Warriors AASE cement place at top of North Group

Warriors AASE side Worcester Sixth Form College cemented their place at the top of the AASE League North Group after seeing off Newcastle Falcons’ Gosforth Academy on Wednesday.

The Worcester side scored with the last play of the game to secure a try-bonus-point win to finish the league stage of their campaign with maximum points

With top spot at stake, the game was tense in the opening exchanges as Gosforth went ahead with a converted try after an extended period of pressure.

But Warriors quickly responded when a series of physical collisions in midfield saw the ball fall loose for Freddie Spencer, who got on the end of his own kick forward to score and Jake Leonard converted.

The rest of the half continued to remain tight, with Gosforth coming close on several occasions.

However, Warriors showed huge resolve, as they have done all year, and won a penalty to allow Leonard to close the half with a well-struck kick to make it 10-7.

Warriors started the second-half well and stretched their lead as Oliver Gould raced down the left and stormed past the full-back to touch down.

Leonard then smashed his way through the Gosforth defence following a strong set-piece from the hosts, only to be tackled high by the covering full-back. This resulted in the referee awarding Warriors a penalty try to extend the hosts’ advantage to 24-7.

Gosforth struck back after touching down from a driving maul before going over for a third to reduce the deficit to just five points at 24-19.

Leonard soon added a penalty for Worcester, but the hosts were stunned when Gosforth added a bonus-point fourth try as they came within one point of levelling the match.

However, Warriors finished well and scored their fourth try with the last play of the game, demonstrating the tough character the squad has built this year.

Quick hands from the forwards put Gould into space and he showed a clean pair of heels to his opposite man and then stepped inside the full-back for his second try of the match to secure the victory.

Warriors AASE Manager Ryan Watkins said: “I’m incredibly proud of what the lads have achieved this year. They push each other every day and are very competitive with each other in training.

“Wednesday’s match was a real tough test and Gosforth threatened our line on several occasions. The spirit we showed to shut them down and secure the win was something special.”

Details of Warriors’ play-offs games will be announced in the coming days.

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