Hull FC defeated York Acorn to win the Challenge Cup.
York Acorn, the proud National Conference League team, will always have their golden moment, even if Hull FC has advanced to the Challenge Cup’s fourth round. With 20 minutes remaining, Jordan Myers darted over and tied the amateurs with their Super League colleagues.
And although though John Cartwright’s team won 52–6 in the end, which was his first competitive game as manager, it doesn’t lessen the team’s heart and energy. Even though the match took place at Featherstone’s Millennium Stadium, which is thirty miles from the team’s Thanet Road base, the cup’s aura was evident.
It was true David vs. Goliath stuff, and David certainly had a few swings. But this time Goliath won. For Hull, it was job done. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing spectacular, but job done.
They may have been clumsy at times, but they shown enough skill to score nine tries, and more significantly, they’re in the hat for the Super League opener against the Catalan Dragons next week. Lewis Martin, a dynamic and quick winger, was their best player. He scored the first try, set up the second, added two more to complete his hat-trick, and generally ran the ball as if it were his last.
Cartwright had a lot to think about when it came to choosing the team for the trip to Perpignan because of the winger’s enthusiasm and ability to put Hull ahead, even if he acknowledged that his outstanding performances from the previous season did not guarantee a spot in the squad.
A young Hull team made their debut in West Yorkshire, giving out seven debuts, and John Asiata made his competitive debut. Hugo Salabio, Oliver Holmes, and Cade Cust joined the loose-forward. Lloyd Kemp, Joe Ward, and Will Hutchinson were among the three Rising Talent Group players who had their turn elsewhere. Will Kirby and Ryan Westerman also made their second outings in the first team.
As expected, Hull dominated the early field position, albeit they were helped by Acorn’s high tackles, with penalties putting them deep into their opposition’s half.. After eight or so minutes, the amateurs cracked, with Martin staying strong to ground the ball after Westerman’s slick catch and pass.
However, Hull failed to add to that first score, and Acorn hit back. In their first foray into Hull’s half, they mounted some pressure and got their reward as Myers collected the kick to score.
To their credit, Acorn held their own for large parts of the cup tie, but Hull soon went up another gear, with Martin’s offload finding a runaway Cust to score under the posts. Hull then added two more tries before the break, with Asiata going under the sticks after a strong carry and Denive Balmforth picking up a loose ball to scamper over score.
That saw Hull 24-6 up at half-time, and they didn’t take long to get the scoreboard moving in the second half. Martin got his second try, finishing well in the corner, before rising talent Kemp, just 18 years old, darted over.
The game then got a little scrappy, with Hull guilty of errors, forcing the play instead of going through their system. A wake-up call was needed, and it came as Kemp and Balmforth combined with Westerman putting Martin over for his hat-trick try.
Following a protracted attempt by Harvey Barron, the substitute center added his second goal, rushing over to reach the 50-point milestone and officially begin the Cartwright era at Hull FC.
team
Matt Chilton, Clayton Shepherdson, Josh Parker, Ryan Gallacher, Benjamin Husband, Nathan Conroy, Jack Green, Eddie Prescott, Nathan Hammerton, Jack Byrnes, George Hunt, Jordan Myers, and Elliot Bulmer make up the York Acorn starting XIII.
20. Danny Byworth, 14. Adam Speck, 16. Chris Rushworth, and 18. Anthony Chilton are substituted.
Man Number 18: 21. Jordan Hyde
Hull Starting XIII: 23. Logan Moy; 35. Joe Ward, 2. Harvey Barron, 29. Ryan Westerman, 22. Lewis Martin; 34. Lloyd Kemp, 14. Cade Cust; 17. Jack Ashworth, 25. Denive Balmforth, 16. Yusuf Aydin; 19. Brad Fash, 15. Oliver Holmes; 13. John Asiata
Interchange: 21. Will Gardiner, 31. Hugo Salabio, 32. Will Kirby, 33. Will Hutchinson
18th Man: 37. Lennon Clark
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