BOTH Crosfields and Woolston Rovers bounced back to winning ways in the National Conference League on Saturday.
Soap won 22-18 at Dewsbury Celtic to remain top of Division Two, with Rovers two points behind in third following a 42-28 win over Barrow Island at Monk Sports Club.
Jack Lewis scored 10 of Crosfields’ points as he scored a try and kicked three goals, with other tries coming from Brad McAlpine, Joe Barnes and Ben Stevens as Matt Wilson’s side recovered from an early 12-0 deficit.
“I thought our patience and game management was great – probably the best it’s been all year,” head coach Wilson said.
“They had a real dig but once we got in front, I felt like we’re comfortable in the game.
“It was a great response to getting beat last week.”
Action from Crosfields' win at Dewsbury Celtic
Woolston head coach Mal Holt said an “extra bit of composure” helped them to their victory in a game that was in the balance until the later stages.
Tries in the final 10 minutes from brothers Adam and Harry Files, with the former’s score completing a hat-trick, saw off some stubborn resistance from the Cumbrians.
Kieran Jones, Callum Moore and Sam Wood also crossed for the Green and Golds, with Chris Forster landing seven goals.
“We bounced back from the disappointment of last week’s defeat to claim a hard-fought win against a very good Barrow side,” Holt said.
“The game was in the balance right up to the last few minutes, when we managed to score two late tries to put the game to bed.
“We were very good in attack and threw good shape at the visitors all through the game but defensively, we were patchy and gave away too many silly penalties, which invited pressure from Barrow that made parts of the game uncomfortable for ourselves.
“Thankfully, we had that extra bit of composure at the end that saw us home and gave us two vital league points.”
Woolston: Morgan Williams; Karlton Bates, Tom Byrne, Kieran Moore, Kieran Jones; Theo Holt, Chris Forster; Harry Files, Adam Files, Wez Lawton, Paul Alcock, Ryan Hickman, Ryan Brown. Subs: Callum Moore, Sam Wood, Alex Smith, Jay-Jay Catterall
Meanwhile, Latchford Albion made it back-to-back victories in the North West Men’s League Premier Division.
A high-scoring, back-and-forth tussle with Halton Farnworth Hornets at Victoria Park eventually ended 32-20 in Albion’s favour as they climbed to third in the table.
Gareth Fairhurst and Rob Marsh both scored twice for Martyn Ellis’ side, with Matty Rudd adding four conversions.
Matty Nash and Ben Harper also crossed the whitewash for Albion.
Ben Harper was a try-scorer for Latchford Albion against Halton Farnworth Hornets
“We showed some great spirit today,” Ellis said post-match.
“We had a few lads battered and bruised and I asked some players to play more minutes than they are used to, but everyone came together and this allowed us to dig deep and come away with the win.
“Jack Phillips, Charlie Groarke and Jack Foulkes all put in massive shifts in the middle and Danny Brown led from the front like he does every week.
“I must give a mention to Ben Harper who had an outstanding game both in defence in attack, showing how he has adapted to the pace of playing at a higher level.”
In Division Five South&East, there was an away victory for Burtonwood Chargers as they won 28-20 at Langworthy Reds.
None of our amateur sides are scheduled for action this weekend, with a full programme of games returning on Saturday, April 23.
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