West leads the way as Roosters run riot to storm into cup semi
St. Ives Roosters v Southend Spartons, (centre) Roosters player Duncan Williams. Photo by Leigh Chatten. - Credit: Archant
Barney West led a St Ives Roosters try blitz as they breezed into the semi-finals of the East Rugby League Cup last Saturday.
The locals ran in 13 tries during a 78-22 rout of lower-level Southend Spartans in a last-eight clash.
Roosters quickly took command as West touched down after Mickey Blackley had unlocked the Spartans’ defence. A second score followed as Michael Wright was left with the simple task of crossing the line.
Their advantage was cut by a Southend try after they made the most of a series of penalties close to the Roosters line, but the response was emphatic and impressive.
Player-coach Paul Ashbridge burst over from inside his own half to trigger a run of nine unanswered tries from Roosters.
You may also want to watch:
Tommy Newman was next to get in on the act before Nick Borkett blasted over only hours after returning to the UK from a business trip to Hong Kong.
Mickey Drake continued the one-way traffic before Duncan Williams roared over following a length-of-the-field surge from the resulting kick-off. Debutant Doug Smith became the next Roosters man to touch down with Luke Slade, Drake and West then going over in the same corner.
Most Read
- 1 Father-of-five murdered due to 'drug deal dispute gone wrong'
- 2 Man charged after knife found in St Neots police raid
- 3 Over 100 modern slavery victims rescued in Cambridgeshire
- 4 Jail for 'despicable' burglary on 93-year-old man with dementia
- 5 'Loving, caring family man' dies in hospital weeks after A141 crash
- 6 St Neots schoolgirl takes on bike ride for Children in Need
- 7 Axe seized and two people charged for drink driving in St Ives
- 8 Reflect on the 'rich tints of Autumn' at open gardens this weekend
- 9 Former Stevenage midfielder is the new manager of Eynesbury Rovers
- 10 Appeal for foster parents to come forward
Southend did manage to bag three more tries before a West double completed the scoring.
Ashbridge said: “We worked hard in training on getting the basics right and the lads did everything I asked of them. I wanted a reaction to our league defeat in our previous game and I certainly got it.”
Roosters return to East Premier League action on Saturday when hosting North Herts Crusaders at the St Ivo Outdoor Centre (3pm).
