FRENCH connections were renewed when the West Craven Warriors junior rugby league squad played a team from across the Channel on Good Friday.

It is three years since the Warriors first played a junior team from Roanne, in central France, and some lasting friendships were made then. Last weekend, those friendships were renewed and new ones made when the French squad returned to Barnoldswick for another match.

The Warriors under-14s squad has just clinched the West Riding League second division title and will play next season in division one. Their match with Roanne gave them an early taste of the standard of rugby they can expect, the French visitors playing solidly to record a 30-10 victory over the home side.

The French had the bigger and more powerful side, succeeding in driving the Warriors backwards at every scrum. However, in passing and handling skills, there was little to choose between the two sides.

The Warriors were too often prevented from scoring by strong French tackling, and this was the big difference between the two teams. Every French player seemed to relish tackling, while a glance at the tackle count statistics for the Warriors told a different story. Half the team finished the game with 20 or more tackles to their credit, but the other half left the field with less than four each.

Man of the match was Alex Szostak while Christopher Wood and Karl Baldwin each had one try to their name and Chris Watson made the only conversion for the Warriors.

Also in action was the Warriors under-12s squad, the French visitors displaying fine sportsmanship by loaning two players so that their hosts could field a full team. However, the French again proved too strong, winning the match convincingly at 36-0.

This game was also played with great spirit from both sides, but it was a very scrappy game to watch. Both teams made too many basic mistakes and failed to get any flow into their play. They seemed intent on bunching round the ball, with the West Craveners particularly guilty in that area.

The French secret weapon was their half-back who scored all but one of their tries despite being the smallest player on the pitch. The Warriors under-12s clearly paid the price of not training together in sufficient numbers over recent months, leading to a spirited but ultimately disorganised approach.

Man of the match was James Boxwell.

This Sunday sees the biggest event in the West Craven Warriors calendar - the annual player awards evening. The event has now grown so large that this year it will be held at the Rolls-Royce Sports and Social Club, on Skipton Road, Barnoldswick, starting at 7pm. Anyone wanting tickets can call club secretary Anne Baldwin on 0128 844670.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.