Dylan Skee (centre) is congratulated after scoring a try for London Skolars

Skolars thunder through Gateshead to rack up a record away win

By Andrew Jackson
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
1:08 PM

Co-Operative Championship One:

Gateshead Thunder 16 London Skolars 64

London Skolars ran in 12 tries to record their biggest ever away win at basement boys Gateshead Thunder on Sunday.

The visitors started in impressive style after Gateshead’s kick-off went straight into touch, advancing upfield with Joe Price scoring after just 70 seconds.

He scored again three minutes later and then made the final passes for Smokie Junor to score two successive tries in the corner.

Gateshead rallied briefly with converted Paul Stamp try, but Skolars continued their dominance when Neil Thorman finished off a James Anthony break to score against his old club.

Junor completed his hat-trick, and in the next set of six Brad Hopkins cut inside to scythe through the defence and put Skolars 38-6 up at half-time.

Anthony created an overlap for Price to complete his hat-trick soon after the restart, and Dylan Skee found a gap for Andy McLean to burst through, before Olly O’Mara scored Gateshead’s second try.

Matt Thomas’s try pushed the visitors past the 50-point mark and Dave Williams’s steal allowed Hopkins to score his second try and extend the gap.

Five minutes from time Anthony broke away and set up Skee, who added a try to his eight conversions and ended the match with a 20-point personal haul -although it was Gateshead who scored the final try through Joe Brown.

It was a good weekend all-round for London Skolars, with the reserves winning 38-26 away at Eastern Rhinos, which almost certainly means they will finish top of the South Premier League.

Meanwhile, the Under-12s won 28-22 at Croydon Hurricanes in the play-off semi-finals to earn themselves a final against Elmbridge Eagles.

Elsewhere, the Under-18s triumphed 26-36 at Barking and Dagenham Bulldogs and they will play South London Storm in the final.

That will take place at New River on Saturday as part of the London Junior RL finals day, and Skolars’ reserves will also be in action in the final of the Challenge Trophy against Portsmouth Navy Seahawks.

The first team take on South Wales Scorpions, who sit one place below them in the league table, the following day on Sunday at 2pm at New River.