U17 South: 2019 Tournament 1 Report

Manchester Titans South 12 – 34 Chorley Buccaneers

Manchester Titans South lost 12 – 34 to the Chorley Buccaneers in their first game of the 2019 campaign after 2 Chorley touchdowns in the final minutes.

Rueben Depasois led the way for the Titans following Reid Whitelaw’s block to have an early 45 yard run into the end zone, only to be called back by a holding penalty. Chorley took this opportunity to reply with some quick running of their own, but Abdullah Khan, having taken on the defensive leaders role from missing Chadwick,  rallied his defense to keep the early score 0 – 0.

Offensive Coordinator Chris Miles and returning QB Ben Slipper turned to David Ani, who did what he does best…..a 45 yard rampage through the Bucs defense, to give Manchester there first score of the day.

A booming hit on the reds QB from Linebacker Noah Yates, who also recovered the fumble, got the ball back for Manchester.

Catches from Ben Turner, Thomas Richardson and Oliver Gaskill saw the Titans on Chorley’s 10 yard line.  A quick corner pass to Ani in the back of the end zone gives Titans their only other score of the game.

Manchester Titans South 47 – 36 Manchester Titans North

The Titans South’s second game of the day was against their cross city rivals the Titans North. A win was a necessity, if the Blues where to keep a strong hold on the North West Conference.

The sure hands of Ben Turner and great blocks from Reid Whitelaw, Matthew Bateson and Luke Ainscough gave Rueben Depasois the opportunity to get pay back on his earlier cancelled score.

Strong hit after strong hit was dished out by Defensive Coordinator Josh Knott’s ‘Bruise Brothers’, Great Britain Defensive Back Matt Tomlinson and Corner Back Nathan Cheetham.   Totally shutting down the North’s air assault gave them the only option of running the ball, which only meant more suffering for the North.

Now that the South’s defence had taken control and the North where unable to de-rail the ‘Pain Train’, the North were on the wrong side of a Titans record breaking 6 touchdowns in a game from a single player, giving Ani 8 stops at ‘End Zone Central’.

Manchester Titans South 1 – 0 Burnley Tornadoes

A walk over win in the Burnley game gives Titans South 2nd place in the North West conference.