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League title within reach for Marple

19/ 3/2008

MARPLE Rugby Club’s first team moved a step closer to promotion on Saturday with a 72-0 drubbing against West Park Warriors.

The side currently head the South Lancs Cheshire Four league table, with just two games left this season.

Club captain Paul Heard said: "We are looking to win the league. If we win both of our remaining games we will finish top, no one can alter that. We are dictating play, we’re not expecting anyone to do us any favours. It’s in our hands."

After the disappointment of relegation at the end of last term, Marple are now in a position to reassume their place in Division Three, thanks to a new-look first team squad.

The first team’s captain Stuart Brown explained: "A lot of ex-Colts have been promoted to the first team and are enjoying their rugby. We’ve rebuilt, there’s confidence and a very good team spirit. It’s going well."

Among the new first team recruits are members of Marple’s under-17s side of 2004, who lifted two trophies in one season.

"Getting relegated last year did us a favour," added Heard. "It allowed us to change the team round.

"We’ve got young lads playing out of their skin, playing a different game to last season, a much more attractive style of rugby. These lads have been brought up playing this way and are all young and fit, it has made a big difference."

The first team are sponsored by Marple Bridge-based CCS Recruitment Ltd, who have provided money for equipment and kit sponsorship for the last four years.

Marple’s emphatic victory against West Park Warriors gave them a three-point lead at the top of the league table.

It took the Wood Lane side 15 minutes to get off the mark, as they exploited and looked for weaknesses in the Warriors, before scoring at a rate of more than a point per minute.

Marple ended the first half leading 32-0. Mark Smith scored on his wing, after a hard hand-off on the full-back, while Ben Mitchell grabbed a hat-trick of tries, including his best of the afternoon when, having scooped the ball from a poor defensive clearance kick, he ran sideways before deftly chipping the ball over the Warriors’ back line to pounce over the tryline.

West Park never looked like scoring, and spent most of the game in their own half, as hard tackling from captain Brown thwarted any attempt for Warriors to cross the gain line.

Marple’s other tries came from both forwards and backs, mixing the play between hard scrummaging for No.8 pick-ups, to sending the ball out wide for the backs to score.

Stand-off Olly Skelton converted six of the tries.

Marple’s forwards dominated scrums as well as lineouts, with great jumping from Rob Harrison and Tom Mounkley.

Marple now have a break until their next game, on March 29, which is at home against bottom club Helsby.

The second team played poorly against Lymm thirds and lost 17-12. But, after four consecutive promotions, the side have managed to consolidate their position in their current league this term.