Turner Double Inspires Dominant Skirlaugh Cup Victory..

Skirlaugh booked their place in the next round of the National Cup with an impressive 36-10 victory over Bristol All Golds after overcoming an early scare on home soil.

Bristol started the game strongly and stunned the hosts with an early try to take the lead, but Skirlaugh quickly settled into the contest and began to dominate proceedings through the middle of the field. Once they found their rhythm, the home side took control and went into the break with a commanding 22-6 half-time advantage.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Skirlaugh controlling territory and possession as Bristol struggled to contain the hosts’ physicality and attacking shape.

Mikey Turner enjoyed a dream return following his spell with Hull KR, crossing for two tries in an impressive display out wide. Tom Gray and Josh Atkinson also both bagged braces, while Ross Kemp added another to complete the scoring.

Josh Smith added four goals from seven attempts to round off an excellent afternoon for the home side.

A number of Skirlaugh forwards laid the platform for victory, with Marcus Hall, Keane Dearlove, Harry Gotts and veteran Scott Mountain all producing strong performances and proving difficult for Bristol to handle throughout the game.

There was also encouragement for the future as Under-18s prospect Mason Gore impressed on his senior debut with a composed performance.

The Man of the Match award deservedly went to Alfie Walker after an outstanding all-round display, while the Ex-Players’ Man of the Match was awarded to Keane Dearlove.

After the game, Matt Danville praised the way his side responded after the difficult start.

“We were a bit shell-shocked early on and Bristol came out really hard at us, but I thought the response from the lads was excellent. Once we settled into the game, I felt we controlled things well and played some really good rugby.”

Danville was particularly pleased with the side’s forward effort and defensive commitment.

“Our middles really laid the platform for us. Marcus, Harry and Scott were outstanding and gave us a lot of go-forward which allowed us to play our game. Defensively I thought we worked hard for each other and limited them to very few opportunities after the opening stages.”

The Skirlaugh head coach also highlighted the performances of both returning and younger players.

“It was great to see Mikey back and playing with confidence again. He looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. I was also really pleased for Mason Gore making his debut — he handled himself really well and showed exactly why he’s highly rated around the club.”

Despite the convincing scoreline, Danville insisted there are still improvements to be made heading into the next round.

“There’s always things to work on, but overall I’m really happy with the attitude and effort. It’s another step forward for us and hopefully we can build some momentum now heading deeper into the cup.”