By Stefan
November 18 2005

EARTH TITANS took a huge stride towards winning the NCA North Merit League thanks to a tremendous team effort at Castle Park. Nothing, though, can be taken for granted and there are difficult trips to Otley, Nottingham and Sedgley Park to come.

The Titans swept aside their Yorkshire rivals in a frosty evening game with a solid 29-14 win, four tries to two. Gareth Brear, Nd Monye, Will Kirtley and Ben Wade all scored tries for the Titans with Tom Outrim landing one penalty and three conversion.

While the Titans rose to the demands of the occasion Doncaster flopped, despite having more than enough ball they created few chances. Instead, the Titans on 20 minutes started to turn possession into points and continued to do so throughout the game.

The hosts were out-gunned in every department, finding it difficult to hold on to their own ball in the set piece, they were out-classed by a superior pack; the Titans' front-row was in outstanding form.

The visitors quickly established control of the game, mainly due to the efforts of the pack and frustrated Doncaster's efforts to break out of the stranglehold by solid defence.

From the start, the Titans took control of the game leaving the hosts scratching around for decent possession. The first try broke the scoring deadlock. Doncaster breaking out of their half and attacking the Titans' line, powerful winger Nd Monye intercepted a low pass to race over the try-line for a 5-0 lead.

He ran a full 70 metres rounding the first defender as tacklers bounced off him then running through and over the fullback finishing under the posts to set up an easy conversion attempt for Roth's latest find, Tom Outrim who - playing at centre - converted the points.

Doncaster, lacking imagination and sticking rigidly to a game plan throughout, failed to exploit the any opportunity they had. Former Leicester fly-half Rob Liley seldom kicked deeply to force the visitors to play in their own half.

Titans' eye-catching fullback Gareth Brear scored a sparkling try on 28 minutes, quite outstanding. He collected the ball a full 60 metres out, gassed the defence and chipped his counterpart with a perfectly controlled kick collecting the ball on the try-line to score under the posts making score 12-0.

Doncaster tried to respond and stepped-up their efforts but the Titans' defence held firm and the hosts were unable to get over the gain-line as the visitors swarmed all over them.

A yellow card, given to Ben Wade for infringing at the ruck just before half-time, threatened to allow Doncaster into the game.

Fired-up they came out for the second half, determined to make their man advantage pay they caused several anxious moments.

Pressure eventually forced a try on 43 minutes, scored by their man of the match - scrumhalf Don Storey - and converted made the score 12-7. However, the tackling by visitors bordered on the heroic at times and the hosts were not able to add to their score during the sin-bin period.

Doncaster continued to make tremendous efforts but Tom Outrim's penalty on 51 minutes and Will Kirtley's converted try on 64 minutes extending the lead to 22-7.

His try was a beauty. Scrumhalf Alex Drage gave a pass from the base of a ruck in Doncaster's 22, runners wide left created a gap in the centre and Will Kirtley burst through weak tackling.

A further converted try from Doncaster's big number eight, Oliver Cook, made the score 22-14 on 69 minutes before the clinching try, scored by the pack driving Ben Wade over from a lineout for a converted try on 75 minutes made the final score 29-14.

Towards the end of the game, Doncaster's forwards indulged themselves in tetchy physicallity - mainly off the ball - a sure sign of a losing pack.

In a fiercely contested game, the Titans never really went through the gears although they had the ammo to do so. They looked as if they were waiting for someone to light the spark that would ignite their performance.

A super team effort though. Titans' new boy, eighteen year old Tom Outrim, showed glimpses of his potential. He demonstrated his balance and poise and looks like he's one for the future. Sam Walsh was outstanding up-front and Lodewyk Strauss, in contrast to his counterpart, controlled the game with his passing and his tackling was outstanding.

Earth Titans:
15 Gareth Brear (Ben McPhearson 74); 14 Nd Monye, 13 Tom Outrim, 12 Will Kirtley (James Wooton 69), 11 Gareth Morley; 10 Lodewyk Strauss (Charlie Spon-Smith 74), 9 Alex Drage; 1 Jamie Kilbane, 2 Adam Hopcroft (Jonny Larby 74), 3 Sam Walsh (Adam Hopcroft 74), 4 Nathan Pike, 5 Tim Maslanyk, 6 Ben Wade (Joe Earp 40), 7 Gareth McComb (Nick Barrett 67), 8 Richard Sawyer (Ben Wade 40).

Titans Scorers:
Gareth Brear (T), Nd Monye (T), Will Kirtley (T), Ben Wade (T), Tom Outrim (P3C).