Manchester 27  Wilmslow 21

For the second successive game Wilmslow failed to “turn up” for the first quarter of the game. After 30 minutes they found themselves 24 nil down and Manchester thought they were on for a huge victory.

The first 30 minutes were torrid, with Manchester winning the lions share of possession, though the Wilmslow line out worked well, with stand in captain John Newsham and jumpers Harrison Lewis and Chris Walton combining well.

Manchester scored two tries in the first 15 minutes, including a wonderful step by their fullback for their second try. Their 3rd try did something to Wilmslow and despite being down to 14 men their reply was almost immediate. Finally some good sustained pressure by the forwards was rewarded when Harry Valentine charged over from close range. The try was converted to make the score 24-7 at half time.

Manchester were only to score 3 more points in the game as Wilmslow stepped up their game. Despite having a much smaller pack the backs were beginning to look dangerous. Wilmslow had another 2 players carded in the second half, yet managed two score two more converted tries through Elliott Brierley and Lawrence James. Time was against Wilmslow and a number of players had a similar belief about the match official, which resulted in frustration and yellow cards. In the end it was a case of close but not close enough, as for the second game in a row they finish within one score of the opposition.

Hopefully some valuable lessons have been learnt; we must be “up for it” right from the start; do not panic and try and force things (how long have we shouted “don’t throw the ball away!” and keep your mouth shut!!

Tries:  Harry Valentine, Elliott Brierley, Lawrence James

 Cons:  Lawrence James 3