Wids’ seconds enjoy championship glory
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THERE was late disappointment for Widnes RUFC, when their latest South Lancs/Cheshire One league match at Manchester Medics was called off at the eleventh hour because their opponents were unable to fulfil their front-row requirements meaning that the fixture could not go ahead.
In the meantime, it was left to the second XV to take centre stage in their latest Division Three South fixture.
And, once again they did not disappoint either, as they completed a comprehensive 84-0 whitewash of Carrington in front of a packed house at Heath Road to all but secure the Sale Sharks Division Three League title.
The pressure was on for the home side knowing victory would mean only a defeat of more than 150 points in their final game against Marple would hand them the crown.
The Wids dominated the encounter from start to finish and opened the scoring through captain Josh Paton.
Tom Spencer, Jack Gilhooley, Aaron Haydock and James Owen also got on the scoresheet in the first 40 minutes. Paton added four out of five conversions with the boot to leave the Wids in full control of proceedings at 33-0.
Widnes picked up where they left off in the second half with two quickfire tries from substitute Andy Owens and one from Jordan Ecclestone.
The scoring continued as Ste Connor, Spencer, Tom Farmer, Owen and Ben McQuillan all touched down to wrap up a comprehensive victory.
In Division Five West, Oxton Parkonians conceded their fixture meaning that Widnes’s third-team have also been crowned as champions with two games left to play.
It means that they will make an immediate return to Division Four following relegation last term. ● Following on from the disappointment of the Manchester Medics game being called off, the first-team were expected to be in action again last night in Derbyshire for a re-arranged league game under the lights with Glossop.
The previous two attempts at getting the game played were thwarted by arctic conditions and then a waterlogged pitch.
The men from the Peak District went into the encounter in fifth position in the table on 81 points from 23 matches whilst Widnes were eighth with 60 to their name from the same number of games.
The previous game at Heath Road back in October produced a 21-13 win for Glossop who will have been keen to get back to winning ways after losing a high-scoring clash at league leaders Manchester last Saturday, whilst the Wids were in need a welcome victory after two successive defeats.