Blackburn 36 – 18 Didsbury Toc H

With the final score a rather harsh 36-18 in North Lancs & Cumbria action last Saturday.

The weather was fine and the pitch was in remarkably good condition, which contrasts to the previous weeks spent either breaking through frozen pitches or bucketing water off the playing surface. Didsbury named a strong starting line up, but were without second row Phil Cooper (replaced by Phil Lovely) and talismanic backrow Andre Swan (replaced by James Eames).

Didsbury started the game at a startling pace, surprising the home side and forcing Blackburn into some desperate defending. The pressure soon told, with Sean Bishop calmly slotting two penalties to give the visitors a 0-6 lead. The Didsbury pack had the upper hand in the early set pieces and from a well worked move off the back of the scrum, Gaz Oakley fed flying winger Dave Hoare who raced into the corner for the opening try. The conversion dropped just wide from Bishop, but the lead had risen to 0-11. The mercurial Didsbury fly-half, Joe Bradbury, placed a remarkable kick to the corner and Didsbury managed to win the ensuing lineout. After the pack bombarded the Blackburn line, the ball was spread to the centres with James Southall crashing through a tackle to touch down under the posts. Bishop added the extras to stretch the lead further to 0-18. Blackburn to their credit were not going to give up and for the remainder of the half th ey threw everything at Didsbury, only some fine defence from particularly Bradbury, Bishop and Dylan Williams kept the home side out.

Despite the 18 point cushion at half time, Didsbury were all too aware that the home side were still in the game. Blackburn appeared in the second half in a far more determined fashion, and soon opened their account with a try by the sticks. Didsbury struggled to gain any territory or possession for the majority of the second half, and witnessed their host’s stage a stunning comeback – scoring a further four tries and a penalty to secure all the available league points and a scoreline of 36-18.

Didsbury will be concerned at the players they lost to injuries in the second half, including their influential captain Mike Hyde and try scored James Southall. All the players will be checked on prior to naming the squad to visit Workington next Saturday.