Bradford Bulldogs Weekend Review - Wins for Under-14s and Under-12s
BRADFORD BULLDOGS Under-14s moved up to third in North Division One, keeping alive their hopes of making it through to the end-of-season Nationals.
An 11-0 victory was enough to take Andy Brown’s young charges above rivals Manchester Storm.
It leaves the Bulldogs six points off second-placed Sheffield with two games in hand and a clash between the two teams still to come sometime in April.
Danny Harrison got the scoring started in Coventry on Sunday evening with just 50 seconds on the clock but it wasn’t until the 12th minute that the visitors doubled their lead, Frank O’Sullivan getting on the board.
Before the end of the first period, it was 4-0 with Harrison and O’Sullivan doubling their respective tallies.
Captain Daragh Spawforth made it 5-0 with his first of the night at 16.12 before Charlie Barker got his first-ever goal for the Under-14s just under 10 minutes later.
Harrison completed his hat-trick at 26.45 and it was left to Spawforth to steal the show when he plundered four more goals in the third period for a fantastic five-goal haul.
The 14s hope to close the gap on North One rivals Sheffield further this weekend when they travel to Whitley Bay.
Under-16s make Sharks work hard for their points
The Under-16s enjoyed a competitive match with Kingston Sharks on home ice the previous night before eventually going down 8-2.
After 40 minutes, the game was very much alive with the Bulldogs trailing 4-2. But two quickfire goals at the start of the third from Ethan Daintith - his third of the night - and Kohen Taylor took the game away from the hosts before Owen Bruton struck twice more to complete his hat-trick.
Earlier, Hull had established a 2-0 first-period lead through Daintith and Dylan Barry before the former doubled his tally just six seconds into the second period.
But the hosts made it a one-goal game with two goals in three minutes, the first coming from Oliver Massey at 19.13 before Rhys Edwards struck at 22.40.
Hull managed to give themselves a two-goal cushion before the second intermission through Bruton, their superiority in terms of possession and chances - they outshot the Bulldogs 54-15 - coming to the fore in the final 20.
Under-12s stay in the hunt for top spot
Also on Saturday, the Under-12s got back into action after more than a month out, easing to a 9-1 win at Blackburn.
The result leaves them a point off second-placed Manchester Storm with six games in hand and eight to play.
Kieran Smith got the ball rolling after just 50 seconds before a fourth-minute double from Thomas Taylor increased the lead to 3-0 for the visitors.
Eleanor Simpson then got on the board with Kyle Bower following suit soon after, doubling his tally in the 12th minute before Blackburn replied through Zac Grimes at 11.44.
Charlie Barker made it 7-1 before the end of the first period, before Taylor and Bower completed a memorable day for themselves by completing their hat-tricks early in the second.