On Saturday 17th January, Holmes Chapel took on Ellesmere Port 2nd XV at Whitby Sports and Social Club in the Raging Bull North West Division 5 South. Holmes Chapel were looking for their 17th win on the bounce. The game began on a sombre note as the father of one of the Ellesmere Port players had passed away the night before. A minutes silence was held just before kick-off and was immaculately observed by both sets of players and fans.

After a few days of heavy rain the Ellesmere Port pitch was very muddy and wet, making handling very difficult. The game began on a sunny but cold day on the Wirral. Ellesmere Port immediately indicated the Holmes Chapel that they were up for the game and were particularly vicious in the rucks. Port overturned many early rucks causing Chapel to give up possession in good positions on a few occasions. The ball was predictably spilt, due to the conditions, on a number of occasions and scrummaging seemed to be the order of the day. Chapel have been very dominant in the scrums since their Christmas encounter against Linley and Kidsgrove. Similarly to that game, flanker Dom Moss had been pushed forward into the second row and was once again excelling. Chapel won all of their scrums and the majority of Port’s in the first half hour. One of these scrums provided the ground works for the first try of the game. Chapel pushed their scrum keeping the ball at the back, edging closer to the opposition try line. When scrum half Andy Davies finally released the ball to his backs, the Ellesmere Port pack was all but spent. Tom Chambers broke from the scrum and was able to provide support to his centres, to score a trademark try.

Unlike previous weeks, Holmes Chapel did not let their intensity dwindle and the game continued in a similar fashion in the second half. Chapel put more effort into support and rucking and stopped losing possession. The Chapel forwards winning good ball allowed the backs to run some exciting moves. Inside centre Jim Moss was very effective at punching holes in the home back line, and outside centre Jed Wragg used his pace and quick feet to dance round the opposition. Wragg, after last week taking a break from scoring to concentrate on being sin-binned, got himself back on the score sheet with three tries. Second-row Mark McEnaney also crossed the whitewash after a couple of quieter weeks and was very impressive with ball in hand, running more like a centre than a lock. Jon Griffin and Jim Bowbeer came on in the second and back rows respectively to add much needed experience and steady the Chapel ship. Hooker Neil Almond was given a rest for the first time this season with centre Rob Moore trying his hand in the front row instead. Moore did not look out of place and could be a viable option for the future. Another notable score came once again from a young prop. Rather than Will Mitchell diving over the line again, Dave Steer earned himself a starting place and rose to the occasion with one try and an all-round very good performance. The final whistle signalled the end of the game with the final score reading Ellesmere Port 0 – 50 Holmes Chapel. Mark McEnaney was named man of the match for a great all round display.

Tom Chambers had this to say, “I was much happier with today’s performance especially since we learnt from last week’s mistakes. We were strong in defence and clinical in attack and there was no one on the pitch who didn’t give everything. I really hope we can take this attitude into next week’s cup game and travel back on the bus from Lancaster with smiles on our faces and well-deserved beers in our hands.” Holmes Chapel would like to thank Ellesmere Port for their hospitality and great spirit and wish them luck in their remaining fixtures. Next week sees the Golden Boys of Holmes Chapel travel to Vale of Lune RUFC in Lancaster for a third round clash in the Lighting and Building Services Plate.

Holmes Chapel Lineup
1. Will Mitchell
2. Neil Almond
3. Dave Steer
4. Dom Moss (vc)
5. Mark McEnaney
6. Dan Henderson
7. Tom Chambers (c)
8. Jack Baskerville
9. Andy Davies
10. Mike Lightfoot
11. Gavin Paton
12. Jim Moss
13. Jed Wragg
14. Harry Jeanes
15. Joe Maddock
Substitutions
16. Cocky
17. Jon Griffin
18. Jim Bowbeer
19. Ollie Lawrence
20. Rob Moore
21. Alex Gormley