Pies produce pukka debut performance

The Pies destroy York St Johns in Ultimate

James Sproston
9th November 2015
The ultimate start: Newcastle's Pies enjoyed a dream debut | Image: Katie Ackerley

In their first ever BUCS league fixture, the Newcastle Pies didn’t disappoint with a 15-0 drumming of an inexperienced York St Johns side.

York had the great honour of the first pull of the season, but it was largely under whelming. Newcastle capitalised on the turnover, with Andrew Macgill sending a neat break-throw into the end zone for shin-splinted Jake Hawkyard to catch unopposed.

Shortly after, the Pies doubled their lead as Max Vasey comfortably reached an Eric Mussell Webber lofted pass. The following Newcastle point was contested between two players, as both Charlie Huins and George Perry latched onto a superb throw from the captain.

Keen to still play the beautiful game, the Pies worked the disc brilliantly to score a point after a 9-pass move. Once Macgill worked hard to intercept a misguided pass, the team worked their way up field with the final cutting pass being delivered by also-shin-splinted Will Mulvaney to the onrushing Perry.

Another Newcastle turnover was followed by eleven passes, with a long Vasey throw being exquisitely converted by Huins’ lunging layout catch, reminiscent of Saracens’ swallow-diving winger Chris Ashton.

Pulling masters Huins and Mussell Webber continued to push the team up the pitch, with Macgill once again setting up Hawkyard for yet another point. At this point, Pies’ cutter Elgan Jones rocked up like today’s match was the Brits. His fashionably late introduction coincided with a Hawkyard turnover that resulted in the big Welshman having a great chance to extend the team’s lead.

The match was comparable to an in-form Frankel racing an asthmatic three-legged donkey

Instead the York defence was good enough to cut out Vasey’s pass. However the momentum that the Pies carried continued minutes later, with the captain setting up Hawkyard for yet another grab in the end zone after a Nathan Rudge interception. The same two combined moments after the restart, with Mussell Webber yet again feeding Hawkyard to further extend the team’s lead.

As the teams headed over to the touchline for half-time, the score stood at 8-0. The Pies team-talk was relatively simple, with the Captain Eric prompting the team to try out some training ground routines, such as the hexagonal offensive play; the ‘Bucket’.

Andrew Macgill got the second half underway, almost immediately leading to a point, but Mussell Webber couldn’t quite reach the final pass of the move. During a lull in the game, hardcore Ultimate fans Harri Saunders and Brad Metcalfe turned up to cheer on the Pies in action. This support spurred on the boys to score yet again, this time Perry latching on to the end of another Mussell Webber throw.

Rather than one of the regular handlers, Mulvaney attempted to get the game back underway; but his pulling power clearly paled in comparison to that of Huins or Mussell Webber as the disc was sent plummeting into the ground. Nevertheless a LeBron-esque block from Macgill was the catalyst for another majestically crafted team point.

Three substitutions, a “delicious” Huins pull and two chances for Jones and Vasey later, Newcastle finally scored their 12th point of the match when some hard graft from Ed Gemmill allowed captain and key-handler Mussell Webber to clinically throw to Vasey.

After an unusually poor pull from Huins, York had their first real chance of the match, but the throw was too long. The Pies responded by stringing together ten passes, the last of which from Rudge finding Big Canadian Joel in the end zone.

By this point the captain had began to take liberties, as the self-professed king of banter faked a pull as the whole team ran down the pitch

Although York St Johns star Yu Tung Wong was close to adding a consolation point, the match was comparable to an in-form Frankel racing an asthmatic three-legged donkey. Macgill once again intercepted a York pass and then played a nifty one-two with Mussell Webber to score the penultimate point of the afternoon.

By this point the captain had began to take liberties, as the self-professed king of banter faked a pull as the whole team ran down the pitch. His actual throw was high and “floaty”, allowing the team to close down the opposition with plenty of time. Sure enough possession was swiftly turned over and Perry sent the disc over to Macgill for his second and the team’s fifteenth and final point of the game.

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