Macc pegged back by Manchester attack

In honour of the conditions we'll call the teams 'Wind' and 'Rain' on this occasion. Match report for Manchester 'Wind' below, the report for Manchester 'Rain' will be uploaded when available.

Manchester 'Wind' - The Players;

Bailey
The Jet (Hudson)
Boomerang (George)
Tom
The Fox (Zac)
Albert (Macc)
Joseph (Macc)

Game 1

The team attempted to get itself organised, integrating the two Macclesfield boys into the defensive line after Captain Bailey had lost the toss. For some reason the boys were hesitant and almost stood to watch as the first Macclesfield player ran down the wing to score. Within seconds they were two down, Manchester losing the ball and then missing the opportunity to take tags - Macclesfield had started like an express train. In the face of the Macclesfield express it was time to up the stakes. From the restart the ball was passed to The Jet and with a twisting run cutting in and out of the opposition he steamed through for a typical wonder try. Things were back on track and the confidence began to flow through the team, another try to level the scores quickly followed. The momentum had swung and the Macclesfield boys guesting for Manchester had the scent of a victory. The second half started all square but it wasn't destined to stay that way for long. After a comical moment from Boomerang where he almost ran through to touch down on his own line he ran the length of the pitch carving apart the defence to score at the other end. Another quickfire try saw Manchester into an early 4-2 lead and from that point our boys were never in trouble. The captain crossed the line to ensure we maintained the gap after a reply from Macclesfield and the scoring was completed with a try from each of the guesting Macclesfield boys, Albert and Joseph, to see Manchester home as 6-4 winners after a nervy start.

Game 2

Up against the second Macclesfield side, there was a switch of pitches and a switch of coaches with Will relieved of refereeing duties and taking over as Coach from Rick. With Tom starting as Captain for this match the team were a more composed unit from the start. Playing on a larger pitch with much more space to run into, the positional play and understanding between the Manchester boys began to stand out. The Jet broke through to score after a clever change of pace and sidestep through the defence, his repertoire of skills expanding by the week. The Fox broke down the left wing from the restart after a Macclesfield reply, keeping low to score in the corner. Captain Tom added to the scoring as the lead was stretched and with Albert again scoring against his clubmates it was clear that another win was on the cards. Leading 4-2 at half time, Manchester resumed play showing no mercy for their struggling opponents. Looking for the knockout they turned to Boomerang and once again he hurtled back towards his own line. With the screams of the crowd in his ears he managed to pull up short and head back towards the other end. Caught in traffic near the touchline he launched the ball back towards his teammates where it was fortunately picked up by Tom. Breaking through towards the line after a run through half the field he made the almost fatal mistake of pausing, as he thought he'd been tagged. Instead of then being over-run by the defence it turned into an inspired change of pace as he changed direction and touched down over the line. Facing a dominant Manchester side the Macclesfield boys began to tire and their spirits fell. The Jet took advantage of tired legs from another restart after Macc pulled back to 6-3, streaking through the entire team again get his second of the game. Overconfidence briefly became a problem as a Macclesfield player was simply watched as he ran straight between a sleepy Manchester defence but the scoring was not yet finished. Taking a leaf out of Boomerang's book, when cornered by a crowd of Macclesfield defenders, The Fox ran back towards his own line before weaving back through with a mazy run to lose the defenders and score on the right wing. With 2 tries from Albert, Manchester ended out 9-6 winners, a scoreline that did little to reflect the dominance of the performance.

Man of the Match - Boomerang (He kept going one way, but he kept on coming back!)

Tries - Boomerang 3, The Jet 3, Tom 2, The Fox 2, Bailey 1