Macclesfield 4XV 22 V Ormskirk 3XV 15
When the dust (or Rain) settles it is Macclesfield who will take their place in the quarter finals of the Halbro Plate. However the effort and commitment in monsoon conditions, both teams can be justifiably proud of their efforts.
Ormskirk arrived startlingly early before the match, something which has rarely if ever happened before. This gave Kirk the opportunity to get fired up pre-match rather than after about 20 minutes.
When the game did begin it was Macclesfield who began the stronger, pinning Ormskirk in their own half with some strong running and a few rather strange penalty decisions. This saw ‘Macc’ pinning the thirds in their own 22, and after a number of phases saw them score under the posts, leaving them with a 7-0 lead.
Shortly after Macc used the strong wind accompanying them in the first half to pin ‘Kirk in the corners, Full back Adam …. And Wing’s Lee Camileri and Andy Jackson mopping up well given the conditions. However a short range scrum broke and after evading a couple of would be tacklers, Macclesfield scrambled a score in the right corner, leaving them with a valuable 12-0 lead.
However the Thirds refused to be downbeat and after weathering the initial storm began to work their way into the game. Flanker O’Farrell caught an excellent restart and made a number of yards, giving Kirk a chance to put some pressure in of their own. An offload in the tackle went to ground however and the initial chance was lost.
The ‘Kirk pack was up for a fight however, and from the resulting turnover ‘Kirk drove Macc off their own ball. Fly-Half Lee Coulson put in an excellently weighted chip through, and Winger Lee Camileri won the resulting chase. From the ruck just two metres short, the mobile Kirk pack picked and drove, initially through O’Farrell and with support on hand rolled away before flanker Paul (Surname) was driven over. Coulson missed the conversion for 12-5.
The 3rds were in the ascendancy now, Scrum-Half Critchley kicking effectively and the back three chasing well. From a line-out the ball was worked left then right and Prop (Although usually Hooker) Andy Povey found himself in acres of space on the wing from 40 yards out to slide his way in for the try. 12-10.
Kirk began to dominate the game, playing most of the rest of the half in the Macclesfield 22. No.8 Colin Sinclair and second rows Cheesely and Blood providing the platforms with their carrying game saw us get within a whisker of the line. Flanker O’Farrell appeared to have grounded the ball over the line, but with the referee unsighted, a scrum was instead awarded. Unfortunately for Kirk all that pressure failed to turn into points, as we turned around with a 12-10 deficit.
Although the wind had now died down, the rain hadn’t. With the pitch already wet before the game began, and used pre-match by National Two side Henley Hawks for their National Trophy warm-up, the pitch resembled little more than a puddle starting the second half. Another measure of such conditions was the fact that Scrum-Half Critchley dirtied his shirt for the first time this season.
Again it was Macclesfield who started the half brighter, using their strong pack to punch holes in the ‘Kirk defence. A couple of moments of indiscipline from ‘Kirk saw them pinned in their 22 for much of the first quarter, and Macc did what the men in green didn’t, turning pressure into points. A try and the resulting conversion saw Macclesfield take a 19-10 lead.
By this stage the physicality and conditions of the game began to take its toll, both sides visibly tiring. The Thirds exchanged Andy Jackson for Mark Dawe, whilst losing influential second row Simon Blood to injury. Chris (Surname) replacing him.
‘Kirk continued to defend valiantly, Substitute centre Henry Frankle making one crucial interception to prevent a try. With the conditions dictating the nature of the play, the centres performed commendably in the face of Macclesfield’s well organised rush defence. A penalty from right in front of the posts gave the Macc’s a chance to extend their lead to 22-10.
With not long left Kirk went to try and chase the game, knowing that two score and at least one conversion would see them through on the away rule. With Prop Povey going off through injury, Paul (Surname) deputised and centre Rich (Surname) deputising at flanker. The back-row began to put pressure on both scrum half and kicker, forcing the fly-half to drop the ball behind his own line. The resulting scrum saw Second row Chris (Surname) pick up and dive over the line to leave us trailing 22-15 with just four minutes left.
‘Kirk rallied one last effort to try and get themselves into scoring territory, but with the Excellent Macc defence holding firm, the game ended in victory for the home side.
An excellent game of rugby given the conditions, whilst showing what depth of quality there is at all levels of these leagues. Macclesfield will undoubtedly be favourites for a league and cup double, having remained unbeaten so far throughout the season.
As for ‘Kirk the talk before the game was ‘to play as a team’ and ‘work for everything.’ And they sure did. If the Thirds can play with the same effort, commitment and togetherness for the rest of the season, there won’t be too many more agonising losses like this one.
