Makin Good Progress

On Saturday, Didsbury visited Ashton-Under-Lyne, never an easy place to go. Despite being on the end of some early rough season results, Toc knew that the home side would still be tough to beat and so it proved. With front rowers Hyde and Walker unavailable, Harry Rigby stepped into the breach for his first game at hooker for Toc H and in the backs, with Neil Wilkinson away and skipper Dave Hoare still recovering from a knock, Will Smith started at 10 and Rory Gibson switched to the wing.

As they have in several recent games, Didsbury started the game at pace, stretching Ashton to breaking point out wide and through the middle, and were three well-taken tries up within the first ten minutes, through Gibson, Makin and Bamberger. A shell-shocked Ashton came back into the game through a smartly taken finish by their right winger, but Didsbury looked like scoring every time they looked after the ball and had decent spells of possession. Ashton had no answer to some of the devastating finishing on show and wing Tom Makin helped himself to three more first half tries, taking the score to 34-8 at the break.

To their great credit, Ashton continued playing hard after the interval, when it would have been easy for heads to drop. Using their big midfield and tight carriers, they opened the scoring in the second half with a converted try, to which Didsbury responded with three of their own, through Makin, Gibson and number 8 Brad Cliff, who continued his fine scoring form.

With 20 to go, the heavens opened, making Didsbury's expansive patterns of play more difficult to implement and Ashton had the final say, when their pack scored from a rolling maul with the last play of the game. All in all, coaches Peacock and Beardmore will be pleased with another bonus point win, especially away from home, against an Ashton side that played with great heart and endeavour throughout.

Things get serious over the next few weeks for Toc H, with upcoming fixtures away at Burnley and Tarleton, following a tough match this coming Saturday at home to Thornton Cleveleys. With patterns of play now bedding in, and competition for places hotting up across the squad, it's now time to find out just how much progress has been made.