Force of virus
within our own half for a brilliant solo try, the half time score was 10-22.
Now playing with the wind behind them, Jennings came on at No 10 and kicked sagaciously to use the elements, turning the Preston back three and forcing them to retreat.
The hosts did have a good third quarter but outstanding turnovers by Thorpe and Palmer stemmed the tide.
Front row Sheratte, Holden and Caswell grafted solidly, the former linking nicely, showing his footballing skills in difficult conditions. Both props scored tries.
Caswell was nominated by manager/coach Pete Langley as Man-of-theMatch; strong and robust in the scrummages, carrying the ball aggressively and always making it available when stopped.
The third team were without a fixture with the fourth team away at tabletoppers Marple seconds.
The pitch was a quagmire but they won, gaining a try bonus point.
Macc 4s travelled to Marple for the long awaited face off, the clash of the Titans, against Marple 2s, a team unbeaten in the league, except by Macclesfield last year. Both teams had been building to this match for weeks, seeing it as a clash of the two giants of the league and an opportunity to secure a reputation as the best in the league.
From the off, it was clear that Marple wanted to right their 2019 loss and ran strong at a great Macc defence; this ultimately led to Marple taking the lead having converted a penalty.
Macc heads remained up and defiance was strong. Again, the home side came at them hard, but Macc’s big and strong forward pack ensured turnover possession and dominance with good solid runs at a strong Marple defensive line.
Very heavy, soggy pitch conditions saw the bigger lads slow a little and rely on getting ball out to our quick and skilful back line.
Good phase play saw Jack Pearce run a fantastic ball through several defenders to score.
Points on the board sharpened Macc’s focus on the win and saw the standard strong forwards phase play come into effect, supported by lovely back advancement, crossing the line for try number two. The remainder of the first half saw both teams back and forth, Marple very keen to close the gap.
The second half saw the heavy forwards run hard and smash each other up and down the park relentlessly.
Some cracking phase play by Macc forwards saw a huge 50m gain followed by lovely rumble ball inside the Marple 10 allowing Pearce an easy pick and drive for try number three.
Marple regained form taking advantage of a very quick scrum and tired Macc forwards, allowing their big centre to sail through for their first try.
The Macc forwards, having had enough of doing all the hard work, allowed the backs to display some flair, paving the way to a fourth try.
Marple once again came back strong and scored, but Macc dug in, and all 15 defended to the whistle. Macc took the day 24-17.
Harry Harding, Harry and James Oliver and Will Davies all played for Cheshire U20s on Sunday at Bowdon Rugby Club against Northumbria in the Jason Leonard U20 Championships.
According to Cheshire reports the Macc lads played like Trojans, leading from the front. Cheshire beat a resurgent Northumbria winning 23-0 to reach the quarter finals, their next fixture being at home against Oxfordshire.