Saturday, November 29th, 2008
North Two West
WILMSLOW 24 BLACKBURN 7
THREE sparkling tries lifted the misty Autumn gloom that shrouded Pownall Park at the weekend.
Injury and availability forced Wilmslow to field a young and inexperienced team which shone against tough and straight-running Blackburn.
The north east Lancs side may be bottom of the league, but they were a tough nut to crack for the young Wolves, who were only 3-0 ahead at the break.
But cracking tries from winger Luke Bennett, scrum half Charlie Mulchrone and fly half Bob MacCallum – whose penalty and three conversions took him past 100 points for Wilmslow this season – lit up the second half.
The midfield pairing of Chris Clarke and Jimmy Byers were among the highlights of a display littered by frustrating errors. There was a first team debut also for Will Fewkes at prop and former colt Josh Longmore and Craig Stewart more than held their own when they came on as susbstitutes.
It will be an altogether tougher challenge at third-placed Altrincham-Kersal on Saturday, but coach Darren Lucas was inspired by his young squad, whose performance lifted them to fourth in North Two West – although all three teams ahead of them have games in hand.
He said: “Our first half performance was a real step up in discipline and communication. Our defence was secure and we did not let them into the game.
“We turned around at 3-0 up, which allowed us to put the phases together in the second half and the tries came in the end. We set the tone of the game in the first half and didn’t manage to secure the points. But we did build the platform for the result and eventually got the tries we needed.
“It was great to give Chris Clarke and Jimmy Byers a run-out in midfield. It certainly didn’t look like it was the first time they had played there together. Will Fewkes also did a solid job at prop and I look forward to Saturday and Altrincham-Kersal.
A 3-0 half time scoreline sounds like a drab affair, but it was far from it. The young Wolves ran, ran and ran at a gnarled and frustrated older Blackburn side, but the points just wouldn’t come.
Yes, it was frustrating, but the honest endeavour and at times sparkling talent of Wilmslow brightened the gloomy, floodlit Pownall Park pitch.
Jimmy Byers’ powerful, straight running in the centre channels, Bob MacCallum’s magic boot and ghosting runs, the explosive charges of Ryan Parkinson, Jonny Lee and Rich Williams on the back row and scrum half Charlie Mulchrone’s soaring leaps to secure high balls were all high points of the game.
Wayward and dropped passes – some when tries were a nailed on certainty – were not.
Blackburn could and should have been several points to the good, but for missed penalty attempts for Wilmslow indiscipline in the loose in the first half.
Bob MacCallum, who needed 12 points to reach his century this season and managed 14 – put the Wolves ahead on 12 minutes. Blackburn piled on the pressure and Wilmslow spent the majority of the first period in their own half, but the defence held tight.
Ben Day – always a threat with his powerful running from defence – exploded onto the scene just three minutes into the second half, setting up what should have been Wilmslow’s first try. But Blackburn infringed in the ruck and MacCallum missed the penalty.
Winger Bennett scored the first of Wilmslow’s three tries on 55 minutes when stand-in skipper Mike Clifford charged down the Blackburn scrum half’s box kick from behind a maul in their 22. The ball was spun wide and fast, flanker Rich Williams was on hand to suck in the defence and time his pass perfectly for Bennett to touch down out wide and MacCallum to convert.
It took a further 15 minutes for Wilmslow to strike again, when MacCallum kicked them majestically into the Blackburn 22. Sweet lineout possession set up three tight runs for the forwards at the Blackburn defence before the ball was whipped along the line, only to go to ground in midfield. But centre Chris Clarke dived to scoop it smoothly into the hands of fly half MacCallum looping behind his midfield in support. He glided past two defenders, touched down five metres from the corner and converted his own try. Superb.
No.8 Ryan Parkinson and flanker Jonny Lee conspired to set up Wilmslow’s third score on 75 minutes with bullocking runs from midfield. Once again, the Wolves’ pick-and-go strategy sucked in the visitors’ defence and three mauls later scrum half Mulchrone feinted a pass out wide, spotted the narrowest of gaps and darted through to score under the posts. Job done.
Blackburn winger Setareke Kolinsau scored the visitors’ only try at the death when winger Tim Medwell pulled up short in the 22 with a hamstring injury. Blackburn scrum half and skipped Paul Bleasedale converted, but it was too little, too late.
Elsewhere in North Two West, Saturday’s opponents Altrincham Kersal beat Sandbach 31-10, Rossendale beat New Brighton 23-0 and Rochdale v Northwich was fogged off. Broughton Park went down 19-18 at Leigh and Liverpool St Helens beat Lymm 13-6.
The Vikings lost 18-11 at Blackburn and the Hawks lost a tough match 8-0 against Altrincham Kersal 3rd XV.
The 1st and 2nd XVs play Altrincham Kersal this weekend. The 1st XV are away and the 2nd XV kick off at Pownall Park at 2-30pm.

IF newly-promoted Wilmslow have learned anything in North Two West, it is to assume nothing.
Which is why the visit of basement boys Blackburn to Pownall Park on Saturday to play a Wolves team on a three-match winning roll offers scary thoughts of banana skins.
Coach Darren Lucas admits that the reality of this league is that any team on its day can beat any other – and he is determined not to slip up on Saturday.
“We assume nothing,” said Lucas. “Just because they are bottom of the league didn’t stop them beating Sandbach recently, and we lost at Sandbach – although we should have won.
“We have gone from four defeats to three wins and we have rebuilt some confidence. But no results are guaranteed and we must maintain our game plan and level of concentration this Saturday for the full 80 minutes.”
Lucas says that after three or four attempts to play and stay in this league, the fifth-placed, Lexus Stockport-sponsored Wolves have learned lessons and are better equipped than ever before to stay up.
It’a different game to the one played in South/Lancs One, with different tactics , more physical players and better conditions.
“I feel we are reaching that point where we start to enforce our game plan and not just play in bursts. I am alos pleased that we now have a fund of options and if things aren’t going right, we don’t fall apart – we adapt and overcome. The ability to change tactics to our advantage is improving our game.”
What Wilmslow will be looking for most this Saturday will be a good start. They have given the opposition 10-point leads before claiming the points in recent games. Said Lucas: “I would be pleased to see them start at the kick-off, not the second half whistle.
“Blackburn are a traditionally strong side and are urgently looking for league points. We will be ready for them.”
With no game last Saturday following their early exit from the Cheshire and EDF intermediate Cups, Wilmslow rested their 1st XV as the Vikings saw off Preston Grasshopper 4ths in a one-sided league clash at Pownall Park.
There were two tries apiece for flanker Charlie Levings, centre Jimmy Byers, full back Ben Warren and James Cook in a 74-3 thrashing for the visitors.