateful hands of Moseley flanker Mike Maltman who ran 20 metres unopposed to score his side’s second try that Davies converted.

Now it was mostly Moseley as they sensed an upset but the Knights managed to hold out until the game went into injury time. Following a series of attacks close to the Knights line, Moseley replacement centre Andy Reay burst through two tackles to score from close in which was converted by Ollie Thomas.

The Knights continue to show improvement as their new squad starts to gel and there were many things on show which pleased their supporters. However DOR Davey will no doubt be closely studying the Knights performance particularly in the second half when they allowed Moseley back into the game.

Doncaster Knights: McIlwaine, Flockhart, Goss, Gidlow (Whitehead 62), Keating, Luke, Hallam, Corsar (Andy Brown 62), Boden (Yeandle 62), Alex Brown (Burke-Flynn 70), Kenworthy, Parsons, Challinor, Boyde, Bradford (Kettle 55) Replacements not used: Audis, Toft

Moseley: Carter, Robinson, Adams (Reay 58), King, Hunt (Thomas 73), Davies, Brown (Glynn 63), Voisey (Gadd 49), Protherough (Quigley 63), O’Donnell, Sanderson, Spivey, Maltman, Ellery (Stott 63), Pons (Mason 54)