Leigh Miners 18 - 48 Mayfield

Rochdale Mayfield

There's not many teams go to Leigh Miners and score 48 points and come away with an emphatic victory like this, but that’s exactly what Mayfield NWML did on Saturday.

Dave Harmer and Craig White were delighted with the way the team performed, showing a steel and determination which, if they carry on through the season will surely see them in the top half of the table at the very least.

After a slow start which saw Mayfield lose the ball three times in the first three minutes the hosts took an early lead capitalising on all the possession they received.

It took Mayfield ten minutes to settle into any sort of rhythm but when they did they were outstanding. Great work from full back Rob Kershaw saw Rhys Carruth take advantage of a quick play the ball and race 50m untouched for his sides first score, John Marsland converted to give his side a lead they never relinquished.

Despite the score this was never an easy game and Miners came at Mayfield with everything and only strong defence from Gaz Ellison, Paul Hancock and Luke Hartley kept them at bay.

A crunching tackle from Carruth saw him able to strip the ball in a one to one and sprint in for his second, already trade mark, long range try again Marsland converted.

You could see Mayfield sensed an upset at this stage and they upped the pace of the game to make the most of the momentum, Lee Atkinson, Nick Hargreaves and James Percy outstanding taking the ball at every opportunity leading the lads by example and when Paul Hancock put Ellison over to make the score 4 - 16 even the Mayfield crowd saw the game turn completely in their team's favour.

Everything was going for them now another score and the game would be almost beyond Miners, Keiran Harmer and Luke Hartley combined to try make sure the Miners didn't get back into it.

Carruth completed his hat trick with a great try under the posts.

Everybody wanted to be involved now and in their quest for more points inevitably there were gaps left in the line, the Miners hooker exploited this and put the prop in for a score to try and get his side back in it.

Sean Snape and Billy Percy were instrumental in setting up the final try of the half for try for Keiran Harmer, again converted by Marsland.

The second half was much a repeat of the first with Mayfield dominating through the powerful runs of James and Billy Percy, Nick Hargreaves Sean Snape and Lee Atkinson. Snape and George Yewdale added scores before Miners pulled back a couple of tries.

Mayfield sealed the game with tries from Callum Harmer and a second for Snape for a final score of 18 - 48.

This really was an excellent victory for Mayfield and Harmer couldn't praise the players enough. Hargreaves and Carruth were the best on the day but it was a complete team performance that saw off the Miners side.