Club President DAVID BARKER Welcomes LEIGH - Pitchero

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LEIGH Over recent seasons, matches against Leigh have always been closely contested whether in this league or the one below, when we were frequently competing for the top spot. Barry Fisher‟s records show that we first met at 1st. XV level in 1995/96 in what must have been the old North West 2 league, Wilmslow winning 23-15 on that occasion. We have now met twenty one times and the record shows thirteen wins for Wilmslow, eight for Leigh and a points for/against of 355 to 344 in favour of Wilmslow. Leigh are now in their fourth consecutive season in this league, going up the year we were coming out of it again in 2006/07. They had looked favourites to win SLC1 the previous season when they visited us unbeaten but on the day they went down by 19-14 and then lost their way on the run in. Only Ben Day and Bob MacCallum survive from that Wilmslow side. Leigh players have on the other hand proved more durable with Ms. Forshaw, Dyson, Hampson, Crompton, Barton, Knapman, Bentham, Lee, Riley, Eccles and the Woods from the 2005 side still turning out this season. Neither side has contested the top spots in North 1 West over the last three seasons but Leigh are now hovering just one point and one place above the relegation zone. Last weekend, they beat Wigton 34-6 but it was a good weekend for the lower clubs with New Brighton winning against Sandbach and Kirkby Lonsdale earning five points against us, so their relative position wasn‟t improved. They are certain to be very dangerous opponents today and the comfortable win we enjoyed against them last November should be totally disregarded. The margins will as always be very fine. Back then, the Wolves had put on one of their best displays of the season, scoring three tries through Lillie, Brierley and MacCallum. On the day, their scrummaging and ball retention had been much improved from the week before and both sides had benefited from the refereeing of Sr. Pedro Fonseca, a former Portuguese international hooker, who had allowed the game to flow without in any way losing control. There was no report on their web site of last week‟s win against Wigton when I had a look so I went to the Wigton side to see what I could glean. Wigton report that they had travelled somewhat shorthanded as Cumbrian clubs always seem to do and had come up against a Leigh side containing a number of first choice players returning from either injury or absence. Although having plenty of the play, Wigton found Leigh just too well organised to break down and were frequently caught on the break. Five tries were scored through No. 8 Mark Welsh, flanker Denis Bate, second row Paul Hampson and wingers Adam Dyson and Tom Forshaw, the last three of whom have all caused Wilmslow grief in the past.. The Wolves have every reason to be on their guard from a resurgent Leigh side. 2010 - 2011 SEASON Wilmslow RUFC Kings Road Wilmslow SK9 5PZ Tel : 01625 522274 Club Website www pitchero.com/clubs/wilmslow Hon. President David Barker Immediate Past President Jonty Fallows Hon. Club Chairman Dave Scanlon Hon. Secretary Barry Fisher Hon. Treasurer Tony Kersh Club Captain Mike Clifford Vice Captain Bob MacCallum Director of Rugby Daz Lucas Club Coach Giles Heagerty Vikings Captain Tim Medwell Hawks Captain Matt Hamilton Ravens Captain Andy Duggan Magazine Editor and Club Press Officer : David Pike Tel : 01625 525616 : 07886 588524 : david.psychometrics@talktalk.net Wilmslow RUFC is an open community based club, offering a game to anyone coming through the gates from the age of six upwards - with no upper age limit. Nevertheless, subscriptions and bar receipts are just not sufficient to maintain the wonderful sports field we have here. We, therefore, acknowledge and thank all those individuals and organisations, who have supported the club, the teams and the players this season either by sponsorship, advertising or donation. Without them we just would not be here. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS 2010-11 Alan Lang : All U Need Allied Corporate Finance Barrington Sports : B Clarke Belverdale Construction Beauchamp Charles : Bengal Tiger Lilyy Byrom plc : Canterbury : Chapel Interiors Chelsea Flowers : easyfish : Eden Deli FGP : Gascoigne Halman : gas-elec Gemma Jones Photography : Glaisyers Gusto Alderley Edge : KPMD Group Lee Floorstok : Loch Fyne Restaurants Michael J Chapman Morley Green Garden Centre : Motrax Oddbins : P J Design : Printerland.co.uk Royles Jaguar : S C & P Jones Slater Heelis : Stationery Solutions Stigs Barbers Shop : TD Holiday Options The Farmers Arms : The Horse and Jockey The Lighting and Interiors Group TNN Taxi & Chauffeur Services The Vets’ Place The Wilmslow Half Marathon TWP Financial Planning Wheatsheaf Press : Wilmslow IT Wilmslow Chiropractic Clinic Wilmslow Electrical : Wilmslow Glass
Saturday 19 th . February 2011 North 1 West Wilmslow 23 – 9 Burnage There were no ifs and buts about this one. The Wolves simply carried on from where they had left off the week before and were well worth their fourteen point winning margin against the league leaders from Burnage. Right from the start the Wolves had showed their intent to play expansive rugby coupled with an aggressive „in your face‟ defence and the visitors just couldn‟t find any answer. Burnage have a fine home record this season but on the road their margins have been much narrower and their only loss this season had been earlier this month away to Northwich. With only one home fixture still to play and away visits to all the other title contenders to come, they will have done well if they‟re still top of the heap at the end of April. This though was a match from which they would have been expected to come away with a win against supposedly weaker opposition but on the day, they just weren‟t allowed to settle and to impose themselves on events. Their forwards were held throughout and without a dominant platform, their backs were forced to attack from deep positions into the face of a determined defence that gave nothing away and inevitably errors costing them possession crept in as they tried to force the pace. It wasn‟t long before Elliot Brierley and Chris Lillie on the Wilmslow wings were being released by their inside backs from anywhere on the pitch to torment their opponents with incisive line breaking runs. This adventurous approach, of course, is not without risk when passes go adrift, land in no man‟s land or are dropped. Burnage though were unable to capitalise as Wolves players were normally able to scramble back to tidy up any mess of their own making. The opening score came after ten minutes, when a typical Wolves raid forced the visitors to concede a penalty to Josh Longmore in front of their own posts. Danny Jones, the hugely influential Wolves No. 8, then took an accidental bang on the head and had to leave the field for repairs and whilst this was going on, his substitute, Danny Kennedy, crossed for the Wolves first try on the quarter hour. The Wolves had turned over an attacking Burnage lineout and spun the ball out to Brierley on the opposite wing and when he was stopped the ball was recycled to centre Mike Black, who regathered his own kick ahead to feed Chris Lillie on the left. He was pulled down just short of the line but the loose ball was gathered by the supporting Kennedy who plunged over. The whole move had been executed at blinding pace and showed what they were capable of. Next blood was an Adam Knight penalty for Burnage but the Wolves were soon in their faces again, forcing an error in midfield, which was hacked on by Lillie, who outstripped everyone for the score. There was still time for a second Longmore penalty before the break, which arrived 18-3 to the Wolves. The second half started with that kindly Wolves prop, Taff Bartlem, playing his last game for the side before taking up a new appointment in London, being harshly yellow carded for a technical offence which referee Damian Hamilton clearly thought was deliberate. Whilst he was off the field, Burnage‟s Adam Knight reduced the margin to 18-9 with two penalties. It was to be the only period of the game in which they were to have the upper hand. When Bartlem returned, the Wolves just seemed to pick up the pace. Jones was conspicuous around the fringes, always gaining a yard or two, whether he was carrying the ball, tackling or harassing; Kennedy covered and tackled bravely in the open spaces and the pocket battleship, which is Chris Lillie just stood out with his powerful play. It was hardly a surprise when Jones charged down a Burnage No. 10, Mike Raikes, clearing kick for stand in fly half, Ricky Chadwick, to touch down on 60 minutes. That was to be the final score but an exciting final quarter saw Burnage‟s Raikes, Stuart Oldham and Neil Baxter try everything to break out of the stranglehold to no avail as the best chances continued to fall to the Wolves. Kennedy was called back for a supposed forward pass and several penalty opportunities were missed when they found themselves without a kicker, following Longmore‟s departure with a knee injury. No matter, it had been an excellent game of rugby with both sides contributing. Coach Giles Heagerty declared himself happy with what he felt had been the best performance of the season. We outplayed the top side in the league, he said, and if only we could play like that every week, then it would be us at the top, not them………………..if only!
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Club President DAVID BARKER Welcomes LEIGH - Pitchero

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