Rangers 16  v  West Bowling 14

Storms had lashed the north-west over the last week and there were worries that the match may not be on but a relatively dry Friday and Saturday morning had enabled the match to be played, albeit under difficult conditions.

West Bowling adapted to the tricky surface a little better than Rangers with stand off Todd Carter kicking exceptionally well to keep Rangers penned in their own half. Michael Coates, normally so reliable in the kicking area, was not finding his range as well as usual and it was no surprise that a West Bowling reverse pass wrong footed the Rangers defence for  Damian Smith, to score by the posts. Cousins converted for a 0 - 6 lead on 4 minutes. Rangers were soon back in contention with Emerson Jackman nearly back to his best with a sharp short pass for a Tom Lever try to make the score 4 -6 on 9 minutes.

The poor handling conditions were causing many errors and with neither side being able to break the opposing defence it was West Bowling's strategic kicking which deprived Rangers of good field position. Although West Bowling dominated possession it was Rangers on the half hour who scored a lovely team try finished by Steve Wilde. Mick Coates' conversion making the score 10 - 6 on 31 minutes. Adam Kirwan was running well onto the short ball and another break backed up by Adam Walker should have resulted in a score but poor handling spoilt a promising position. A Cousins penalty on half time closed the gap to 2 points.

Rangers started the second half with the wind at their backs and soon went further ahead. Again a short Jackman pass put Kirwan clear through with full back Steve Neild's supporting run putting him under the posts for a fine score. Mick Coates' conversion gave Rangers a 16 - 8 lead. Heavy rain made conditions even more difficult but didn't seem to affect West Bowling who replied with a sweeping move putting winger Damian Smith in at the corner. Cousins converted from the touchline into a strong wind to put West Bowling within 2 points with over half an hour on the clock!

Rangers supporters were in for a hard time with Rangers constantly giving the ball away with unnecessary penalties often 'lying on' with West Bowling in their own 25 and on the fifth tackle, or losing the ball early in the tackle count. It was relentless West Bowling pressure and, unexpectedly, Cousins kicking fell short of expectations. With the underfoot conditions getting very slippery he missed a penalty from in front of the posts and declined to attempt another from a similar position which would have equalised the score. It was 70 minutes before another super break by James Whalley should have brought another try for Rangers but a knock on put the their supporters back in 'worry mode'!

The final whistle brought much relief to a crowd who had seen an entertaining match considering the conditions with West Bowling feeling they deserved more out of the match. Rangers had tried to play an open game which perhaps was not the best policy in the poor conditions but there can be little doubt that it was Rangers who made the better breaks and defended resolutely when under extreme pressure.

Rangers 50   v   Myton Warriors 16

The long trip from Hull had delayed Myton Warriors and the kick off was delayed for 15 mins giving time for the rain to drift away leaving conditions good for open rugby despite the westerly wind into which Rangers kicked off. The early pressure was from the visitors with weak tackling putting Myton close to the Rangers line but soon the position was reversed when sharp passing and a long ball from Adam Kirwan put Shaun Robinson in for a try at the corner which Michael Coates failed to convert into the strong wind. A forceful run by Fraser Coley  but Rangers within range with Adam Kirwan dummying and scoring with outstretched arm to make the score 8 - 0 . Within minutes a sweeping  movement along the line put Coley in on the right which Coates converted. Rangers were now dominating with disciplined play pinning Warriors into their own half resulting in another score with an inside pass from Mick Coates giving Adam Kirwan the opportunity to put Steven Neild in near the posts. Again Coates converted to make the score 20 - 0 after 23 mins.

It was 27 mins before Rangers conceded a penalty but unfortunately it was the start of many which saw the start of a scrappy period of play by both sides although Rangers managed to score with a sharp pass from Mick Coates putting Tom Lever through for a converted try. Coates struck a neat penalty on half time for a 28  nil lead.

Rangers scrappy play continued into the 2nd half. Ill discipline resulted in Rangers having no meaningful ball for the first 10 mins when an individual try and conversion by  Paul Morris put Warriors on the scoreboard. The first sustained possession by Rangers in the second half resulted in Adam Walker scoring on the left for Mick Coates to convert. Rangers fell asleep at the kick off with three players looking at the ball which bounced kindly for Myton's winger, Chris Wainman to score in the corner to make the score 34 - 6. Rangers seemed to drop into a comfort zone with lack of concentration resulting in basic errors. Jason Best was sin-binned and an Alan Dunham break almost resulted in a try for Myton but a forward pass relieved the pressure. Good, penetrative passing from the Rangers half backs had been a feature of Rangers play throughout the match and again Fraser Coley ran forcefully onto a Coates pass to score under the sticks for his second try. Rangers hadn't learned their lesson as they conceded possession at the kick off and presented Myton with a try by Mike Johnson converted by Paul Morris to bring the score to 40 to 16. On 75 minutes an excellent break by centre Tom Lever, backed up by a rejuvenated Jason Best ( back from his 10 minute rest !) resulted in an unconverted try. On the stroke of full time Adam Kirwan forced his way through several tackles to score by the posts which Coates converted to bring up the half century.

There was so much to admire in the match particularly the passing by the half backs and centres and the forceful running of Fraser Coley but the spectators were left wondering what might have been if Rangers hadn't fallen into the old habit of petty fouls and poor concentration. Mustn't grumble though as another win kept Rangers at the top and the spectators enjoyment was not confined to the pie and peas!

Rangers 26  v Thornhill Trojans 12

The forecasted high wind fortunately didn't appear and instead we had a day perfect for good rugby between the top two sides in the first division. The kick off had been brought forward thirty mins to accommodate the Super League Play-off final and some spectators missed  the first 20 mins of the match - which wasn't much of a loss! Thornhill seemed to be on a mission to 'soften up' Rangers particularly in the tackle which resulted in a number of penalties, two of which Mick Coates converted for a 4 - 0 lead after 16 mins. Rangers players showed commendable restraint, in spite of the provocation, and were rewarded with more possession and better field position. Neither side had been able to penetrate determined defences until on 26 mins when Mick Coates fed a short ball to Tom Lever for a try near the posts which Coates converted to increase the lead to 10 - 0. Rangers were spreading the ball better than their opponents but were unable to make a break through and it wasn't until the stroke of half time when a neat reverse pass put Ben Walters on a determined 10 yard run for a converted try to make the score 16 - 0 at half time.

The second half started without the referee! Having changed his shirt, which clashed with the Trojans strip, he ran onto the pitch blowing the whistle for a restart! Rangers however, made the perfect start to the second 40 mins with a super try! Interpassing between six players ended with a Danny Early try in the left corner. Rangers had built a substantial lead and looked like coasting to victory but Thornhill had other ideas! A neat kick to the corner had the Thornhill left winger running through for a touchdown, fortunately he had been marginally offside and the try was disallowed. The relief was short-lived however, for on 51 mins a neat break from Liam Morley and a short pass gave full back James Craven the chance to show a remarkable turn of speed to leave Rangers flat-footed for a 50 yard try! Mark Hodgson's conversion keeping Thornhill in touch. The Trojans were showing their true potential and could have had another score but for a poor pass with the line beckoning. To the home supporters relief, another bout of sharp passing put Ben Walters in for his second try which Mick Coates converted from the touchline to make the score 26 - 6. On 68 minutes a short ball from Byrne put James Craven on another mesmerising run through the Rangers defence for a try under the posts again converted by Mark Hodgson. With the score at 26 -12 the game took a turn for the worse with a 'handbag melee' involving almost all players with Junior Blandford getting the token sin bin!

It was a scrappy end to an enjoyable game with Thornhill having a couple of players capable of winning a match on their own. Rangers discipline and more constructive team work enabled them to dominate possession which was the key to beating a talented side. It would be difficult to pick out an outstanding Rangers player but Mick Coates played his usual key role and had much to do with the improved discipline in the side but all the team are to be congratulated on an excellent display of forceful running and determined defence. May it long continue!

Rangers 32  Stanningley 10

With Rangers playing in blue and Stanningley in a 'look-alike' Rangers' strip some new supporters, brought out by the sun, could be excused for thinking that Rangers were under exceptional pressure in the first few minutes of the match when in fact a superb kick-off from Michael Coates put Stanningley on the back foot with Rangers defence keeping Stanningley in their own 20 metre area for 5 mins. Unfortunately the first time Stanningley ventured past the half way line, a neat kick through resulted in a try for Anthony Glynn to put Stanningley in the lead 4 - 0. Further pressure from Rangers resulted in Tom Lever going over in the corner after good work from Ethan Langhorn. Michael Coates converted from the touchline to put Rangers into a 6 - 4 lead. Knock-ons by both sides lost promising positions. On 30 mins a Michael Coates kick to the left corner lead to a Shaun Robinson try. Again Michael converted from the touchline to make the scoreline 12 - 4. Rangers were running straight and strong through the middle and making good yardage. On 35 mins a Michael Coates 'grubber' kick put Liam Coates in for a score which Michael converted to stretch the lead to 18 -4. A Coates penalty concluded the first half scoring for a 20 - 4 Rangers' lead.

Rangers started the second half seemingly determined to undermine the excellent work done in the first. The first 10 mins were dominated by Stanningley who were helped by the indiscipline of Rangers players. Regular offside decisions could not be blamed solely on the referee and with 'back chat' resulting in further lost yards Rangers were lucky not to concede with a timely Rangers boot taking the ball from under a Stanningley hand over the line. Playing with 12 men, after David Byrne was sin-binned for dissent on 50 mins, Rangers produced a sweeping move which resulted in a Josh Brown try. Michael Coates made up for the missed conversion with a penalty after he had been 'hit late' after a kick through making the score 26 - 4. Stanningley had not really threatened in the second half but a neat kick through, which rebounded of a post, resulted in a score for Adam Elwell. Stuart Halliday's conversion brought the score to 26 - 10. The referee had not managed to calm what was becoming an ill disciplined game with regular skirmishes  resulting in Simon Parrish and Ben Smith trading punches followed by a 10 min 'rest'. With 6 mins to go, sharp inter-passing again resulted in a try in the corner for Shaun Robinson which Michael Coates converted from the touchline.

It was an entertaining match, if you like blood sports, but to the purist  much positive and attractive rugby was spoiled by the negative actions of the few. Rangers have presented a most positive attitude over the opening three matches, excellent defence allied to some most attractive back play with forwards making good drives 'up the middle'. With some sterner tests to come let's hope that the negative element is eradicated - then we'll have something to really shout about!