Thornhill set up promotion showdown trip to Wigan

Victory now sets up a show down away at Wigan St Judes on Saturday when victory will ensure the Trojans secure automatic promotion.

The Trojans lead 20-0 at the interval and this proved to be crucial as the second half was subject to a heavy down pour of rain.

This proved to be a great leveller for the teams and saw many supporters abandon the game for good.

The only disappointment was that the Trojans lost Luke Haigh during the first half. He was taken to hospital and now has his leg in plaster after X-rays revealed a broken leg.

Man-of-the-match went to Trojans captain Danny Ratcliffe, while there were also brilliant performances from forwards George Stott and Anthony Harris, who made inroads into the Askam defence providing a solid foundation for the Trojans.

It was a high kick from Danny Ratcliffe which created the first try of the game as the ball came down in the in goal area and was judged perfectly by James Craven.

He collected the kick and touched down for the opening try. George Woodcock converted.

Thornhill remained on the front foot and the ball was worked towards the try line and Wayne Wilson ran onto a pass to charge over for a try to the side of the posts. Woodcock converted.

It was a strong finish to the half which really set the Trojans on course for victory.

George Stott appeared to have been held but managed to send out a tremendous pass that picked out Will Gledhill, who raced almost half the length of the field to score an unconverted try.

From the restart Sam Ratcliffe took the Trojans forward and Liam Green powered over for an unconverted try.

Askam looked to make an impression after the interval as Mark Dixon went on a striding run towards the corner, leaving a trail of would be defenders on the floor to score and Brad Jackson converted.

Then came the deluge of rain sending the spectators present running for cover. This had a major impact on the pattern of play and the scoring eased off.

Once the rain clouds had disappeared the scoring resumed as the drenched players remained resolute.

Gledhill’s second try effectively secured Thornhill’s win as he went on a wonderful solo run which saw him twist between two defenders to squeeze over for a try. Woodcock converted.

As the clock moved towards full time Danny Ratcliffe sent up another trademark high kick and Anthony Broadhead raced between the posts to collect and ground the ball for a try that Woodcock converted.

Askam scored a consolation try when Mark Tyson pounced on the ball and Jackson converted.

It was a fantastic win for the Trojans. Everything now hinges on this week’s trip to Wigan St Judes.