South Lancs & Cheshire Division 1
Sale F.C. 21 Anselmians 21
Sale shared the points in a pulsating encounter at Heywood Road by scoring fourteen points in the final ten minutes of the game.
The visitors started well as Sale were penalised in the first minute and former Ireland full back Simon Mason had no difficulty in converting the penalty from 35 metres. Anselmians had the better of the territory in the opening period and on 17 minutes Mason added a second penalty from in front of the posts for a 6-0 lead.
Sale started to get into the match with the pack playing particularly well, and following a long kick downfield by Tom Lucas ably supported by Andrew Baston, the Sale pair caught the opposing full back who failed to release the ball. Quick thinking by Baston saw the centre take a tap penalty and touch down close to the posts for Carwyn Williams to convert to give Sale the narrowest of leads.
The hosts conceded a third penalty in the closing minutes of the half and once again Mason was successful from wide out to give the visitors a 9-7 lead at the break.
The second half started badly for Sale as Anselmians scrum half Close broke through the Sale defence for a try, but this time the normally accurate Mason saw his conversion hit an upright. The home pack were now starting to dominate their opposition and put in some excellent driving mauls, and prop Tom Hughes put in a 40 metre break before being caught deep in the Anselmians “22”.
Despite Sale having much more of the play, Anselmians still also posed a threat and with ten minutes remaining looked to have secured the game when Close again touched down from short range, despite some excellent defensive work by Sale, and Mason added the extras for a 21-7 lead. Anselmians had a couple of penalty chances to extend their lead but inexplicably opted for field position rather than points and it was Sale who stormed back in the closing period of the match.
Excellent work by the pack drove Llion Jones over for a try which Williams converted, and from the restart the Sale side laid siege to the Anselmians line with the visitors conceding numerous penalties in an endeavour to retain their lead. In added time, quick ball down the line saw Baston touch down for his second try with the last play of the game, and with the pressure on Williams kicked the conversion for a well-earned and justified draw.
Neil Thallon