Third team’s walkover is big concern
FOR once a relatively quiet week on the home front with a ‘reserve’ weekend for the 1st XV and the Second team travelling across Cheshire to the Wirral, home of Caldy, where they lost out in a high scoring encounter.
It worries me somewhat that the 3rd XV could not make the game at Rochdale thus awarding the home side a ‘walkover’ and there was no game for the fourth team.
So, for once, Priory Park was a quiet place on Saturday as those of us well past our playing days enjoyed the International fare on show around the Isles with England running the All Blacks too close for their comfort at Twickenham.
An interesting TMO decision cost England the result while Wales edged it in Cardiff by three penalties to two and the Scots lit up Murrayfield in a high-scoring encounter with Fiji – a team who will always run the ball – scoring eight tries in an entertaining game.
Meanwhile, Ireland beat Argentina in Dublin to start the Autumn Internationals in good form.
More of the same on Saturday for you armchair fans who should be at Priory Park to see Macclesfield entertain old rivals Tynedale as the National Two campaign resumes with Macclesfield needing to find some consistent form to move away from the danger area of the table.
Just one game was played in Two North on Saturday and that was effectively a ‘catch up’ game between Chester and Tynedale with the Hare Lane side coming out 33-22 winners in a high scoring encounter so beware a Tynedale backlash this weekend all of which, a third of the way through the season, sees Hull Ionians top the table with nine victories out of 10 on 44 points closely followed by Chester on 40 points and Hinckley on 38.
Sadly Macclesfield sit just above Peterborough Lions at completely the wrong end of the table with just 11 points from their ten games with third bottom South Leicester now eight points clear and their City neighbours Leicester Lions just one point further ahead on 20 so much work to be done as we begin the next phase of the season and your support will be welcomed at Priory Park come 3pm Saturday.
I rarely mention our Colts in this column but must make the exception this week as, somewhat belatedly, I can report that they reached the Cheshire Cup Semi Final with a convincing 45-10 victory against old rivals Winnington Park.
At this stage I am not certain who they will play but watch this space.
Interestingly seven of the Colts in this season’s squad have Father’s who represented Macclesfield at senior level on the playing field. Not a bad record.
It wouldn’t be ‘Clubman’ if I did not also mention ‘that other game’ where England also played New Zealand on Sunday in the final game of a three match series already won by England but they will be disappointed with the 34-0 hammering given out by the RL ‘All Blacks’ in Leeds but at least they won the three match series 2-1.
That’s it for now as the season proper does not begin until February and Super League starts up all over again. Can’t wait...
Back to Macclesfield and games for this Saturday as follows:1st XV v Tynedale – Home – 3pm. 2nd XV v Sedgley Park – Away 3rdXV v Blackburn 2 – Home 4th XV v Whitchurch 3 – Away
That’s it for now – let’s see you all at Priory Park on Saturday to support the 1st team as they fight to move away from the danger area of Two North.