ASPULL 21 - 14 WARRINGTON

This was another close game with the lead frequently changing but a bizarre Warrington decision at the end of the game and the home team’s greater ability to cope with the muddy conditions meant that Warrington had to be satisfied with a losing bonus point.

Only a try saving tackle from Jack Rigby playing at full back stopped the home side from establishing a lead in the first two minutes of the game. In the third minute, however, they did go ahead from a penalty in front of the posts when skipper Downes was judged to have gained possession illegally. 3-0. From the restart Rigby was again in action, collecting the ball cleanly and making an elusive fifty metres in the heavy conditions. The attack ended, however, with the ball being spilled ten metres from the Aspull line.

Ten minutes later, Warrington took the lead after a neat inside pass from Evans put Downes through a gap and Aspull onto the back foot. Quick recycling saw winger Luke Turner over in the corner from a clever overhead pass from centre McCombie. Scrum half Charlie Hughes made the difficult conversion. 3-7.

The slippery conditions made handling difficult and frequent knock ons made the game a stop start affair. Aspull, however, had the edge in ball handling and put together a fluent move from a scrum on the Warrington ten metre line to manufacture a try and re-establish their lead as half-time approached. 8-7.

HT 8-7

After the turn around, No 8 Danny Fleming regained the lead for Warrington finishing off a scintillating combination from Turner and Rigby. Hughes again slotted a difficult conversion. 8-14.

Aspull then pulled 3 points back from a penalty, 11-14, which seemed to become more frequent as the game progressed. Warrington reverted more to a territorial game more suited to the conditions, but Aspull’s exit kicking stopped Warrington from exerting any sustained pressure. A marked deterioration in the quality of Warrington’s line-out possession in the second half, contributed to Aspull’s next score as they stole a Warrington ball on half way and scuttled through some poor tackling for a score in the corner. 16-14.

Reverting to a more direct approach through their forwards, Warrington made good progress notably through pick and drives from back rowers Carr and Antrobus but could not break the steady home defence. With five minutes to go, from a scrum on the Warrington 10 metre line, the Aspull scrum half, No 8 and winger put together a successful combination ending in a grubber kick which the turned the Warrington defence and earned them another try. 21-14.

Warrington could still have salvaged a draw as they exerted pressure in the Aspull 22 and were awarded a penalty twenty metres out in the last play of the game. With the losing bonus point almost guaranteed, the enterprising option of a short penalty might have earned a draw but caution won the day, the attempt at goal was missed and Warrington stayed 7 point adrift.

FT 21-14

Report by Roy Potts WRUFC