TraffordMVRFCC

 

Matters quickly got worse for MV when some poor tackling in the middle of the pitch opened the door for Broughton to score again, punishing the hosts with direct running straight through the heart of the defence. The opening exchanges were also marred by an unfortunate knee injury to Andrew Beales, forcing him from the field. Everyone at MV wishes him the very best and a speedy recovery. To their credit, Trafford MV regrouped and began to play some of their best rugby of the afternoon. The response was sparked by Joe Walls, who broke up the right wing, bounced an incoming tackle from the Broughton centre and produced a sublime out-the-back offload to Lewis. The youngster showed great composure and pace to sprint 35 metres for a superb try. From there, the game opened up into a tit-for-tat contest, with both teams finding it easy to make yards and strike from distance. MV kept themselves firmly in the contest with further tries from Chris Ward, James Halsall and Joe Walls, showcasing some excellent attacking play and continuity.

 

 

Half-time also saw the welcome return of Jamie Kingdon, who was straight into the action, confidently taking the kick-off and carrying hard. However, MV once again failed to clear their lines effectively, and Broughton punished them with a counter-attack built on strong, straight running through the middle to score soon after the break. MV continued to apply pressure and were rewarded when Aaron Booth cleverly switched the point of attack, darting down the blindside of the ruck to score. But frustration crept back in deep inside their own 22 as another clearance failed to find touch. A high ball turned into a 50-50 contest, and while the referee may have missed a knock-on, MV had invited the pressure. Broughton’s winger slipped the tackle and scored on the left. At 39–29, MV still looked capable of clawing their way back into the game and did just that with a powerful driving maul try — a real strength on the day and a genuine moment of belief for the home side. Unfortunately, that hope was short-lived as two unanswered, soft tries allowed Broughton Park to pull away and seal the contest. The final score of *51–34* told a harsh story.

 

It was a disappointing result for the Trafford MV boys in such a crucial fixture, and they will need to dig deep, tighten up defensively and rediscover their resilience if they are to get back to winning ways.

 

Match Report by Andy Quigley

 

Photo Credit - Ian Rogers