Nottingham Outlaws attempt to win the Midlands Premiership title ended in disappointment when they fell to a narrow 28-24 defeat against rivals Telford Raiders in Birmingham on Saturday. In a hugely entertaining game, the Outlaws led for half the game and almost stole a victory on the last play of the match but they ultimately fell just short of the silverware.

The Outlaws kicked off the match playing down the slope and almost conceded a try on the first play after a blistering opening attack by the Raiders opened up the Outlaws defence but a great try saving tackle by full back Haz Ashby saved what looked like being an early opening try.

The opening scenes continued in much the same way with Telford carving open gaps in the Outlaws line only for some great scrambling defence to save the day on a number of occasions.

Despite the heroic defence the Outlaws were clearly under the cosh and eventually the Raiders took the lead when they once again opened up the line on the fringes to take a 6-0 lead that was scant reward for their dominance in the opening quarter.

The Raiders try seemed to act as something of a wake-up call for the Outlaws who stormed back into the game and at last they began to ask some questions of the Raiders defence. A great Adam Ward break saw the lively second rower surge into the Raiders red zone and the move was finished off by Jimmy Goodwin who crashed over from short range. Wigglesworth added the extras from wide out to level at 6-6.

Despite the scores being levelled the Outlaws were still on the back foot as the Raiders continued to test the Outlaws scrambling defence but once again the Outlaws held on before hitting back.in devastating fashion. 

From a rare attack the Outlaws looked to go right but a clever switch in play saw captain Coryn Ward took a neat ball from George Strachan before taking two defenders over the line with him. Wigglesworth slotted over again as the Outlaws went into the lead for the first time at 12-6.

Once again the Raiders went back on the attack and they reduced the deficit to 12-10 with a well worked try out wide but with the clock ticking down a powerful surge by James Hood almost saw the big centre go over. However on the next play George Strachan spotted a gap and drove over from short range as the Outlaws stretched their lead out to 18-10 with Wigglesworth again adding the extras from wide out in what proved to be the final act of the first half.

The second stanza started much like the first with the Raiders attack posing more questions for the Outlaws and with the slope in their favour they began to cut loose. In a devastating five minute spell they added two trys either side of the fifty minute mark that saw the Outlaws lead evaporate as the scores levelled at 18-18 before the Raiders surged ahead with their third try of the half taking them into a 22-18 lead.

With the ball moving down the Raiders line at devastating pace the Outlaws were now clearly struggling to hang on and with injuries mounting the interchange options were limited with three players on the bench unable to continue.

It seemed like game set and match when the Raders extended their lead to two scores when they capitalised on back to back sets to once again crash over out wide to leave the Outlaws 28-18 in arrears with ten minutes left to play.

With the game slipping away from there seemed no way back for the Outlaws who at this point had hardly mounted an attack of any sort during a second half largely dominated by the Raiders but in a rare foray they somehow conjured up a score. Strachan was once again at the heart of it, dummying to pass before a reverse switch of play saw Ashby latch onto the ball at pace to score a great try from a well-rehearsed move.

Wigglesworth added the extras and at 24-28 it was game on!

With less than two minutes on the clock the Outlaws threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Raiders as they went looking for an unlikely win and they almost snatched it but Jacob Butler was pulled down just short of the line before the whistle went on the very next play.

Despite falling just short the Outlaws could not have tried any harder with every player trying their utmost including man of the match Adam Ward who had a superb game on attack and defence.

The defeat marks the end of the season for the Outlaws who now take a well-earned break before preparations start for the new season!

Nottingham Outlaws are through to the Midlands Premiership Final after a hard fought semi-final victory over Birmingham Bulldogs at Lenton Lane on Saturday 3rd August. The win takes the Outlaws into their first final appearance since 2015!

Nottingham Outlaws are through to the Midlands Premiership Final after a hard fought semi-final victory over Birmingham Bulldogs at Lenton Lane on Saturday. The win takes the Outlaws into their first final appearance since 2015 and avenges a home defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs only three weeks ago.

 Coach Shepherd made three changes to the side that lost at Sherwood a fortnight ago with  Sam Andrews and  Mike Bennett boosting the forward ranks and Josh Webb returning from injury  with a place the bench.

 It was an interesting clash in styles straight from the get-go, with the bigger Birmingham pack coming down the middle, looking to offload and the Outlaws using wider runners to find space. However early nerves from both sides saw the ball going to ground on a regular basis.

 After 20 minutes of even play Birmingham opened the scoring after a penalty gave them good field position resulting in an overlap and they went in at the corner for a 0-4 lead.

 Stung by this reversal the Outlaws fought back and 5 mins later a quick play the ball saw  captain Coryn Ward barge through two defenders to score. Ashby added the extras to nudge the Outlaws ahead 6-4.

 It was a lead the Outlaws were destined to keep for the rest of the game!

Not for the first time this season the Outlaws made a hash of the restart and off the back of it Birmingham looked like they would score only for Wigglesworth and Goodwin to force Birmingham into touch.

 Buoyed by this the Outlaws hit back and at 35 mins a great Hopkins break took the Outlaws into the Birmingham red zone before the ball left to winger Jimmy  Goodwin to power past opposite number to stretch the lead to 10-4.

 However on the stroke of half time. Birmingham scored after a quick play of the ball and some weak tackling allowed them to run through and score and cut the Outlaws  lead to 10-8 half time.

 The Outlaws forwards started the second stanza on top, tackling well with Wigglesworth starting to turn the screw using his long kicking to relieve pressure and force a number of errors by the visitors, culminating in a Burgin cut out pass from dummy half to Hopkins who took it superbly to score in the right hand corner to stretch the lead out to 14-8.

 The Outlaws smelt blood and three minutes later the ball moved to Strachan who opened up the Birmingham defence with an inside ball to Ashby who shot through a gap before beating the full back to score. Wigglesworth added the extras to cement the lead at 20-8.

 Despite a few nervy moments the Outlaws managed to keep their line intact for the remainder of the match for a hard earned but ultimately well deserved 20-8 victory.

 After the game there were more than a few names in the hat for the man of the match award but for the second match running it was Luke Wadding who took the bubbly with yet another fine performance,

With a final appearance in the bag the players enjoyed their post match celebrations with the final words coming from a satisfied coach Joe Shepherd who commented “It was great to see the lads bounce back from what was a demoralising defeat against Birmingham only three weeks ago. To nil them in the second half was very pleasing because they have some terrific ball runners. It was also great to see the team putting into practice the things we had been covering in training in the lead up to the game”

 All roads lead to Birmingham next weekend as the Outlaws go in search of silverware with a tough looking Telford team standing in their way!

Nottingham Outlaws succumbed to a 19-6 defeat in their last round of  regular league fixtures at local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt on Saturday. The defeat means that the Outlaws will finish in second place in the table, still guaranteed a home fixture when the end of season play-offs start on the 3^rd August.

The Outlaws went into the game with pretty much the same side that lost out against Birmingham the week before although there was a welcome return for vice captain Gareth Whitfield, Jon Hemmingway and Joe Moran who was pulling on a first team shirt for the first time in three seasons.

The match started with neither side being able to make an impression in the face of some stout defending but it was the Outlaws that were making most of the territorial battle and after 16 minutes they opened their account when a fine break by Luke Wadding saw him release to Jacob Butler and the young centre strode over for the opening score. Ashby slotted over for the extras and the Outlaws led 6-0.

Disaster then struck when major play-maker Whitfield left the arena destined to take no further part in the game, seriously blunting the Outlaws attack for the rest of the game.

The Outlaws ascendency was suddenly halted and the enthusiastic home side opened their account when they lost the ball from a steep kick and Sherwood regathered to score out wide. Five minutes later they repeated the test and once again the Outlaws knocked on from the kick and once again the home side capitalised to nudge 10-6 in front as the half time hooter sounded.

The second stanza started in much the same way as the first with neither side able to break down some uncompromising defence  and after sixteen minutes of second half play neither side could make an impression with the game deadlocked.

With defences on top Sherwood extended their lead to 12-6 with a penalty after the Outlaws made a hash of the high ball and five minutes later they went further ahead and once again it was a kick that did the damage as a high bomb was collected by the attacking side in a one-on-one contest and Sherwood strode over for a converted try that extended the home lead to two scores at 18-6.

In the remaining fifteen minutes the Outlaws tried their best to get over the whitewash but in all honesty they lacked the cutting edge to open up the Sherwood defence and it was the home side who closed out the scoring with a well taken drop goal to seal the game at 19-6.

Despite the defeat the Outlaws had put up a much-improved performance compared the previous weeks dismal showing against Birmingham. Indeed there were a number of stand-out performances from individual players, led by man of the match Luke Wadding who had a fine eighty minutes, his best of the season.

The Outlaws now have the luxury of a week off before they start their all-important play-off campaign. They will be guaranteed a home game but their opposition will not be decided until next week’s final round of fixtures.

Nottingham Outlaws suffered their first league defeat of the season when they succumbed to a hugely disappointing 24-28 defeat at the hands of play-of rivals Birmingham at Lenton Lane on Saturday. Their loss was made more painful by the fact that they led by 24-0 towards the end of the first half and seemed in full control but a second half defensive horror show put any thoughts of topping the league well and truly on ice.

With only a couple of regular first team players unavailable  the Outlaws named a strong looking squad and they started well enough with Aiden Butler wriggling through a couple of Birmingham defenders to score from close range before Louis O’Connor went fully sixty metres to score a great solo effort to put the Outlaws 8-0 up in as many minutes!

The early scores probably did more harm than good as the home side became more sloppy in their approach and a series of errors saw them nearly concede but a couple of dropped balls saved their blushes.

A couple of changes from the bench seemed to do the trick when Harry Watts and Cal Foster entered the fray and within a ten minute period both players showed their pace, scorching through the Birmingham defence to double the Outlaws lead to 18-0 which became 24-0 when Watts added his second following some fine handling down the left wing channel.

As the half time hooter approached the Outlaws finally conceded a score in the corner as Birmingham opened their account with a good handling move that bagged a four-pointer to close the first stanza with the Outlaws well in control at 24-4.

The second half was very much an arm wrestle as neither side could break down some dogged defence and it was the Outlaws who came closest to scoring with Luke Wadding making two good breaks down the left wing only to lose the ball in the tackle when trying to get over the whitewash,

With twenty second half minutes to play Birmingham launched another attack on the back of a lost ball in the Outlaws twenty and this time they made no mistake as they cut the arrears to 24-8 which became 24-14 when they scored again within two minutes and the momentum in the game was clearly changing.

Try as they might the Outlaws couldn’t get hold of the ball on the back of a series of penalties and lost balls and a fully resurgent Birmingham side smelt blood and went for the kill. 

With the Outlaws defence tiring badly and dropping off the tackle with alarming regularity the visitors cut loose and in a disastrous final ten minutes the Outlaws leaked back to back trys as Birmingham levelled at 24-24 before sneaking ahead at 24-28 on the last play of the game.

When the final whistle sounded there was stunned disbelief in the Outlaws camp that a game that was well and truly in the bag had slipped from their grasp. Despite the disappointment there were a few good performances in the ranks, with Jacob Butler standing out as the player of the match .T

The Outlaws now go into their last game of the season, at Sherwood on Saturday, knowing they will need to beat their local rivals if they are to finish at the top of the league ahead of the all-important play-offs.

The home game against Birmingham Bulldogs has been changed from 27th July to 13th July.

This game will still be played at home (Lenton Lane).

Hope to see all our supporters down for this exciting match!

Nottingham Outlaws unbeaten league run continued on Saturday when they put a strong Coventry Bears side to the sword, recording an emphatic 44-6 victory at Lenton Lane on Saturday.

The Outlaws went into the match with a side sporting a number of changes from the team that ran out in the friendly at Moorends the weekend before. The changes included the return of last season’s captain Alex Whittle who was having his first hit-out of the season and debutant Harry Watts.

The match started and right from the get-go it was clear that both teams were playing with contrasting styles, Coventry playing down the middle utilising their big pack of forwards whilst the Outlaws were looking to use their superior pace and movement out wide at every opportunity.

After ten minutes of fairly even rugby the Outlaws opened their account as winger Jimmy Goodwin scored after running over the top of his opposite number to nudge the Outlaws 4-0 ahead.

Having inched ahead the Outlaws let their opponents into the game and on the back of a knock on and a penalty they marched into the Outlaws red-zone and the home side could do little to stop their big forwards driving over from short range to nudge the Bears ahead 6-4.

Stung by this reversal the Outlaws went back on the hunt for more try’s and scrum half Tom Wigglesworth soon found the key to the door, eluding a couple of tacklers to plant the ball under the sticks. Whitfield added the extras to put the Outlaws ahead at 10-6.

It was a lead that the Outlaws were destined to keep for the remainder of the game.

Once again, the Outlaws made a hash of the play the ball after the restart and the Bears should have scored, only to lose the ball in the act of grounding when a try would have seen them once again pull ahead.

Having been let off the hook the Outlaws were quick to add to the visitor’s misery as pacey centre Cal Foster tore through the line before rounding the full back to score under the sticks for a marvellous forty yarder. Again, Whitfield converted and the Outlaws went into the sheds at 16-6 at the end of forty fairly even minutes.

Coach Shepherd used the break to breath some fresh life into the side with Steve Page and Harry Watts coming on the pitch.

The next try was always going to be important and thankfully from a home perspective it was the Outlaws who got it as Captain Coryn Ward jinked through the Bears defence to open his account for the afternoon as the Outlaws eased out to a three score lead at 22-6.

The Ward try seemed to knock the stuffing out of a Bears side that had competed well but were now rapidly running out of steam.

Sensing the game was there for the taking the Outlaws put the foot on the gas and began attacking at will and the score board soon started moving again as Jimmy Goodwin grabbed his second of the game with a carbon copy try to his first.

Probably the biggest cheer of the day came when Alex Whittle marked his return to the fold with a trademark show and go that opened up a gap big enough for the long-striding halfback to waltz through without a hand being laid upon him. With the Whitfield conversion sailing through the sticks the Outlaws were powering ahead at 34-6.

The home side were in no mood to let their rivals off the hook and in the very next set they extended their lead further whin powerful winger Jimmy Goodwin completed a fine hat trick  with yet another unstoppable surge over the line.

As the clock ticked down the Outlaws had time for one more score and what a try it was!

There seemed little danger when Cal Foster took the ball in hand just inside his own half but the boom centre went on what is now his trademark mazy run, rounding two players before surging through the line, wrong-footing the fullback to score a superb effort under the sticks.

To make matters worse for the visitors the chasing Bears committed a nasty, indeed dangerous foul on the young Outlaws Centre which saw the Bears reduced to 12 players for the remainder of the match.

Despite their numerical advantage the Outlaws did not add to their score and the referee blew for time with the Outlaws holding a commanding 44-6 lead after scoring 22 unanswered points in the second stanza.

After the game the players waited to hear who would walk away with the man of the match bubbly. In such a big win there were a number of players in with a shout such as hat trick hero Jimmy Goodwin and the effervescent Cal Foster who also bagged a fine brace. However, for the second game in a row the award Ali Waring took the vote with a superb effort especially in the first half when his defending kept a bigger Bears pack at bay.

Next week the Outlaws are at home again as they face a struggling Swindon Bulldogs side that is yet to get a point.

Nottingham Outlaws used the gap in this week’s Premier League fixture list to send an experimental side up to Moorends for a friendly hit-out against the Doncaster outfit. In an entertaining yet low-scoring affair the lead changed hands three times before the sides settled for a 12-12 draw.

The Outlaws coaching team used the game to rest key players and try some new combinations in a side that contained three players on first team debut with a further five players drafted into the side that played Sherwood the week before

The Outlaws started the first half well, moving the ball across the pitch in assured fashion so it came as no surprise when Harry Hemmingway scooted over for the opening score despite some heavy traffic close to the line.

After some good early work the Outlaws found themselves starved of possession and the home side began to turn the screw, pouncing on a series of mistakes to score two unanswered try’s to edge out to an 8-4 lead.

With the clock ticking down the Outlaws just had enough time to launch one last attack down the right-hand side and Jimmy Goodwin was on hand to crash over following a powerful surge to the try line. 

The scores were now locked at 8-8 as the referee brought the first stanza to a close.

The second half started with neither side being able to capitalise on some good field position and defences definitely on top as neither side looked like scoring.

With 65 minutes played the Outlaws finally broke the deadlock when Harry Hemmingway, having a great game on the left wing  once again wriggled over in heavy traffic to nudge the Outlaws back into the lead at 12-18.

It looked like the Outlaws might hang on for a win but a lost ball in the dying minutes compounded by back-to-back penalties allowed Moorends one last chance and they crept over in the corner to level up the scores at 12-12 as the referee brought the game to a close.

After the game there were several players in with a shout for the man of the match award. Jacob Butler had an excellent game  on attack and especially defence with an industrious afternoon at the office but in the end the bubbly was shared by tackling machine Ali Waring and try scoring hero Harry Hemmingway.

Next week the Outlaws return to Premier League duty with a must-win against arch rivals Coventry Bears at Lenton Lane on Saturday (2.30pm)

Nottingham Outlaws entertained Leamington Royals in a Midlands Women’s Friendly fixture  on Saturday and despite incessant rain, both sides put on an excellent show before Outlaws pushed out to a convincing  30-16 victory.

Leamington battled hard but the Outlaws superior scoring ability always kept them one step ahead on the scoresheet. 

Try scorers were Robyn Gulley (3) Shannon Jordan (2) and Leah Martin (1) with Robyn adding three conversions to her points tally. 

As the players waited eagerly for the player of the match announcement there were a number of Outlaws in contention but there were no surprises when the bubbly deservedly went to  Shannon Jordan.

After the game team captain Rhiz Lord was quick to congratulate her troops commenting ”  I am so proud of the team today. Every single person put their best foot forward and the result shows this. We gave it our all, despite horrendous weather conditions and came away with a much-deserved win. This has given us the boost we needed and we head into next week’s Midlands tournament ready to win again!”

Final thoughts came from a very satisfied Women’s Head Coach Mark Stockman who added “I thought the ladies battled well given the torrential conditions. We put a lot of what we’re doing in training into practice today. The friendly also allowed me as coach to be able to try some different combinations. We need a big push at training this week to give ourselves the best opportunity for a result next weekend.”

Nottingham Outlaws and Sherwood Wolf Hunt clashed in the first Nottinghamshire Rugby League cup final in twenty years at Lenton Lane on Friday and it was well worth the wait as the two sides went toe-to-toe before Sherwood eventually finished 30-26 victors after 80 minutes of pulsating rugby league action.

With a big crowd assembled it was the Outlaws who started the strongest, setting up camp in and around the visitors twenty metre zone and they soon got the score board ticking over when Jacob Butler scrambled over in heavy traffic to nudge the Outlaws ahead 4-0.

The Butler try settled the home nerves and they began to get on top, dominating field position and possession but not for the first time this season they lacked the cutting edge to open up a well-drilled and enthusiastic Wolf Hunt defence.

As so often happens in rugby league football, a failure to take chances was punished ruthlessly as Wolf Hunt twice broke clear from their own half to score back to back try’s to teach the Outlaws a lesson in how to score including an excellent sixty metre solo effort by Sherwood winger Matt Cahill who used his pace to out-sprint the home defence

The two Wolf Hunt trys in the midway stages of the half proved to be a hammer blow to the Outlaws who were destined to chase the game from this point onwards.

Despite the blow the Outlaws did their best to get back into the frame and they should have bagged more points, but their attack once again lacked the guile and cutting edge to bother the scoreboard.

Indeed, it looked like their efforts were about to go unrewarded but right on the stroke of half time big Jack Jonson showed his team mates the way with a bullocking try straight down the middle, crashing over for an excellent try. Whitfield added the extras to narrow the gap to 10-12 as the first half hooter sounded.

Both sides took a well-earned breather after 40 minutes of furious action in which neither side had managed to fully stamp their authority on their opposite numbers.

Not for the first time this season the Outlaws started the second stanza in lacklustre fashion and they soon began to leak points against a Sherwood team that  knew its way to the tryline.

The problems started with the second stanza only four minutes old as the Outlaws were penalised in possession and after back to back penalties Sherwood extended their lead  and then some poor one-on-one tackling let Sherwood in again.

Indeed with twenty second half minutes played the Outlaws hopes of cup glory seemed dead and buried as they now trailed 24-10.

After a poor third quarter the Outlaws knew they needed to up the ante if they were to salvage anything from the game and they did just that!

A superb break by Gaz Whitfield looked like the Outlaw fullback had got over in the corner but the hotly disputed try was disallowed by the referee who judged that the ball had gone into touch before grounding.

However, an Outlaws try wasn’t long in coming as good hands released Aiden Butler who scored in the corner to reduce the deficit to 14-24 and there was now a glimmer of hope for the home side!

With the clock showing 15 minutes remaining the Outlaws were once again finding their rhythm and leading the way was George Strachan who rolled back the years with a masterclass at dummy half.

Time and again the old war horse opened up the Wolf Hunt defence with well timed passes before he put in an unstoppable burst from the play the ball to score another Outlaws try, with Whitfield narrowing the deficit further to 20-24 with the extras.

It looked like the Outlaws were about to snatch something from the game but their fightback once again faltered, losing the ball early in the tackle count after the restart which was compounded by some poor defending as Sherwood fullback Chris Peceval went through some weak tackling to bag his second of the game and put the visitors two scores ahead at 20-28

As the clock ticked down Sherwood increased their tally to thirty with a penalty and it looked all over but once again the Outlaws hit back with an excellent solo effort from twenty metres as the hard working Tom Wigglesworth jinked through a gap to score and when Whitfield added the extras the gap had narrowed to 26-30.

As the clock wound down the Outlaws threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Wolf Hunt defence but they couldn’t quite get the score they desperately needed and the visitors ultimately held out to take the spoils, much to the delight of their travelling supporters.

Despite the defeat the Outlaws coaching staff were not too despondent in the knowledge that that they had matched their visitors try-for-try before falling just short and there will be more matches to come between these two sides who both look likely to be in the mix for the Midland Premier title this season

Man of the match was awarded to Captain Coryn ward who led his troops magnificently from first to last minute in a desperate attempt to lead his troops to victory.