Brave Effort Against Lancashire Girls

The home side, who make up the core of the Lancashire county team, had a very impressive 22 players available for this fixture. Sandbach/Northwish/Manchester travelled with a bare XV and due to sickness were forced to ask some players to fill unfamiliar positions.

The first half was a huge struggle between two talented and committed sides not willing to concede an inch. It looked as if Sandbach would register the first points, but progress deep in the Tyldesley 22 was halted by the referee when he ruled that the ball was held on to for a fraction too long after a tackle. The pressure was relieved by a long kick but the Sandbach forwards packed together impressively to drive the ball back upfield with Thea Brau, urged on by Jordan Morris at scrum half, controlling the maul impressively.

The game became confined between the 10 metre lines with little between the sides; scrums and line outs consistently going with the put in. Gradually Sandbach gained territorial advantage with the forwards working hard to release their backs. A second chance came Sandbach’s way when an attacking line out on the right was well won and the ball was neatly moved along the three quarters to Hannah Johnson. The defence used the touchline well however and Hannah was bundled out of play on the opposite flank.

Tyldesely were now struggling to get out of their half with Sandbach giving them no room to work with. In an effort to make some ground, a speculative kick up field was lofted into the Sandbach half. The ball bounced loose and the fragmented defence were unable to control it as they retreated, allowing Tyldesley to seize the ball and their first try against the run of play.

The game briefly began to drift Tyldesley’s way as Sandbach came to terms with this set back. It was important not to show any weakness at this point and an awesome clear out at a ruck by Jess Gurney seemed to release the frustration and show the intent of the team.

As a result, Sandbach finished the half strongly. A penalty award was capitalised on when Tyldesley failed to retreat 10 metres so that Sandbach were now attacking from within the 22. Jordan and then Nieve Jones tried to find a way through the defence but it was Mollie Latham who reached the line in the end, forcing her way over for a well deserved equalising score. From out wide, Nieve’s conversion attempt dropped just short of the crossbar and half time was reached at 5-5.

Although Sandbach had arrived with minimum numbers, the teams agreed at half time that Tyldesely could use rolling subs so that all their squad could be involved in the match. This was certainly in the spirit of the game but meant that the exertions of the first half were more likely to tell on Sandbach than their hosts.

So it proved to be, although the crucial try conceded from the restart cannot be attributed to that. Some poor organisation and a lack of concentration led to a penalty to Tyldesely, and a quick tap-and-go saw the lead being grabbed back within minutes, well converted to make it 12-5. With their heads now up, Tyldesely exploited some loose tackling to pull further ahead with another converted try to make it 19-5.

Despite the poor start to the second half, Sandbach just needed a break to get back in touch. It wasn’t to come however with the hosts playing very well and in no mood to be generous.

So even was the match that the final two scores were conceded at times when Sandbach were down to 14 players through injuries suffered from some brave tackling. Unfortunately the referee failed to notice Amy Johnson needing on-pitch attention while the game moved away from her injury. With Tyldesley keeping possession through several phases, the action moved nearer and nearer the Sandbach line, away from Amy, until a try was scored, converted and the gap increased to 26-5.

The game may have been beyond Sandbach by now but they continued to attack and were camped out in the Tyldesley 22 before a knock on resulted in a defending scrum five. Sandbach remained in attacking mode but the Tyldesley forwards held their scrum well. This allowed them to round the forwards and through the backs for what looked a certain breakaway score. Hannah showed great speed and determination to recover the situation, sprinting from her wing to hound the runner down with a try saving tackle all the way back in the Sandbach 22.

Tyldesely did have the final say however. Jordan took a heavy knock which put her out of action, and again that slight advantage counted with a try in the corner to close the match at 31-5.

The sides were far more evenly matched throughout than the final scoreline suggests. Based on Sunday’s performance, it will take a very good side to beat either in the Merit League. Sandbach certainly have the ability to win the reverse fixture at home next year to keep the pressure on Tyldesely in this competition.