FOR the second week running missed opportunities saw Northwich RUFC come away with nothing in a game they should have had sewn up at half time.

They have the squad to do well, they looked convincing in the warm up, they have good direction in the form of coach Chris Chudleigh and for the first half hour they totally dominated the game against Wilmslow.

What they did not do against Wilmslow was finish their scoring opportunities and instead of being four tries ahead at the interval they had only a 7-0 lead courtesy of a Steve Campbell try and Chris Dale conversion.

This try was scored after 10 minutes while skipper Jonathan Simpson was in the sin bin for swinging a boot.

At this stage Wilmslow were all at sea and further tries were narrowly missed when Andy Joseph just failed to ground the ball, then Andy Chubb knocked on as he crossed the line.

The game should have been out of reach for a floundering Wilmslow outfit, but in the final 10 minutes of the first half they started to claw their way back into the match.

It really was a game of two halves and a rejuvenated Wilmslow pack starved Northwich of any meaningful possession after the break.

They disrupted scrum and lineout and when a clever kick ahead resulted in a Ben Day try and Bob McCallum conversion the previously composed home team looked punch drunk.

Their misery was further compounded when Wilmslow full back Mark Warmsley crept through the tightest of gaps to score in the corner.

McCallum converted from the touch line and Northwich were 7-14 down with 15 minutes to play.

This should have been long enough for Northwich to get back into the game but injuries to Andy Stanley and Andy Joseph did not help their cause.

Replacements Ged Gough and Steve Taylor rallied their tired teammates, but the last play of the game saw a dominant Wilmslow scrum drive the Northwich pack over their own line for captain Chris Jones to score a deserved converted try, giving Wilmslow a 19-7 win.

l NORTHWICH Ladies kicked off their season with a fine win against the Isle of Man.

They ran out convincing 33-10 winners with tries from Sarah Lydon (2), Sarah Whittaker, Trish Taylor and Dawn Akrige. Vicky Reeve added four conversions.