Eccles 22 - 30 Mayfield

Hoping to get back to winning ways Mayfield NWC made the short journey to Eccles on Saturday (26 February 2011).

Eccles were bottom of the league and Mayfield were expected to pick up two points, but there has never been an easy game against Eccles and this one proved no exception.

Mayfield started like a team on fire pounding the home sides line before good work from Marsland allowed Stef Howard to breeze in under the posts for a converted try.

Five minutes later after good work down the centre of the field by Nyland and White, Lee broke from the half way line making forty metres up field before being halted by the full back. Hart crashed over from the resulting play the ball Marsland converted 0- 12, Hancock was next, scoring on the left from broken play. This was Hancock’s first try of the season and just reward for the amount of work he has got through recently.

0 –16. From a set play Lee slipped a well timed pass to Greaves who crashed through the defence to make the score 0 – 20. It looked like a rout was on the cards at this point but Eccles had other ideas. Some dubious refereeing decisions gave the home side easy yards allowing them good field position from where they grabbed their first try.

Slack and disorganised defence then allowed two more tries and they were back in a game which in reality should have been over as a contest at 20 – 0 instead the score now stood at 18 – 20 and Mayfield looked like they were struggling to contain a now rampant Eccles team.

Excellent defensive stints from Hancock and fullback Kelly held the home side at bay and allowed the visitors, under the leadership of Simpson to regain control of the game and when Hill out paced his opposite number to grab a score out wide the Mayfield camp breathed a sigh of relief.

Mayfield then scored the try of the game after good inter play between Marsland and Lee allowed the experienced Yeomans to exploit a gap in the line, beat four defenders and sprint forty yards before rounding the full back and touching down, Marsland converted.

Eccles managed to pull a try back on the final whistle but the game was won and the points in the bag for the Rochdale side. Final score 22 – 30.

This wasn’t the best performance from the Mayfield side but it was by no means the worst just a little more concentration and sticking to the game plan and this would have been a cricket score but as coaches Ashworth and Connelly said “A win is a win.”

Kelly continued his improvement at full back and there were good performances from Hill and Fletcher on the wings and a superb thirty tackles from Hancock. Andy Lee once more took the MOM award for his non stop contribution all over the field.

Team; James Kelly, Sean Hill, Richard Yeomans, Joe Hart, Gareth Fletcher, Andy Lee, John Marsland, Dunc Simpson, Stefan Howard, Mark Nyland, Craig White, Anthony Greaves, Paul Hancock, Ian Kershaw, Ben Duffy, Jake Johnson, Dean Hartley.