Back on Track

Following last week's poor away day defeat at Orrell, a response was needed from Toc H as they took on Garstang, who always prove themselves tough opponents. Didsbury were able to welcome back a number of players into the fold, including Mike Hyde and Jon Walker in the front row, James Eames at lock, Brad Cliff and James Howarth in the back row and Rory Gibson at full-back. They also handed full first team debuts to scrum-half Tom Smith, inside-centre Rob Bamberger and wing Will Tracey.

With so many changes taking place, you could be forgiven for thinking that combinations and patterns were going to take a while to get up and running, however Didsbury started like a train and turned Garstang straight over from the kick-off. Some lovely hands from Bamberger and a superb round the corner offload from centre partner Tom Makin put Dave Hoare in space and the winger centered over for the opening score with less than a minute on the clock. Gibson was unable to add the extras, but Toc were in business.

The opening period of the game followed in the same vein, with Didsbury firmly on the front foot and the 9/10/12 combination of Smith, Wilkinson and Bamberger controlling field position expertly with some assured kicking. It was from such good field position that Toc H won an attacking line-out and drove Garstang back over their line for an unconverted score for Mike Hyde. Straight from the kick-off, the ball was passed to full-back Gibson on the short-side and, spotting a mis-match, he rounded the forwards in front of him before gassing Gastang's full back for a superb solo try (again unconverted). Garstang finally got themselves off the bus soon after, with their second row powering over after a series of pick and drives, to reduce the arrears to ten points.

Didsbury got themselves back on the front foot and Bamberger was the next to dot down, after he sliced clean through the Garstang midfield from outside the 22 for another good solo score, which was again not improved. A fine first half performance was capped shortly before the break, when good hands from number 8 Brad Cliff and scrum-half Smith put Hoare away in space. He rounded the full-back and went over once more under the posts for a converted try, taking the score to 27-5.

Garstang were staring a big score in the face, so it is to their great credit that they began the second half on the front foot, with a simple, but effective gameplan built upon sending endless waves of big runners round the corner into the Toc H defence. Didsbury's intensity after half time dropped, for the second home game in a row, and this, coupled with some oddly frenetic play, allowed Garstang to get their way back into the game, with two quick tries, taking the score to 27-15. Didsbury continued to look vulnerable and the attacking patterns which had been in evidence in the first half were no longer on show, and ball retention for the men in amber and black became increasingly problematic.

It took another moment of individual skill to settle the nerves, as Cliff took the ball in the wide channels on the left wing, went straight through Garstang's midefield defence and threw an outrageous dummy to score his first try for the club. Never ones to lie down, however, Garstang responded with a well-worked score from a poorly marshalled short lineout and took the score to 34-20 with 10 to go. Didsbury sealed the game with the last act of the day, through a richly deserved score in the corner for flanker James Howarth, who had another fine game.

All in all, a bonus point win against opponents as obdurate as Garstang is never to be sniffed at, but this was a curate's egg of a performance from Toc H - coaches Peacock and Beardmore will be thrilled with the execution and individual skill on show in the first half, but equally frustrated by the dip in intensity and failure to stick to the gameplan in the second. However, they will be buoyed by the fact that there are still several players still to come back into contention following injury and absence, and will have been pleased to have blooded a number of new players in recent weeks, who have all performed well.

So Didsbury's league season is spluttering into life, however next week brings a tough away fixture at bogey side North Manchester, whose results have been much improved this season (even if they don't yet have the wins to show for it). Nothing can be taken for granted in the increasingly competitive North Lancashire division and Toc will need to play for the full 80 if they are to get a result.