WILMSLOW travel to Winnington Park on Saturday for their first game of 2009 in the Cheshire Cup (Vase) plate competition.
Park are joint bottom a league below and the game will be useful preparation for the Wolves’ return to league action the following week at Lymm.
Wilmslow watchers will remember the Pownall Park outfit crashing out of the Cheshire Cup (Vase) in their first round defeat at the hands of a young and talented Sale side way back in September.
It was a useful reminder that the Wolves must take nothing for granted in this, their promotion season to N2W. They went on to beat New Brighton in their first league game and have rarely looked back since.
Here, coach Darren Lucas offers his half term report and wishes all Wilmslow’s supporters a happy New Year.
“At the start of the season, if someone had offered us fourth in the league, seven wins and only three points off the top at Christmas, we would have been crazy not to accept with open arms.
“So it is with some surprise that I look back on the first half of the season with a small amount of disappointment.
“I mean this as a positive statement as we could have so easily have been in an even better position with a little bit of luck on a couple of occasions.
“The continuing development of what is a very young team – both in age and time together – is nothing short of outstanding.
“We are holding our own in a league in which we have struggled in the past despite our commitment to the amateur ethos in what appears to be a semi-professional environment.
“Not only do I feel we have not been outplayed by anybody so far, but I also think that on a couple of occasions, without a couple of errors on our part, that two or three more wins were definitely within our grasp, and that would have put us in an unbelievable position.
“The players have displayed a commitment and work ethic to training and playing that has deserved the results they have achieved.
“When all the players train it allows us to progress tactically as well as skilfully. I feel that we are making good progress towards our goal, which is a team of players who have the skills, organisation, communication, and adaptability to change the style of play depending on the situation, assessing the opposition and adopting the style required to beat them.
“This was demonstrated when we lost to Liverpool St Helens in the cup and they came back in the league two weeks later and were comprehensively out-thought and out played.
“The front row of Vas, Rob Fahey, and Will Fewkes have stood up manfully and are being reinforced in the new year by the return of Brian Higgins from injury and the addition of the Manchester Met captain Marc Baldrey.
“Mike Clifford has been ably assisted in the second row by Matt Langtree and Craig Stewart, and Al McLennan’s return from injury in the new year will give us a strong and dominant lineout.
“The back row of Jonny Lee, Ryan Parkinson, Rich Williams and Danny Jones will have to continue their outstanding displays, especially with the fast-regaining fitness of Charlie Levings and Ross Mitchell snapping at their heels.
“We are benefiting from a settled half-back partnership of Charlie Mulchrone and Bob McCallum, backed up by the fast-maturing Josh Longmore, who are dominating our style of play.
“In the periodic absence of Captain Steve Braddock and the long-term absence of Chris Lee – both available in the new year – Ross Hunter has been a dominating force in the centre for us and helped talented Jimmy Byers settle in well alongside him.
“Full back Ben Day, Luke Bennett, who has made one of the wing berths his own – and Tim Medwell have gelled as an effective back three, with young Chris Clark stepping in on occasion. These have given us a solid defence as well as attacking options.
“There are many other players in the second team who are capable of playing in the first team and this strength in depth will hold us in good stead for the rest of the season.
“In a league that focuses on strong forwards, Wilmslow will not abandon our philosophy as a running team, as it is how I think rugby should be played, although you see too little of it these days even at the top level, and it is how Wilmslow’s players want to play the game.
“I would like to thank everybody who has taken the time to support us this season, it has been great to see the increasing numbers on the touchline, rest assured it is appreciated by the players and does make a difference. “

Saturday, December 21st, 2008.
North Two West
WILMSLOW 25 NORTHWICH 17
WILMSLOW are celebrating a happy Christmas and healthy New Year sitting proud and pretty at fourth in North Two West.
The Lexus Stockport-sponsored Wolves are actually joint third with Rossendale – behind only on points difference – after a satisfying victory over Northwich at the weekend.
And as anybody at Pownall Park will tell you, offered this situation at the start of the season, newly-promoted Wilmslow would have snatched your hand off.
Three super tries by centre Jimmy Byers, winger Luke Bennett and No.8 Ryan Parkinson started the festive celebrations at The Memorial Ground. Two penalties and two conversions by fly half Bob MacCallum put the icing on the Christmas cake.
It was an exciting – if scrappy – midwinter encounter in the rain and gloom, with the side making the least mistakes coming out on top.
Wilmslow managed to turn a two-penalty, six point deficit early in the first half into a tantalising 15-14 half time lead.
They survived some early second half pressure before young gun Ryan Parkinson powered over the line from the back of a five-metre scrum to stretch their lead.
His explosive charges and centre Ross Hunter’s devastating tackling – which turned defence into attack on several occasions – were a feature of the game between fourth and fifth in the table.
Charlie Levings also made a welcome return to his back row berth, scavenging, pestering and supplying ball from the deep and dark recesses of the ruck and maul.
Sidelined skipper Steve Braddock also returned to the fray in the centre after many weeks injured. He came on after 20 minutes for try scorer Jimmy Byers and said afterwards: “It was a gutsy effort all round in hard conditions. We didn’t play anywhere near our best, but we didn’t take many backward steps, either.
“We didn’t over complicate it in the backs and we didn’t give them anywhere to run, which was payback for losing 27-13 at their place in September.”
Braddock also praised fly half Bob MacCallum’s mature game with the boot and his fellow centre Ross Hunter’s breathtaking tackling.
Coach Darren Lucas added: “When we played at Moss Farm we stood off their back line. That didn’t happen this time – Ross Hunter and all the backs saw to that. We moved forward and put them under pressure and by the last quarter they were throwing the ball away rather than taking the hit.
“The scrum platform also worked well. We are now playing a more mature game all round.”
Northwich fly half – and Wilmslow High School rugby coach – Matt Bebington, put the visitors ahead with two penalties before MacCallum halved the deficit for Wilmslow on 16 minutes.
Two minutes later, scrum half Charlie Mulchrone probed deep with a kick, the Wolves’ follow-up forced Northwich to spill the ball under pressure and centre Byers stepped on the gas to exploit a gap and score wide out.
On 25 minutes, wingman Bennett charged down a clearance kick and raced 20 metres to touch down for MacCallum to convert. (15-6). Northwich replied almost from the restart, when hooker and skipper Chris James broke through a maul to race 25 metres and score wide out. Bebington missed the conversion, but slotted a penalty on the stroke of half time (15-14).
Wilmslow’s hard work and outstanding defence, Parkinson’s try and another MacCallum penalty sewed up the game in the second half.
The Wolves have earned a three-week lay-off until January 10th when they play Lymm away.
The rugby club offers a merry Christmas and happy New Year to all its friends, sponsors and supporters and looks forward to success in 2009.