Match report - 27th Jan 2007
Manchester Wanderers 18 Ormskirk First XV 3
Ormskirk travelled to Manchester to play a team that had taken 2 points off them at home earlier in the season. Just like the first encounter this game saw two evenly matched teams battling for a victory – but again it would end up Ormskirk licking their wounds and coming away empty-handed.
The first half started promisingly for the Gingerbread Men, and there was no doubt that Ormskirk had the majority of possession along with attacking prowess. Kirk’s forwards muscled their opponents off the ball and were able to make breaking runs off the side of mauls. Graham Bowling at hooker gave good line out ball for John Bennett and Kieran Mahood to take but the home team seemed to take little time in sussing out Kirk’s strategies. Mark Hutchings and Dickie Underwood kept control in the centres and were able to take down the opposition crash ball merchants.
It was somewhat against the run of play when 15 minutes into the half a break from Manchester’s scrum-half set the home team advancing forward, and - assisted with a couple of missed tackles - Manchester took the first points. A little shell-shocked Kirk restarted positively. Ste Stone was able to punt the ball down field and force mistakes from the Wanderers’ back three. The pressure from Ormskirk resulted in penalty kicks being awarded and on any other day the points would have been taken, unfortunately the rub of the green was against Ormskirk today. Shortly before the half-time whistle Manchester made a break which would see them in the visitors 22 for possibly only the second time. From a scrum the fly-half put in a nifty kick over Kirk’s back line which landed in the try area. As the ball bobbled along the ground in the danger zone it seemed a formality that either Underwood or Jimbo McKeown would get there hands on it, however, fate would have them collide and when the ball trickled out from under them Manchester’s winger scored the easiest points of his season. With the conversion added Ormskirk’s reply was quick and 3 points for a penalty kick from Stone took the half time score to 12-3.
The second half saw Ormskirk struggle to make any meaningful headway. The Pack still worked hard yards made off the rucks and mauls. Unfortunately, as had been the case on occasion during the first half, when the ball did make its way out a rudimentary mistake would halt an attack. Wroe, Gordon and McKeown were kept busy at the back as Manchester’s fly-half looked to kick it down their throats for the remainder of the afternoon. Kirk were able to counter-attack to some extent but Manchester’s defence were well drilled and Ormskirk didn’t look like putting the points on them like they had done at the start of the match – and indeed the season. With neither team scoring tries in the second half the game developed into a situation with both teams seeing equal possession and making effort to turn one and other over. Two penalty kicks added salt into the wounds and at 18-3 Ormskirk had lost to a team that had worked possibly that little bit harder and taken their chances.
Ormskirk’s second row Captain Kirby pointed out that there wasn’t a great deal between the teams and had the mistakes from Kirk not been as numerous then things may have been different. Another away match next Saturday against Crewe and Nantwich – and another opportunity to salvage a few points to lift ‘kirk out of a relegation battle they could do without.
Ormskirk: Blackwood, Bowling, Jones, Kirby, Bennett (Dean 70), Roberts, Molyneux (Church) 70, Mahood, Healy, Stone, Hutchings (Ashworth 60), Underwood, McKeown, Wroe, Gordon
