South Lancs & Cheshire Division 1
Winnington Park 21 Sale F.C. 36
For the second week running Sale scored 36 points as they produced a come-from-behind league win in Northwich, with a 21 point final quarter.
The hosts had the better of the opening ten minutes scoring a penalty and try before a fine break from Johnny Edwards saw Chris Lillie finish off well for a try. Midway through the half Tom Holloway combined fleet of foot with good vision as the scrum half split open the home defence and put in a fine grubber kick for Andrew Baston to continue the footwork and touch down for a 10-8 lead.
Sale were penalised numerous times by the visiting Maltese referee, and by the half hour had conceded two further penalty kicks to allow the hosts to regain a 14-10 lead at the break.
Play ebbed and flowed in the opening period of the second half, but after a spell of Sale pressure on the home line Baston scored his second try of the game as he was driven over following good work by the pack.
Sale were now starting to look more dangerous and again moved play downfield before a superbly delayed pass from Mike Raikes wrong footed the home defence and put Jack Moorhouse in for a try which Raikes himself converted for a 22-14 Sale lead.
Park came straight back up-field and within three minutes had scored a try under the posts and the successful conversion brought the scores back to within one point with ten minutes remaining.
It was nip and tuck for a few minutes before Moorhouse broke through the Park defences on the half way line and won the footrace for the try line. Straight from the kick off Baston turned creator with a fine break to release Moorhouse once more to cross for his hat-trick and with Raikes adding both conversions Sale gained a useful away victory and two valuable league points.
Neil Thallon