Sale fall short despite comeback

SALE FC produced a stunning second-half comeback but slipped to a 28-21 defeat at Oxfordshire side Chinnor in National Division One.

The hosts scored first on 29 minutes when Craig Holland received a delightful pass from Greg Goodfellow.

Chinnor then steamrolled from a line-out to double their lead on 36 minutes when Will Bordill planted the ball, and they repeated the very same trick just three minutes later to take a commanding lead.

But Sale hit back after the break. Chinnor defended valiantly for 10 brutal minutes, with Alex Dancer pulling off at least two try-saving tackles.

The line did not look like cracking until Jack Ramshaw was yellow carded on 51 minutes.

Sale then hit Chinnor with three tries inside 10 minutes, turning the game on its head.

Ryan Parkinson crashed over with Tom Ailes following soon after, and when Conor Dougherty scored on 61 minutes, they looked in control. A sustained period of pressure was only prevented from ending in points by a series of penalties from Sale.

The referee’s patience was finally tested too far, and another yellow card meant Sale were down to 14 men when Holland scored the decisive try for Chinnor.

Sale FC face National League 1 rivals Esher at the CorpAacq Stadium, on Heywood Road, on Saturday (3pm).