Margin of victory hard on visitors
MAYFIELD took two valuable league points with a solid and convincing, if unspectacular, victory over Cumbrian opposition.
Despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise, the visitors gave them a stiff test in attack and defence.
The first 25 minutes of the game was a penalty-athon, as both sides struggled to get a grip on the contest.
Egremont were first to settle and took advantage of Mayfield mistakes to camp out on the home team’s try line, but the defence held strong for four repeat sets.
The Cumbrians looked set to get their fifth chance at a try when Matty Ashton clean dropped the ball on exiting his line, but Sean Watkins spared his blushes by intercepting an Egremont pass and racing to half way before handing onto Matty Ashton who was be hauled down 20 metres short on the right.
The Rochdale boys showed patience though, and fast, wide hands to the left found Jack Sampson in acres of space and he crossed in the corner.
It was too wide for Chris Hough to convert and it stayed at 4-0.
Mayfield smartly recovered the restart and Sampson weaved through the defence to half way. Two quick play the balls later, Egremont were at sixes and sevens and Declan Sheridan scooted over for a try.
Chris Hough again missed the conversation and it stayed 8-0 until half time.
Mayfield just needed to cut out the errors and mistakes to progress, but they had defended well to keep the visitors to nil.
Eight minutes into the second half Egremont worked space on the left but the winger dropped the pass with an open line in front of him.
Four plays later Mayfield had charged to the visitors try line.
Zak Baker smashed into the defence and Paul Brearley took a neat offload to drive over for a Hough converted try and 14-0.
Egremont needed to dig in and they tried hard but, on their next exit set, Sean Watkins chased a long kick hard, and took the ball from the returning Egremont player in a oneon-one tackle, racing in for a try, converted by Hough for 20-0.
The game was over with 30 minutes to play but Mayfield pressed on.
Egremont lost their talismanic stand off as he was injured keeping out a flying Wayne English, and his efforts were in vain as Brearley was just stopped on the line on the right then wide hands found Lewis Butterworth in space and his sublime pass drew the cover and gave Sampson the space to dive over in the corner for 24-0.
With ten minutes left and Mayfield again on the attack, Brearley raced across the line and found man of the match Wayne English with a neat inside ball. He sliced through under the posts for a Zac Hartley converted try and 30-0.
Mayfield owed much to the strong defence, particularly on their own line, and attacked well when disciplined enough to get field position.
Fullback English was good value for his man of the match award – safe at the back and scintillating in attack – and he was well supported by an enthusiastic pack, particularly hooker Lewis Ainley, back rower Sean Watkins and sponsors man of the match, Zak Baker.
Wayne English. Jack Sampson, Lewis Butterworth, Matty Ashton, Munya Samanyanga.Chris Hough, Sam Butterworth. Jimmy Connaughton, Lewis Ainley, Simon Moore, Sean Watkins, Paul Brearley. Seta Tala, Declan Sheridan, Aiden Gleeson, Zac Hartley.