1st XV take the points in top of the table clash

It was 2nd vs. 3rd in South Lancs Cheshire 3 last Saturday as Holmes Chapel 1st XV travelled to the Wirral to face Parkonians in a crucial encounter for both sides. Mike Cottam was able to name a strong side for the game and Chapel were confident of snatching a win at a ground that is always a very tough place to get a result.

As always, Parkonians were cheered on by a large and vocal – but always good natured – crowd and were obviously equally confident of building on their impressive start to the season and dominated the first 10 minutes with Chapel having to make tackle after tackle to keep the hosts at bay. Strong defence led by openside flanker Tom Chambers eventually forced some mistakes from the home side and Chapel were able to start playing the game in Parkonians territory. The gusty conditions were making kicking extremely difficult and after one penalty attempt had gone wide the visitors chose to run the next one and nearly crossed the line, but solid defence from Parkonians kept the score at 0-0. There were precious few chances for either side throughout the rest of the half as the tough conditions and the uncompromising attitude of both forward packs turned the game into a battle of attrition with no-one wanting to make what could be a crucial mistake.

The second half started in the same vein, with both sides cancelling each other out at the set piece and defences remaining on top. 15 minutes in a breakthrough finally arrived after some excellent work from Paddy Kennedy took Chapel from deep in their own territory and into the opposition half. Parkonians tried to run the ball back but some excellent work at the breakdown led to a crucial turnover. The ball was passed out to the big lock forward Dan Martin who showed tremendous hands and awareness to draw the defender and leave second row partner Jon Griffin in acres of space to score a try near the posts. Stu Butters added the conversion to give the visitors a great chance of stealing the points. Despite their best efforts, Chapel were unable to extend their lead and spent most of the final quarter defending. A penalty from the home side brought them within 4 points meaning an unconverted try would have swung the game back their way. The final 5 minutes saw some heroic last ditch tackling from both forwards and backs as Parkonians desperately tried to cross the whitewash until finally the referee called time to the delight of the Chapel players and supporters who had made the trip.

This was an extremely tough contest which could easily have gone either way and both teams will no doubt be looking forward to the return match in April. This Saturday Chapel travel to Helsby. Although the hosts have been struggling in the league this season they always cause Chapel problems when the 2 sides meet, and this game is expected to be no exception.