Widnes 21 - 28 Wilmslow

From the outset both sides looked to move the ball wide trying to create gaps, and testing each others outside defence at every opportunity. This type of tactic was always going to be difficult for the Wids to maintain thought, being 1 man down and having no interchanges.
Wilmslow raced into a 14-0 lead scoring 2 converted tries, each from the back of a scrum. On both occasions using their 1 man advantage in the backline to create a 2 on 1 situation despite the Wids best efforts to force an error. Some controversy followed the first conversion however, with the referee overruling both touch judges to award the 2 points, despite the ball having appeared to go under the bar.
On the Wids first real foray into Wilmslow territory, having initially lost the ball, an error by the Wilmslow backs saw Lewis Bates pounce on the mistake, collect the loose ball, and stroll 20 metres to score under the sticks with Josh Salter slotting over the conversion to make it 14-7.
A few minutes later the scores were all level again when straight from the restart Tom Whitfield returned the ball 60 metres to set up a great platform for the Wids pack. 3 quick phases of play later and some good play from Sean Glover resulted in Allan Breeden finding a route to the line; Salter once again turning 5 into 7.
Toward the end of the first half and with the pace of the game starting to tell the Wids gave away a penalty for holding on. Quick play by Wilmslow caught the Widnes defence napping and they went in for their third converted try of the half, making it 21-14 at the break.
The pace didn’t let up for the second half and Widnes found themselves having to do a lot more defending; but the Wids ‘never say die’ attitude resulted in them drawing level once more. The try scorer this time was Dan Doyle, who benefited from some slick handling off the back of a scrum wide out to score under the sticks. Another successful conversion from Salter kept the Wids on level terms at 21-21.
The half then settled down into a war of attrition with neither side really able to gain an advantage. Defences were on top and promising attacks from both sides were quickly shut down. There was still a determination to attack out wide from both teams, but the heavy pitch had taken its toll on tired legs.
With a draw looking like it might be a fair result; the Wids were dealt a further blow when an injury to Dan Doyle gave the opposition a 2 man advantage for the remainder of the match. They continued to compete with Wilmslow, never taking a backward step; Will Patient, Luke Beyga and Allan Breeden all leading from the front.
With 5 minutes left to play Wilmslow were awarded a scrum 20 metres out. With their numerical advantage in the backs, they once again worked their way over the line to score the final try of the game, and take the lead 28-21.
Despite a valiant effort the Wids just couldn’t do enough to close the gap one more time. The coaching staff couldn’t have asked any more of their team, every player gave their all. In the end the lack of interchanges and the heavy pitch made it an almost impossible task for the Wids, but the lads never gave up an almost came away with a share of the spoils.