It was LBS Plate action at the weekend and a tough encounter away at The Vale of Lune RUFC. The club was in cup tie mood and a bus full of supporters headed over to Lancashire for the encounter.

Chapel got off to the best possible start when a Dave Steer pounced on a loose ball at the first ruck, he broke clear and unselfishly gave the ball to captain Tom Chambers for a score under the posts, duly converted by the boot of Andy Davies.

5 minutes later, chapel repeated the score, another loose ball gave chapel the opportunity to break and Will Mitchell was on hand to beat the defence for the second score of the afternoon again converted by Davies.

It was never going to be an easy afternoon and the host showed why they are up at the top end of their respective division, with some powerful driving mauls and strong running in the centres it took some dogged defence to keep them out, but Chapel managed to keep the home side at bay, just.

More possession for the visitors as the chapel pack lead by the indefatigable Jim Bowbeer put some fine rugby together, capped off by a Mark Mceneaney score in the corner, once again converted. Chapel now has the comfort of a twenty point plus advantage, but the home side continued to cause problems and thought they'd scored a try of their own only for the referee to rule it out. Chapel took full advantage. Dom Moss and Steer leading the way down field for another converted try this by Gavin Patton.

Half Time
Vale of the Lune 0 Holmes Chapel 28

The second half was much more of a scrappy affair, the home sides pack trying to gain the advantage. Chapel had to again keep their concentration and put some big tackles into thwart the attacks. A fine move then saw chapel break down field against the run of play, culminating in a converted score for Joe Maddock.

The home side continued to press as the game went into the final quarter they were rewarded for their efforts with a try after a couple of missed tackles allowed vale to break through. Chapel were battling hard at every breakdown, but a second score soon followed and the home side were starting to sniff a comeback, however the defence remained strong and as Vale started to throw the ball wide, young Jack Cottam showed great vision to intercept and out sprint the Vale defenders for a fine try and effectively end the game as a contest.

The final few minutes of the game were scrappy as no team could gain a significant advantage, the Villagers knew they'd had a tough battle against very strong opponents and were happy to hear the final whistle and progress to the next round.

Holmes Chapel would like to thank The Vale of The Lune RUFC for their hospitality after the game and wish the club all the best for the rest of the season. Chapel have drawn New Brighton 3s in the QF of the LBS Plate, to be played on the 14 February at Station Road. The club would like to thank Reliance Vehicle Management Limited for their sponsorship of the game and Pochin for their continued support of the club.