Roosters soar above Eagles to win derby

PREMIER LEAGUE EAST DIVISION Cambridge Eagles 20 St Ives Roosters 40 DESPITE doubling their local rivals score with a depleted squad, Roosters absent coach Ian Hill was unimpressed. Hill and last week s five-try hero, John Paxton, were in Oldham represen

PREMIER LEAGUE EAST DIVISION

Cambridge Eagles 20 St Ives Roosters 40

DESPITE doubling their local rivals score with a depleted squad, Roosters absent coach Ian Hill was unimpressed.

Hill and last week's five-try hero, John Paxton, were in Oldham representing the South of England, where they beat the North 28-18.

Hill said: "I've spoken to some of the players and coaching staff and they were happy with the win but extremely disappointed with the performance. Some of the established players just didn't live up to their reputations and we will be beaten heavily by other teams in the league if we continue to play like that. We must work hard in training to improve."

The Roosters were also missing new signing Marco Rossi, away at the England Lionhearts training camp. Four other players from the previous week's win over Colchester were injured, but the team stormed into a 24-0 lead.

Roosters' half-backs Michael Drake and Dan McCormack were dominant and tries came from Andrew Dean, Michael Cade, Michael Sykes and David Cervenak, with Sykes successful with each conversion attempt.

But complacency kicked in just before half-time. Sykes had to pull off a try-saving tackle on an Eagles winger. The Roosters then gave away two successive penalties, resulting in S Kidder scoring Cambridge's first try to make it 24-4 at half-time.

The Roosters lack of concentration was exploited again early in the second half, when a winger scored in the left corner, followed quickly by a try under the posts for a 24-14 scoreline.

A number of tussles broke out as the Eagles gained confidence and the Roosters became frustrated. But the St Ives side regained composure and Duncan Potts crashed over the line to make it 30-14 and put the result beyond doubt.

A minute later the visitors put together a slick cross-field move which ended with Dan McCormack breaking through the tired Eagles defence and offloading to James Noble five metres from the try-line, and he touched down with ease.

Man of the match Charles Paxton slammed an Eagles man over his own line before touching down the visitor's seventh and final try of the match.

Cambridge's efforts were rewarded with a converted consolation try in the final seconds.