Mowden Stay Second With Narrow Win Over Fylde

On a day when rugby fixtures were decimated by the weather up and down the country, the Fylde coast was the place to be yesterday.

Sometimes when two teams at opposite ends of a league competition clash, the result is often not as straight forward as predicted and that proved to be the case at The Woodlands HQ, when DMPRFC took on Fylde RFC.

Fylde RFC will have been bitterly disappointed when in the dying minutes of a game that they seemed to be going on to win, a last gasp attack from the DMPRFC, saw the win snatched away by visiting winger Shaun McCartney.

Up until then, it was the home side who looked like adding another consecutive victory to the one achieved last weekend at home to Bishops Stortford RFC (29 - 22) and, more importantly a valuable four points to their cause of manoeuvring away from the league basement. However, as DMPRFC have found to their cost previously, in the away game at Old Albanian RFC earlier in the season, games can change in the last minute of normal time or any time added through injury.

After early arm wrestling from both sides , it wasn't until the 31st minute of the game that the deadlock was broken, when against the run of play at that time, the home side broke out of defence. Fly half Alex Dolly, deep inside his own half, chipped the ball over the oncoming visitors rush defence, into the grateful arms of wing Tom Grimes, who 'put on the after-burners' streaking away the full length of the field to score, evading the attempts of the DMPRFC defenders in his wake for an excellent score (5 - 0), Dolly providing the afters. (7 - 0)

The home side sought to press their advantage prior to oranges, but spurned a penalty opportunity which would have seen them cement their advantage, instead opting for a kick to the corner and a chance for a catch and drive try. The opportunity was lost when DMPRFC cleared their line and at the break Fylde RFC had a slim advantage over a visiting side who'd not enjoyed the best of halves, failing to score in the first half for the first time this season to date.

A further period of inactivity on the scoreboard continued after oranges and it wasn't until the game entered the final quarter that things began to spring into life.

The visitors scored their first try via lock Joe CRAGGS (7 - 5), followed by an exchange of penalties, first from Fylde's Alex Dolly (10 - 5), followed by DMPRFC's fly half Warren SEALS. (10 - 8)

Before the McCARTNEY try, home full back Tom Carleton 'tip-tackled' visiting centre Garry LAW and was sin-binned for his efforts.

It seemed that Fylde would go on to add to their tally, as again they sought to 'catch and drive' but again they were thwarted by an aggressive visitors defence and then came the 'sickener' for Fylde RFC, executed by Shaun McCARTNEY who kept DMPRFC in the hunt behind runaway leaders Coventry RFC, who visit the Northern Echo Arena next week for a 'Top of the Table' clash.