Ormskirk were beaten 28-12 away at league leaders Burnage on Saturday.
The Green Lane men matched the Manchester side for long periods of the game but conceded three tries in a disappointing second half.
Ormskirk’s number 8, Ben Davis, and winger, Luke Parker, crossed for a try each as the visitors produced a spirited performance.
Playing into the wind in the first half, Ormskirk were given a chance to improve on the defensive frailties which were exploited by Sale the week before.
Burnage pinned Ormskirk back in their 22 for much of the opening period, but this week Kirk’s defence stood firm.
Ormskirk’s attacking opportunities were kept to a minimum by an unbeaten Burnage side but the highlight of the half came in a scintillating outside break by John Curley, who was unlucky not to score following a 60 metre run.
With the score 6-0 at half time, Ormskirk had produced a fine effort to have blunted Burnage’s attack.
But not for the first time this season, Ormskirk let their concentration slip at the start of the second half. Full Back, Andy Healey, punted a long clearance kick into the opposition half but a defensive mix-up allowed Burnage’s outside centre, Stuart Oldham, the chance to out-pace the covering defence to score in the corner.
With the score now 14-0 with 30 minutes remaining, the game opened up as both sides played with a little more ambition and started to get the ball into wider channels.
Following a superb tactical kick from John Armstrong, Paul Skett and Matt Johnson came close to getting Ormskirk on the scoreboard. Skett, playing on the left wing, just over ran the final pass and Burnage were able to recover.
Although it was Ormskirk who scored next as Ben Davis crashed over from the back of a five metre scrum. John Armstrong had been denied a try seconds earlier by a cynical interception which handed Kirk a penalty in front of the posts.
But two further breakaway scores from Burnage’s Oldham broke Ormskirk’s resistance and put the result beyond doubt.
In the closing stages, some impressive handling from Kirk’s backline allowed Luke Parker to score in the corner for a well-deserved consolation try.
Ormskirk’s 2nd XV beat Sale 30-22, whilst the 3rd’s drew 15-15 against Eagle. The 4th XV lost 59-5 against Tarleton. Next week, Ormskirk travel to Winnington Park who are three places below Kirk in the table having not won a league fixture this season.
