Hull FC reserves hammer Leigh Leopards as Jed Cartwright limps off with foot issue

Jed Cartwright played half an hour for Hull FC Reserves in their 60-4 victory over Leigh Leopards on Sunday afternoon. Starting in the back-row, the Australian grew into the game and played his part in what was another eye-catching performance for the Black and Whites at this level.

However, despite some promise on show, Hull had to bring Cartwright off slightly earlier than planned, with a knock to his foot ending his time on the field. The issue is nothing new, and for Francis Cummins, it's nothing too serious either.

The club's Head of Emerging Talent said the club will be able to 'manage' Cartwright, who arrived from Australia on an 18-month deal two weeks ago. He confirmed the 27-year-old is a bit sore, but the hope is to still play him in Super League against Salford Red Devils next weekend.

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Speaking to Hull Live post-match, Cummins said: "His foot is a bit sore, but that's something that he's had for a while. We'll be able to manage it. We were only looking at a half a game anyway. It flared up and he couldn't carry on, but it's nothing new. We'll look after him.

"It was just good to see him out there. Some of his involvements were good. He won't be happy with the kick-off mistakes at the start, but we can put that down to a change in environment. When he carried and passed, he was good. He's obviously got some play in him."

In his first runout for his new club, Cartwright was heavily involved in his time on the field. He made two mistakes from kick offs early on but soon made amends. He did his job defensively and began to have an influence on Hull’s attack, having a say in a couple of first-half tries with some neat passing and offloads.

Like Cartwright, Hull took a few minutes to get going, but once they clicked into gear, the class told. They were led by an energetic performance from Davy Litten, and they were soon up and running through Joe Ward, who took Kye Armstrong’s bouncing pass to score. Denive Balmforth was next to get in on the action, with the hooker in support to finish Matty Laidlaw’s break.

Then it was Cartwright’s time to shine. He had already broken the line and got a couple of offloads away, with Hull using the second phase play to find space for Liam Tindall to dart over in the corner. Tindall then got his second try after a slick cut-out Cartwright pass, and by that point, Cummins' side were in full control.

They added two more tries before the break, with Callum Kemp, who produced another assured display in the halves, getting on the end of a perfectly executed move, before Armstrong took the line on and chimed his way through to score.

Hull kept up their performance level after the break and didn’t drop their standards. An excellent kick return from Litten saw Ward race away, with the winger then offloading to Callum Shaw to score a superb try. Kemp then scored his second try of the game, stretching out to reach the line, before Litten got in on the act, first smashing a runaway Tom Nisbet, before adding another try with a burst of pace.

Shaw then got his second try, juggling the ball before putting it down in the corner. Litten soon followed suit, showing his strength to power over on the last tackle. There was time for Leigh to add a consolation try through Matthew Horrocks in the final play of the game, but it didn't take the gloss off what was another satisfying win at this level, with Cummins once again delighted with the brand of rugby league on show.

"They're trying to play," he added. "This week we had more first-team players in there than they had, so we would expect that, but they're having a go. The lads that dropped back from first-team looked like first-team players and the academy lads are looking better every week; Callum Kemp and players like that. Lenny Clark also had a really good game, with other players like Jordon Baker doing well. It was another good win for us."

Team and scorers

Hull Starting XIII: Davy Litten; Liam Tindall, Callum Shaw, Harvey Barron, Joe Ward; Kye Armstrong, Callum Kemp; Matty Laidlaw, Denive Balmforth, Will Gardiner; Jed Cartwright, Lennon Clark; Zach Jebson

Interchange: Jordon Baker, Jeylan Hodgson, Owen Haldenby, Will Kirby. 18th man: Jon Turner

Tries: Ward, Balmforth, Tindall 2, Kemp 2, Armstrong, Shaw 2, Litten 2. Goals: Kemp 8/11

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