Congleton 14 - 20 Didsbury Toc H

Congleton 14 - 20 Didsbury Toc H

Two tries from outside centre Joe Bulbeck and a talismanic performance from captain Harry Rigby ensured that Toc finally ended up on the right side of another tight, exhaustive match in South Lancs and Cheshire 2.

Too often this season matches have slipped away from Toc in the dying minutes - but on this occasion it was they who dealt the final blow through a wonderfully worked second try from Bulbeck, which gave the visitors a bit of breathing room.

His first try was more spontaneous, using his pace to latch on to a fly hack from Seb Sheratte. On a dreary day in Congleton, in windy and heavy conditions, this was a match that demanded that level of opportunism.

The conditions could have produced a cagey spectacle - but this was anything of the sort.

Toc quickly hit their stride and their style of play was complemented by the home side’s willingness to move the ball. It led to a fast and often frenetic contest. For the most part Toc looked comfortable, especially defensively, though on a low-scoring day the scoreboard did not always suggest the same thing. That said, Toc have also looked comfortable on the hour mark against the teams at the top of this division, so the players must take credit for seeing this one out.

Didsbury took the lead early on through excellent scrum-half Josh Vize, who snuck over after some relentless pressure in the Congleton half. From then on, playing into a stiff-enough breeze, Toc were forced to defend for significant periods in the first half.

Captain Rigby, again, led the defensive effort by example. His work rate and attitude ensured Toc gave little away, especially in the middle of the park, where Congleton had some powerful, athletic ball carriers. There were some big collisions, with James Akman, James Howarth and Bulbeck all making their presence felt. To their credit the home side kept coming and made Toc work very hard for their 7-3 half-time lead.

In many ways the second period mirrored the first: some excellent, free-flowing rugby from Toc which they couldn't sustain, allied to good endeavour from Congleton. Both side's attacking efforts in the second half were undone by too many soft turnovers.

Toc could undoubtedly have used the elements better in the second half. Their failure to do so led to sloppy game management in other areas and opened them up to some unnecessary pressure, both territorially and on the scoreboard.

Lazy decision-making at the breakdown also saw Toc's penalty count spike from which Congleton were able to gather some momentum. Eventually their cohesive attacking play saw them score in the corner and take the lead.

A response was needed. Fly-half Sheratte started playing more for territory and some strong outside defence made Congleton cough up possession which Bulbeck latched on to.

The winning try was Toc at their best. Quick ball, agile carrying and smart handling saw Bulbeck walk it in to the right corner. A late Sheratte penalty added another level of comfort as the teams headed into the final minutes.

Although only one score up, Congleton needed the seven points from the last play from deep inside their 22. They gave it a good go, before being forced into a speculative kick which Toc kicked off the field.

It was encouraging to see Toc regroup, respond well and close out a game, albeit leaving a bonus point out there.

Next Game: Saturday, November 4th: Dukinfield (home)
NB: Fireworks afterwards.