Weakened Walsall side lose Staffordshire Cup semi-final
A weakened Walsall side were unable to progress to the final of the Staffordshire Cup after they were comfortably beaten 28-7 by Leek.
The hosts were forced to field a team that had players missing because of injuries and unavailability and they then had further problems after just 10 minutes, when they lost the services of their influential lockforward Callum Hoy to a leg injury.
It went from bad to worse for Walsall, as the visitors secured their first score after just one minute. They reacted quickly to a Walsall handling error and passed the ball quickly for full back Jack Newton-Taylor to race over for their first try, which Joe Byrne converted.
The hosts reacted quickly and could well have scored a try, but unfortunately the ball was kicked rather than passed to the potential try scorer.
Leek than had a period of pressure and scored two tries. A quickly taken penalty resulted in number eight Ollie Powell going over, and then some good passing saw flanker Connor Bassett scoring wide out. Outside half Byrne converted both to give his team a healthy half time lead.
Early in the second half a fine try by Lucas Cotterell gave the hosts some hope. The young lock forward gathered a loose ball and then made a 40-yards, tackle bursting run, for a try which Adam Nunney converted.
This seemed to give the Walsall players the determination to launch attacks, but they struggled to secure possession and also suffered two yellow cards. Although, in contrast, the referee seemed rather lenient on some potentially dangerous Leek rucking techniques.
The hosts did create scoring opportunities during the final 10 minutes, but a combination of good Leek defence or passes not given, saw no addition to the scoreboard.
The final action of the game resulted in another Leek score as Byrne broke clear for the try which he also converted, as Walsall were beaten at the semi-final stage.
