Williams' hat-trick try caps Salem romp (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Tony Williams' hat-trick try caps Bradford Salem romp

4:10pm Sunday 21st October 2012 in Sport By Neil Klenk

Bradford Salem 62, Moortown 16

Bradford Salem kept up the pressure on the leaders in SSE Yorkshire Division Two with a crushing 62-16 victory over Moortown at Shay Lane.

However, it was the visitors who had the better of the opening exchanges and they deservedly went ahead 3-0 courtesy of a Mark Wilkinson penalty.

This minor setback seemed to spur Salem into action and it wasn't long before they took the lead as full back Danny Belcher went over.

Fly half Andy Robinson, who was later named man of the match by the Moortown coaching staff, surprisingly missed the relatively simple conversion, and soon afterwards was also off target with a penalty attempt.

Nevertheless, Salem's potent back division was looking increasingly dangerous and they extended their lead when a deft inside pass sent skipper and No 8 Damien Pearson on a rampaging run, and centre Tony Williams was in support to sprint under the posts, Robinson adding the extras to the ironic cheers of the crowd as the home side went 12-3 in front.

Salem were now in full flow, and the backs in particular seemed capable of scoring from every opportunity.

Williams darted over for his second try following a grubber kick through, and Robinson landed the conversion plus a long-range penalty to put his side 22-3 ahead.

Wilkinson pulled back three points for the visitors but the reprieve was short-lived as second-rower Sam Leach stretched over for the solitary forward's try, Robinson tagging on the conversion to take the Heaton side into a 29-6 lead.

A flowing move in the backs then allowed winger Carl Walker to go over in the corner and, although Wilkinson struck a third penalty for the visitors, Salem were happy with the 34-9 advantage at half-time.

Salem found it difficult to break down Moortown's resilient defence in the opening ten minutes of the second half but, after a period of intense pressure, they were finally rewarded when Belcher went over for his second try, improved by Robinson to give Salem an unassailable 41-9 lead.

One area of concern for the Salem coaching team would be the restarts, and after the forwards yet again failed to gather the kick-off cleanly, some weak tackling allowed Moortown back-rower Lee Myers to coast through for a try that was improved by Wilkinson to restore some pride for the visitors.

However, Salem finished the game in fine style, and further tries from wingers Danny Thomas and Sam Savage, both improved by Robinson, took the scoreline to 55-16.

Then, in the final play of the game, Williams completed his hat-trick after skillfully regathering a chip ahead, Robinson adding the extras to seal an emphatic 62-16 victory.