South Lancs/Cheshire Division One

Oswestry Eagles 0,

Sefton 12

Oswestry Eagles entertained their old rivals from two seasons ago when they welcomed Sefton to Granville Park on Saturday.

But the Merseyside team demonstrated how two seasons in the middle of the division above has given them vast experience.

Oswestry started off well, containing the Sefton game of excellent attacking rugby, the use of offloading ball and hard rucking and malling.

The Eagles gave as good as they got and at times were in charge of the game, using the big pack well and driving Sefton back to the back foot. But with two penalties and two shots at the posts to no avail the game continued in a seesaw fashion.

The excellent defending from both sides prevented anyone from taking advantage of the scoring opportunities, but then a mistake near the 22-metre line in the Eagles half saw Sefton sweep past the Oswestry defence to score in the corner, not converted.

The game started to get frantic with the referee giving penalties to both teams, while Oswestry scrum half Louie Mackenzie was taken off with concussion, replaced by James Roberts.

Sefton used the period to launch a sustained attack on the Oswestry lines, with some great defensive play, but coach Dan Samuels began to get frustrated with his team for not sticking to the game plan. It was during this interval that Sefton scored another try, this time converted to take the score to 12-0 at half-time.

Samuels gave his team a head’s up on their performance during the interval, telling them that the game needed to change dramatically.

But it was a quiet second half with the score staying at 12-0, as Sefton received three yellow cards for misdemeanours on the field and despite being brought down to 13 men the Eagles still couldn’t penetrate.

The Lanyard Bowdler Man of the Match went to Mike Davies.

n On Saturday, Oswestry Eagles travel to Wigan in a bottom-of-the-table clash.

 

Raging Bull Division Four South

Bowdon Thirds v Oswestry Eagles Seconds

Oswestry Seconds match against Bowdon Thirds in Division Four South was cancelled at the weekend.

n They now take a break from action before travelling to Moore Seconds on Saturday, March 4.