Sale beat Leicester Lions to move into play-off box seat

Sale FC secured a brilliant win against promotion rivals Leicester Lions to tighten their grip on the play-off spot in National Two North.

Coach Jonathan Keep told TRU last week that second place would only be theirs to lose if they were to beat Leicester Lions and the Manchester-based club did just that in Round 22.

The win now leaves them 17 points clear of third place and even though the Lions have a game in hand, Sale find themselves in a remarkable position considering they were fighting relegation this time 12 months ago.

Above Sale are Caldy who once again looked sensational on the weekend as they clocked up their 14^th straight win of the season on their quest to the National Two North title.

Down at the bottom, Wharfedale and Harrogate took huge strides towards safety after victories over Stourbridge and Scunthorpe respectively while Sheffield Tigers and Preston Grasshoppers suffered defeats. Elsewhere, there were home wins for Chester and Otley.

Caldy 29-10 South Leicester

Caldy continued their hopes of National Two North glory at Paton Fields as they stretched their unbeaten run to 21 matches thanks to victory over South Leicester.

Simon Verbickas’ men have now won 14 matches on the bounce which keeps the Wirral side 10 points clear at the top.

Forbes Edwards, Jack Parker, Rhys Hayes and Tom Banks all went over for the league leaders while South could only muster up a penalty from Rickie Aley as well as a try.

Sale FC 21-0 Leicester Lions

Sale FC took a huge step towards the play-off place in National Two North as they put in a superb display to beat promotion rivals Leicester Lions at Heywood Road.

Liam McGovern kicked three penalties and converted Ciaran Connolly’s try to put the Manchester-based club 16-0 ahead at the break.

But the victory was not secured until Matt Neary’s try midway through the second period – a score which highlighted Sale’s dominance in this match.

The win for Jonathan Keep’s side means they are now 17 points clear of Leicester Lions and even though the Midlands outfit have a game in hand, second place is now Sale’s to lose.

Sedgley Park 39-28 Sheffield Tigers

Sedgley Park moved up to fourth in the National Two North table as they triumphed over a spirited Sheffield Tigers at Park Lane.

The win looked on the cards when Sedge went 19-0 up thanks to three first-half tries, but the visitors hit back through Jamie Broadley.

However, the hosts were able to secure the bonus-point before the break as they carried a 17-point lead into the second period.

Sedge added another two scores to their tally shortly after the interval while Sheffield grabbed their second through Aiden Leeming before the Yorkshire side rallied to earn themselves a bonus-point.

Broadley and a sensational solo effort from Pete Swatkins reduced Sedge’s lead to eight points, but the home side had the final say as they slotted over a penalty to secure a much needed win.

Wharfedale 37-0 Stourbridge

Wharfedale boosted their chances of avoiding the drop in National Two North as they destroyed Stourbridge at the Avenue.

Dale led 15-0 at half-time as the hosts scored tries through Josh Burridge and Harry Bullough in Skipton.

James Doherty’s side continued to dominate after the break and Burridge collected his second try, while Scott Jordan, Robbie Davidson and Richard Rhodes also crossed.

The win for Wharfedale now leaves them five points clear of the bottom three and they also have a game in hand while Stour’s faint hopes of a top two finish are now all but over.

Chester 31-26 Luctonians

Chester edged an entertaining National Two North contest at Hare Lane as they beat Luctonians who picked up a late bonus-point.

The Cheshire side led 5-0 after an early Rob Fitzgerald try before a score from Charlie Grimes and two penalties from the boot of John Morris saw the Herefordshire go ahead.

But Chester went into half-time 17-11 up after a second try from Alick Croft and a score by Colin Scott Campbell.

Kyle Garner’s try put the Lucts back in front after the interval before the lead swung back in Chester’s favour as Guy Ford went over for the bonus-point score.

The hosts then strengthened their advantage as Croft went over to double his tally for the afternoon, but the visitors were determined not to leave Cheshire empty handed.

Frank Kelly raced over to reduce Chester’s lead to eight points and after a yellow-card to Fitzgerald and red-card shown to Lucts’ Dan Smith, the away side grabbed a bonus-point as Morris slotted over a late penalty.

Preston Grasshoppers 17-34 Tynedale  

Tynedale continued their excellent form away from home thanks to this five-try bonus-point win at Preston Grasshoppers.

After four penalties from Lewis Allen and a try by Niall Crosley, Tyne rallied to trail only 17-12 at the break due to a brace from Joe Mills.

The visitors then scored 22 unanswered points in the second period as Oliver Walker, Max Davies and Jack Ouston all crossed to complete the comeback for the north-east side who have now won their last six away matches.

Otley 25-12 Hinckley

Otley’s impressive home record continued as a dominant second-half performance helped them beat Hinckley at Cross Green.

The Yorkshire side have now won 10 matches this term and nine of those victories have come in front of their own supporters.

The hosts were actually 7-3 behind at the break, Alex Crocker grabbing the only try of the first period for Hinckley.

Tom Hodson added to his first-half penalty shortly after the restart for Otley and the hosts then took control of this contest as Max Johnson and Thomas O’Donnell both crossed to put them in front.

Jack Scott-Paul sealed the bonus-point for Otley with three minutes remaining while Alex Branson crossed for a consolation try for Hinckley.

Scunthorpe 15-18 Harrogate

Harrogate responded to last week’s defeat against Leicester Lions by immediately returning to winning ways thanks to this narrow victory over Scunthorpe.

Harrogate full-back David Doherty landed a vital penalty, adding to scores from Jake Brady and Harry Barnard in the first-half.

A penalty from Steve Johnson as well as tries from James Dyson and Jake Barron had given the hosts a three point lead at half-time, but two penalties from skipper Doherty secured Harrogate’s fourth win in their last five matches.