Nottingham Outlaws almost provided the shock of the season in the Midlands Premiership Final when they came within one score of beating reigning champions Telford Raiders. Indeed, the fought back magnificently from a 16-0 half time deficit to almost snatch a win and with two disallowed trys they came close to pulling off a shock win.

The Outlaws went into the final as heavy underdogs having lost both league encounters to the Raiders, shipping over a hundred points in the process so few pundits gave them any hope of pulling off a shock victory.

Indeed, the omens didn’t look great in the opening quarter when they were heavily penalised by the referee which meant they hardly threatened at all. On the back of this possession and field position the Outlaws soon began to leak points as Raiders built up a 10-0 lead with two trys from their big forwards from close range.

Despite the setback the Outlaws finally got some possession in the Raiders twenty and Jimmy Goodwin looked like he had opened the scoring only for the referee to rule for an incorrect grounding.

However, despite the respite the Raiders swept back down the field and once again, back to back penalties saw them under the cosh as Raiders scored again to go into the halftime break totally in command at 16-0.

The second stanza saw a re-vitalised Outlaws team hit the pedal from the off and it soon became apparent that the big Telford front six were rapidly running out of steam in the face of some great Outlaws defence.

Indeed with the second half barely five minutes old Gaz Whitfield sent out a raking pass to the wing which Haz Ashby collected to touch down in the corner only for the referee to chalk it off for what looked like a harsh decision.

With the half unfolding the Outlaws began to dominate possession and field position against a visibly rattled Telford team. They were led by Sam Andrews and Jacob Butler who both began making big inroads into the Raiders defence.

On the back of this better field position and a lion’s share of the possession they finally got the try they deserved when Jimmy Goodwin latched onto a ball from ten metres out and he ran over two defenders in the process of opening the Outlaws account and cut the deficit to 16-4 with the clock on sixty minutes.

Sensing the Raiders were beginning to tire, the Outlaws swarmed forward and they reduced the deficit further when Jacob Butler sliced through the Raiders line beating three defenders on the way for a superb try. Tom Wigglesworth slotted over the conversion to make it 16-10 with ten minutes left to play.

By this point in the game the Outlaws looked like they might go on to at least level the scores but some dogged defence by the Raiders kept them out and they just failed to do it as the final whistle blew with the scoreline reading 16-10 in the Raiders favour.

Despite the defeat the Outlaws had acquitted themselves superbly and on another day could have won it. Coaches Shepherd and Bennett were both full of praise for their charges and were more than pleased with the improvement in performance against a team that had beaten them so comprehensively in the regular season.

There were a host of players in with a shout of the man of the match award, Jacob Butler had superb game on attack and defence and Sam Andrews made some good yards down the middle. However, there were no complaints when Clarke Squires took the award with an excellent all-round performance with ball in hand and a great defensive stint against his opposite number.

Nottingham Outlaws Women wrapped up their 2025 league campaign with a great showing at Lenton Lane in the final Midlands Women’s Festival at Lenton Lane on Sunday.

In the first match the Outlaws ran out 24-0 winners over Midlands Hurricanes but the Outlaws saved their best performance for the match-up against Telford Raiders, a side they had never beaten. In a great performance they scored four great trys to run out 18-14 winners.

Outlaws try scorers were Violet Coppin, Rachel Chambers, Robyn Gulley, Charlie Allport, Ruth Foster and Kiera Newton.

Congratulations went to Outlaws Player of the Tournament, Lacey Solly.

Overall the Outlaws have completed a tough campaign travelling far and wide across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, eventually finishing a highly creditable third place in the division, a great result for what is a new-look side.

Nottingham Outlaws secured a place in the Midlands Premier division Play-Off Final with an emphatic 42-0 demolition of Coventry Bears at Lenton Lane on Saturday. The win sees Outlaws face-off against an unbeaten Telford Raiders outfit at Leamington RFC in two weeks time.

Any thoughts that this last league fixture might be a formality soon disappeared when Coventry almost scored from their first meaningful attack only for a great try saving tackle from Josh Burgin managing to hold up the attacker over the line.

After 15 minutes without a score it was the Outlaws that drew first blood  when captain Coryn Ward latched onto a short ball at pace to open up the Outlaws scoring account with a well taken effort, which Whitfield converted to make it 6-0.

Again Coventry should have scored but failed to pick up the ball from a neat grubber and they were soon made to pay for their profligacy when James Hood powered over from the very next play with an unstoppable surge to the line. Whitfield again slotted over the extras to make it 12-0 to the Outlaws at the break.

After a nervy first half showing the Outlaws started the second stanza with a much more direct approach, taking route one with the forwards. And immediately this change in tactic began to payoff against a rapidly tiring Coventry outfit.

Indeed the half was only five minutes old when Clarke Squires scored with a great solo effort as the powerful halfback crashed his way through some flailing defence and then five minutes later Gaz Whitfield side-stepped his way through the Bears defence and fed Jacob Butler with a short pass and the twinkle-toed second rower sauntered through a gap to stretch the lead to 20-0.

With the Outlaws upping the pace the Bears simply ran out of steam and with their defence struggling they began to leak points at an alarming rate.

Next up captain Coryn Ward took another short ball to double his tally for the game and in the very next set, big Sam Bradley latched onto the ball on the twenty metre line and simply drove his way through the heart of the Bears defence, carrying three defenders over the line with him for a superb solo effort to make it 32-0 with Whitfield converting from bang in front.

There was no respite to be found anywhere for the Bears and they succumbed to two more Outlaws trys as James Chubb scored an excellent try with a run down the right wing before James Hood notched  another powerful effort to complete a fine brace on the day and wrap up the scoring at 42-0 in the Outlaws favour.

After the game the player of the match award committee came up with their choice after some tough deliberation but there was no arguments when young second rower Jacob Butler took the awards after a superb showing on attack and defence.

As the players celebrated their win news filtered through that Sherwood had lost at Telford which meant the Outlaws were through to the final and will once again play Telford Raiders in a repeat of last year’s showpiece in two week’s time.

Nottingham Outlaws kept their Midland Premier play-off ambitions alive with a hard-earned 30-18 victory away over bottom-placed Leamington Royals on Saturday. However they did it the hard way, having to come from behind on two occasions before overpowering the home side with a strong second half performance.

Any thoughts of a stroll in the park for the Outlaws disappeared in the opening five minutes when a loose pass on the home twenty was intercepted and the Royals raced up the pitch to open the scoring and a 4-0 lead.

The Outlaws soon replied, with the next attack Jimmy Goodwin crashed over from ten metres out with a typical effort to level at 4-4 with less than ten minutes played. However the respite was short lived as the Outlaws failed to gather a loose ball and with the defenders looking on, Leamington picked up the ball to score and go back into the lead at 10-4.

Once again, the Outlaws had to come from behind but they did so in emphatic fashion as captain Coryn Ward burst through a gap to score a great solo effort and two minutes later he repeated the effort to notch a quick-fire brace. Whitfield added one of the conversions as the Outlaws went in front for the first time in the game at 10-14.

With the clock ticking down the Outlaws looked like they would go into the sheds with a small lead but on the stroke of halftime the Outlaws lost possession with a ball-steal on their own twenty and in the next play the home side levelled at 14-14 with a well taken try.

The second stanza started with a re-shuffle as Outlaws influential scrum half Tom Wigglesworth was forced from the field after being hit with a high shot that resulted in a lengthy stoppage and a short exchange between the forwards.

The break seemed to revitalise the Outlaws and a great kick through on the last tackle saw Jimmy Goodwin reach the ball first to grab his second of the game and then Harry Hemmingway opened his account as Leamington lost the ball in the tackle and the young winger picked up the loose ball to score with the simplest of efforts.

At 14-24 the Outlaws appeared home and hosed but a late try by the home side saw the deficit reduced to one score at 18-24 and the visiting supporters nerves began to jangle once again!

With the clock ticking down the Outlaws finally put the game to bed with the best try of the match and it came from some fine interplay between the Ward brothers.

The move started out wide as Ward senior broke through the line on halfway and he fed Ward Junior who went on a foot race down the line. As the cover came across he swapped passes with Ward Senior before Junior  once again received the ball from his older brother and the young winger sauntered under the post to score. The evergreen Steve Page added the extras for his first points of the season to wrap up the scoring at 18-30 in the Outlaws favour.

Several players were in with a shout for the man of the match award but it was fullback Gaz Whitfield that took the honours, bossing the match from start  to finish with some great ball handling and attacking kicks.

The Outlaws now have the luxury of a week off before their final league game at home to Coventry, a game they must win if they are to have any chance of reaching the play-off final.

Nottingham Outlaws travelled to Telford on Saturday to play an unbeaten Raiders team that currently sits at the top of the Midlands Premier Division sporting a 100% record. Despite the odds being stacked against they battled hard before finally succumbing to a 46-6 defeat.

The Outlaws went into the game with no fewer than 12 changes to the squad that travelled up to Sherwood the week before and sporting several players on first team debut including Kyle Robinson, Ben Smith, Sam Barney and Ollie Walsh.

With something of a makeshift look to the side the opening stages were always going to be tough and after thirty minutes of first half play the Outlaws had failed to get into the Telford red zone whilst at the other end of the pitch the free scoring raiders ran in no fewer than six trys to lead 26-0. However, the Outlaws did rally, with full back Aiden Butler doing his best to organize the Outlaws defensive line and Ali Waring and Captain Coryn Ward working overtime on the tackling front they also managed to mount a couple of attacks of their own before the half time whistle sounded.

The second stanza started in similar fashion to the first with the home side stretching their lead but the Outlaws rallied and for the first time in the game managed to exert some pressure. With more possession and field position the Outlaws were finally rewarded when Sam Bradley found winger Sam Barney with an excellent pass and the young winger touched down to mark an impressive debut performance.

Aiden Butler slotted over the extras but further scores by the Raiders saw them home and dry with a closing scoreline of 46-6 in the home sides favour.

Despite the defeat there were a number of gutsy performances from a new-look Outlaws team that was superbly marshalled by Aiden Butler at Fullback who deservedly took the man of the match award.

Next week the Outlaws entertain Birmingham Bulldogs knowing they can’t afford any more defeats if they are to stand a chance of getting into the top two play-offs.

Nottingham Outlaws succumbed to a disappointing 30-6 loss against local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Debdale Park on Friday evening,  a defeat that leaves the Outlaws hopes of a play-off spot well and truly hanging in the balance.

A strong Outlaws squad travelled two junctions up the M1 and they started strongly, peppering the try line of the home side but some over-eager play and some resolute home defending meant that the Outlaws early dominance went unrewarded.

With 15 minutes gone it had been all Outlaws in the opening exchanges but with one of their few forays into the Outlaws red zone Sherwood broke the deadlock by scoring in the corner to open up a 4-0 lead.

Stung by thus reversal the Outlaws upped the ante and went back on the attack but once more it looked like their efforts might be for nothing but they finally got their rewards when a superbly weighted Whitfield grubber just held up in the Sherwood in goal and Harry Hemmingway won the race to the ball to score a well executed try. Whitfield added the extras to nudge the Outlaws 4-6 ahead with ten minutes of the half remaining.

It looked like the Outlaws ascendancy would see them go into the break but a two try hall either side of the break saw the match swing very much in Sherwood’s favour.

The problems started in the last minute of the first stanza when back to back penalties piggybacked the home side into the Outlaws red zone and they capitalized with a try under the sticks.

Then straight from the re-start of the second stanza the Outlaws were forced into touch and from the resultant scrum the Outlaws conceded to find  themselves 14-6 in arrears.

The travelling support hoped for a positive response from their favourites but instead they were treated to string of errors as the Outlaws forced the pass on too many occasions which meant their completion rate plummeted and they were continually forced back on defence, starved of possession when they desperately needed to get their hands on the ball.

Sherwood had already shown that they knew their way over the whitewash and with a glut of possession and field position they began to put the Outlaws to the sword with a string of well-executed attacks that brought no fewer than three trys without response to well and truly put the game to bed with the Outlaws well beaten at 30-6.

Despite the defeat a few players were in the shout for the man of the match award. Coryn Ward did his best to rouse his troops with an all-action display but the award went to young winger Harry Hemmingway who battled hard for the full eighty minutes and grabbed the only Outlaws try.

After the game a shell-shocked Outlaws squad contemplated a defeat that meant that they now have to travel to unbeaten Telford on Saturday and nothing less than a victory will be needed to keep their top two hopes alive.

Nottingham Outlaws returned to winning ways with a hard earned 26-8 victory over Leamington Royals at Lenton Lane on Saturday. The win keeps them in   touch with the top two places in what looks like being a tight race to the finish for an end of season play-off spot.

The Outlaws went into the game with a number of regular faces missing, resulting in a number of positional changes from the team that lost to Telford last time out along with two debutants in the shape of George Sissons and Benn Smith.

The match kicked off in sweltering conditions with the pitch side thermometer registering 31C and it was Leamington who held the upper hand in the opening exchanges, almost scoring in their opening set but some good Outlaws defence managed to keep them out.

Further Leamington raids kept the Outlaws on the back foot and the pressure intensified when star wingman Michael Adeyemi went off injured with a painful shoulder injury that ended his involvement in the match with only five minutes played.

After twenty minutes of scrappy play both sides had struggled to complete their sets with several intermittent showers making handling difficult. However, the match changed dramatically when captain Coryn Ward latches on to a quick play the ball to shoot through the defensive line and he managed to hold off the Royals full back to open the scoring as the Outlaws led 4-0.

The Ward try seemed to settle the home side and they began to ask more questions of the Royals defence with James Hood offloading in the tackle to Harry Hemmingway to open his account and two minutes later Jimmy Goodwin marked his first outing of the season with a well taken try.

The third Outlaws try in a whirlwind ten minute spell saw James Chubb collect and open his scoring account for the club with a well taken effort. Ashby added the extras as the first half ended with the Outlaws in control at 18-0

The second stanza started brightly for the Outlaws with a sixty yard break by Coryn Ward almost yielding a try but on the very next play Jimmy Goodwin collected the ball and ran over the top of his opposite number to keep the scoreboard ticking over at 22-0.

Again the rain came down and the greasy ball meant both sides dropped the ball on a regular basis as the match entered into a scrappy phase, brightened only once by a well taken solo effort by Haz Ashby who showed great footwork to dance over the line for a try to stretch the lead to 26-0.

The final stages belonged to Leamington who to their credit never threw in the towel and they bagged two late efforts to close out the scoring at 28-6 in the Outlaws favour.

There were a number of players in the mix for the man of the match award but it was debutant George Sissons who took the medal with a great defensive display that cut down a number of Leamington attacks.

Nottingham Outlaws 100% winning start to their 2025 league campaign came to an abrupt halt on Saturday when they were on the wrong end of a 56-6 to reigning champions Telford Raiders at Lenton Lane on Saturday.

The Outlaws went into the game sporting several changes to the line up that won at Coventry last week with Haz Ashby, Jacob Butler and Jack Jonson coming back into the starting seventeen along with a late call up for debutant James Chubb who started on the bench.

There was little sign of what was about to unfurl in the opening fifteen minutes with the match evenly balanced and the nearest either side came to scoring fell to the Outlaws when Michael Adeyemi won a foot race to the ball after a smart Whitfield grubber but the referee chalked off the try for a knock-on during the grounding.

After a fairly even opening the Raiders began to cut loose and on the back of a penalty they marched into the Outlaws red zone and promptly opened the scoring at 0-6.

The Raiders were now starting to move the ball at pace and in a stunning twenty minute period they blew the Outlaws off the park with a superb display of handling and powerful surges that punched huge holes in the Outlaws defence.

The scoreboard was now ticking over at an alarming rate as the Raiders began scoring at will, notching no fewer than four more trys, a blistering series of scores that stretched the visitors out to an unassailable 0-32 lead  when the half time whistle sounded.

The second half started pretty much as the first one had ended with The Raiders dominating field position and possession with the Outlaws well and truly pegged back in their own forty for most of the second stanza, rarely troubling the visitors line.

The visitors were in no mood to let up and they began racking up more scores as the Telford score passed the half century at 0-56 with ten minutes left to play.

To their credit the Outlaws did finally manage to mount a late charge, and they finally crossed the Telford whitewash. The late try came from Michael Adeyemi touched down after a well-weighted kick by Whitfield into the Telford in goal area to cut the visitors lead down to 6-56.

When  the final whistle went there was a feeling of disappointment mixed with resignation to the fact that the Outlaws had been beaten by a Telford side that put in a superior performance  in every aspect of the game.

Man of the match deservedly went to Captain Coryn Ward who put in a great defensive display despite the odds stacked against him.

Nottingham Outlaws kept their 100% start to their 2025 Midlands Premier League campaign alive with a hard-earned 28-20 victory over Coventry Bears at Earlsdon on Saturday. However, they did it the hard way, having to overturn a 14-6 deficit to eventually run out 28-20 victors and in doing so, return to the top of the table.

The Outlaws went into the game with a somewhat depleted roster, missing no fewer than eight players from the squad that turned out against Sherwood in the previous league fixture. The changes disrupted pre-match preparations with a revised halfback pairing and captain Coryn Ward moving into hooking duties. They were joined by Cei Ridout, Dan Brown and Harry Watts who all came in for their first hit-out of the season.

The opening exchanges were relatively even with neither side looking like scoring but after ten minutes of stalemate it was the Outlaws who opened the scoring when Sam Andrews latched onto a quick play the ball following a line break by Coryn Ward and the powerful prop charged over the line from ten metres out despite the attention of two defenders. Whitfield added the extras from bang in front to settle the Outlaws nerves with the scoreline at 6-0 in their favour.

As the first half progressed the Outlaws found themselves more and more on the back foot, dropping or losing the ball in the tackle with alarming regularity. Add in a slew of penalties and repeat sets to the recipe and the result was a thirty minute period in which the Outlaws were pinned back in their own forty, having to repel attack after attack.

With the Outlaws under the cosh they were now working overtime but thankfully their scrambling defence kept the home side scoreless when it could have been a lot worse. However, with less than five minutes of the first stanza remaining the Bears did eventually got a try that their dominance deserved and they levelled the game at 6-6 as the half time hooter went soon after.

Half time talk from head coach Joe Shepherd was all about protecting the ball and set completion but the straight forward message didn’t seem to sink in during the opening exchanges following the re-start as once again the Outlaws found themselves repelling attack after attack, unable to get their hands on the ball and when they did, losing it in the tackle to invite the home side back into the Outlaws red zone.

With twelve second half minutes played it was the Bears who opened the second stanza scoring with a try under the posts and a quick-fire penalty stretched the home lead to 14-6 on the 65 minute mark.

At this stage the Outlaws had not been into the Bears forty and they desperately needed to find some inspiration from somewhere and they found it in the shape of fullback Gaz Whitfield. The sure-footed sharpshooter put in a superb downfield kick into the Bears twenty and a good defensive follow up saw the home side cough up the ball to give the Outlaws head and feed. Buoyed by the outcome, big Sam Bradley took the ball straight from the scrum and used his footwork and strength to crash over the try line from fifteen metres out. Whitfield converted and the Outlaws were now back in a game at 14-12 in a match that was very much slipping away from them!

The Bradley try clearly breathed new life into an Outlaws side that immediately upped the ante and in a blistering five minute spell they notched three more trys without reply!

The first came straight from the restart following the Bradley try, with big Sam Andrews registering his second of the game with virtually a carbon copy effort to his first as the big prop carried three defenders over the line with him for yet another try borne from sheer power!

Two minutes later the Outlaws went over again following a marvellous solo run from Captain Coryn Ward who went on a scintillating twenty metre run to the line, handing off the Coventry fullback before planting down over the try line.

Next up in this blistering spell was winger Michael Adeyemi who chased down an inch-perfect kick from Gaz Whitfield which sat up in the in-goal area and the speedster won the foot race to the ball to stretch the Outlaws to a 28-14 lead having been looking down the barrel less than ten minutes before the try avalanche!

As the game entered the last ten minutes the Outlaws once again found themselves on the back foot and a spirited Coventry side registered a late try but it was too little too late and there was a mixture of joy and relief when the final whistle went with the Outlaws registering their third win on the bounce with a 28-20 winning margin.

After the game the Outlaws squad waited eagerly for the man of the match award. There were plenty of players mentioned in dispatches, with Sam Bradley, Coryn Ward and Sam Andrews all having solid games in the engine room of the pack and Michael Adeyemi putting in some great defence as well as a fine try. However it was full back Gaz Whitfield that took the trophy. The wily fullback orchestrated proceedings superbly for the Outlaws, barking orders on attack and defence backed up with a masterclass of field kicking and four out of five conversion attempts finding their mark!

Next Saturday all roads lead to Lenton Lane where the Outlaws will entertain a Telford Raiders side that also sport a 100% winning record in what promises to be a titanic struggle!

Nottingham Outlaws entertained local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Lenton Lane on Friday evening looking to build on last week’s opening round victory over Birmingham. In hard fought encounter the Outlaws found themselves 12-4 in arrears after a first half in which they were well and truly under the cosh but they rallied with a magnificent second half performance that saw them notch four trys without reply to end up deserved 28-12 victors.

The Outlaws went into the game with a few changes to the side that beat the Bulldogs last weekend, in the pack forwards Sam Bradley and Jacob Rigby came in for their league debuts and they were joined on debut by Nial O’Kane on the wing. Haz Ashby also made a welcome return to the side, slotting into the center berth.

The Outlaws started brightly, and they soon began to ask a few questions of the Sherwood defence and with less than ten minutes on the clock halfback Tom Wigglesworth darted over from short range for a well taken try that nudged the Outlaws 4-0 in front.

Despite further pressure the Outlaws couldn’t add to their tally against a Sherwood side that was beginning to ask more and more questions of the Outlaws defence.

Indeed as the match progressed the Outlaws found themselves more and more on the back foot, not helped by a string of penalties and infringements at the play the ball that starved them of possession and kept them continually on the backfoot. Indeed, Sherwood soon began to turn the screw and on the 30 minute mark they went in front at 4-6 after the Outlaws failed to hold out after conceding back to back sets.

The match was in danger of slipping away from the Outlaws when Wolf Hunt scored again and with the ten first half minutes remaining the Outlaws were trailing 4-12. Not only were they behind but they were in danger of conceding more points as they continued to be starved of possession and field position. However to their credit they dug deep and some good scrambling defence from Coryn Ward and Adam Ward in particular kept the visitors at bay until the first stanza drew to a close.

The Outlaws desperately needed to reverse the flow of the game and coach Shepherd brought on fresh forwards in the shape of Hemmingway, Page and Bradley along with young hooker Jacob Rigby in an effort to breathe new life and legs into the side.

When the second stanza began things didn’t appear to be going well for the Outlaws with their Captain Coryn Ward sent to the bin for a high shot reduced them to 12 men on the paddock.

Despite this short term disadvantage  the effect of the half time changes soon became apparent with Bradley in particular making big inroads into the Sherwood line with a series of powerful surges.

With the Outlaws on the ascendancy it was Sherwood’s turn to be on the back foot conceding a string of penalties in favour of the Outlaws and with this advantage the home side began to cut loose!

 

With their forwards laying the platform, the Outlaws playmakers began to orchestrate proceedings on the pitch. Led by scrum half Tom Wigglesworth and his partners in crime Jacob Rigby and Clarke Squires they opened up a series of chances and they deservedly went into the lead when Ali Waring powered over from short range after Bradley had laid the platform with another powerful burst. Whitfield added the extras from the touchline to reduce the deficit to 10-12 and with only ten second half minutes played it was game on!

The Outlaws were now taking a stranglehold of possession and field position, and they once again got the scoreboard ticking over when a raking Wigglesworth pass found James Hood who drew the Wolf Hunt winger before unleashing Ashby for a fine try. With Whitfield again converting the Outlaws were back in the lead at 16-12.

It was a lead they were destined to keep for the remainder of the game!

With the Outlaws halfbacks finding more and more space to run the Sherwood defence continued to leak points and the next try came on the 65 minute mark with Tom Wigglesworth putting in a superb crossfield kick that was collected by Harry Hemmingway to open his account for the night and stretch the Outlaws lead to two scores at 22-12 with another touchline conversion by Whitfield.

The Outlaws continued to suffocate the Wolf Hunt attack and things looked like boiling over when a heated exchange of views between the forwards saw Wolf Hunt reduced to twelve men. However things soon settled down and the game was put to bed in the dying minutes when Harry Hemmingway completed a fine brace with a short range effort that Whitfield again converted to close out the scoring with the Outlaws sporting a healthy 28-12 winning margin.

After the game the ebullient players waited eagerly to see who had taken the man of the match award. It was a difficult one with so many Outlaws putting in strong performances. Tom Wigglesworth had his best ever game in an Outlaws shirt and Jacob Rigby on league debut proved a huge handful for the visiting defence. However it was an all action display on attack and defence by Luke Wadding that secured him a well-deserved man of the match medal!