Rugby fans were treated to an exciting game of Rugby Union at Crescent Head on Saturday when the Westport Club sponsored Port Macquarie Pirates played the Kempsey Cannonballs .
The Pirates entered the match with trepidation following the loss of Matt Mane, John Talamaivao and Chris Mathieson through injury and Lucas Wall due to unavailability. The new look Pirates back line had little difficulty in adapting.
The Pirates skipped away to a 5-0 lead in the sixth minute with a Lucas Webb try. Kempsey hit back halfway through the first half with a converted try that gave them a 7-5 lead.
It did not take long for the Pirates to hit back with a Joel Rabbidge try followed shortly by a Tim Boyle try that was constricted with strong play from Chris Turnham and Joel Rabbage.
The Pirates appeared to be running away with the game as Chris Geary scored right on half-time to give the Pirates a strong 26-7 lead.
The Pirates again started the second half very slowly and Kempsey were able to put three tries on the score board before the Pirates put themselves back into gear. With the game locked at 26-all mid-way through the second half, the match was for either team to take.
The Pirates were able to gain some breathing space with a Sam McNeill penalty goal that allowed the Pirates to sneak ahead 29-26.
With five minutes remaining, Lucas Webb scored his second try for the day to seal the victory for the Pirates 34-26.
In Reserve Grade the Pirates were very slow to start and Kempsey quickly built up an 11-0 lead by half-time. With strong words from coaches Leon Anderson and Mike Reed the Pirates were first to score after the break to trail by 11-5.
Kempsey again put on a spurt and extended their lead to 21 points to five. With ten minutes remaining in the match the Pirates crossed for two further tries to give the final score of 21-17.
Playing well for the Pirates were Joel Riddle, Christian Jorgenson, Sam Meadows and Mike Reed. The young Pirates also suffered defeat at the hands of Kempsey. The Pirates went down by 17-10 in a tight match that saw many Pirates’ chances go wanting as poor handling let promising attacking moves fall apart.
The young Pirates were dominating both lineouts and scrums but were unable to finish with points on the board. The Pirates were at one stage within two points of the home team but were unable to gain the lead.
