Kirkby give Macc a fright . . .

Kirkby Lonsdale were welcomed to Priory Park in this return game against Macclesfield who are lying 4 places above them in the league. Kirkby kicked off  but in the first few minutes gave away two penalties allowing the home side to take the initiative and move into their opponents half. A knock-on gave Kirkby the scrum with Nicholson feeding Ree who kicked down to the Macclesfield 10 yard line. Kirkby line out due to the 50/22 rule and as Oates took a quick throw in to G Moss he raced over the line and touched down under the posts. Ree converted to give the visitors a 7 point lead. A wake up call for the home side as from the restart Kirkby gave away a penalty for not rolling away and from the line-out on the 22 the home side went over in the corner to bring the score to 5-7 with only 10 minutes on the clock. Kirkby attack from the kick off and gain the scrum on Macclesfield 22. Again Nicholson fed Ree who broke the home sides defence to score Kirkby's second try. Converted the board moved to 5-14. Macclesfield restarted the proceedings, gathered by Kirkby who took play back into their opponents half with a kick through. A fumbled knock on and Kirkby had a scrum 5 yards out. Infringement by the home side pack gave penalty to the visitors and Ree slotted the ball between the posts to lead 5-17. Kirkby were having the best of this half until a long pass was intercepted by Macclesfield no 10 and they scored from within their own half to bring the score to 12-17 with 25 minutes on the clock. This gave the home side some impetus as they drew a penalty from Kirkby for off side. Their backs ran through the Kirkby defence on the half hour to show the scoreboard 19-17. Macclesfield tails were up as they went into the lead and drew a penalty for a high tackle to give them a line-out on Kirkby's 22. Their backs moved the ball along the line and poor cover by Kirkby gave their opponents an unconverted try in the corner. 24-17. Further attacks by the home side gave the visitors defence work to do but a move for a further try saw Bradshaw tackle a split second before the Macclesfield player received the ball and was awarded a yellow card. Somewhat dubious the writer feels, but is a Kirkby supporter! The final 5 minutes saw both sides vying for points but no further score as the referee blew his whistle for half time.

The interval saw the Kirkby Physios working on the walking wounded ready for the second half. It has to be said that these young players matching larger opposition week on week is taking its toll on their bodies with the effort they put in.

Macclesfield restarted proceedings with some gusto and a Kirkby ruck was penalised for holding on. A query from Kirkby on the decision gave a further 10 yards to the home side. A score by the Macclesfield pack was converted and and the score moved to 31-17 with 5 minutes of the half played. The home side coach must have had words with his team at half time as their speedy backs looked a different side than the first half. They scored the next try with a powerful move along their line, tackles by the visitors were missed. 36-17, 15 minutes gone. Kirkby came back with some good moves by the centres but knock-ons failed to increase the visitors score. The home sides back line were stretching their legs as a further try increased their score to 41. Errors by Kirkby gave penalties to the home side who capitalised with three further scores to take the score to 58-17 with 5 minutes left on the clock. The 'never say die' spirit of Kirkby continued as they attacked the Macclesfield line in the dying minutes and a chip through by Ree saw it roll over the dead ball line to end this enjoyable game. The complementary comments from the Macclesfield supporters in the clubhouse after the game shows the commitment and pride the Kirkby lads have in their Club.

Underley Park welcomes Manchester next Saturday.

As seen by DJH.