Port victorious in a storm

Stockport took the honours thanks to a try in the last seconds of game three to take the tie 2-1.

In a spirited encounter in which both teams discovered the physical side of the game, the referees worked hard to keep the natural enthusiasm of the players channelled in the right direction.

Game 1 saw first blood to Stockport who were quicker off the mark than the Tigers and sped into a 2 try lead. Eddie opened the Tigers response in the first half to peg Stockport back and scores from Lightening Ben, Thunder Ben and George kept Stockport’s ‘A’ team within sight before the whistle halted the comeback. Final score: Stockport 6, Tigers 5.

Manchester learned the lesson of the slow start to game 1 and raced to a 4-1 lead in the second tie before taking their foot off the gas and allowing Stockport back into the game.

Both sides traded tries and but for touch coming to the rescue on a number of occasions, the score could easily have gone into double figures.

A superb tag from Eddie stopped Stockport from snatching the lead midway through the second half and a brace of tries from Thunder Ben maintained the Tigers’ superiority.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Tigers’ failure to secure the tags they needed to stop a resurgent Stockport meant that with the seconds ticking away, the match was tied at 6 apiece.

It seemed as though honours would be shared but a glorious, jinking run from Lightening Ben in the corner snatched a well-deserved victory for Manchester who had thought they would rue missed opportunities. Final score: Stockport 6, Tigers 7.

Game 3 was a bruising encounter that had to be stopped by the referee to remind both teams that contact was not allowed and although the game was played in a fine spirit, players from both sides were forced to leave the field to attend to injuries.

Lightening Ben was through in the second half but an accidental collision with a Stockport player saw him fall full length, the ball making a poor cushion between chin and ground. He was soon joined by Eddie who was the unfortunate recipient of a pass from his own team mate, Eddie’s nose making a less adept effort that his hands at avoiding the ball.

Both were soon back in the fray however and a close fought game went to the wire before the final play of the match saw Stockport go over to claim the victory. Final score: Stockport 4, Tigers 3.

So, defeat brought to an end a winning sequence that saw the Tigers overcome Lymm and Congleton but a proper team performance was a credit to all the players. Training over Christmas will focus on garnering those extra tags that brings the victory-making turnovers.

This week’s Magnificent Sevens (try count in brackets): Thunder Ben (4), Lightening Ben (4), Eddie (2), Luke (2), George (1), Frank (1), James (1), Ollie, Alex, Max, Myles and Ewan.

Player of the week: Lightening Ben