Sandal hang on to pull clear as Ford’s dismissal costs the Bees

National Three North and Midlands

Sandal 26 Waterloo 24

Sandal pulled three points clear of the relegation zone after this win over fellow strugglers Waterloo but were grateful for some wayward kicking by the visitors,

With both sides in a bunch of five trying to avoid going down with Rochdale, it was always going to be a tight match.

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Sandal started well with a try by winger Daniel McCormack after five minutes which was cancelled out only two minutes later.

The forwards took control for Sandal after that and they went ahead again through a brace of penalties from Greg Wood and a try from prop Rob Norbury on 25 minutes.

Waterloo came back with a converted try before half-time to make the score 16-12 but after the break Sandal opened a 14-point lead with a penalty and then a converted try by winger Alex Orr.

But they went to sleep in the late stages and the visitors scored a converted try and then turned the ball over and ran the length of the field to touch down.

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They missed the conversion but Waterloo still had one more chance with a late penalty award.

The kick was from just inside the home half but did not quite have the distance to get to the post and Sandal breathed a sigh of relief.

Penrith 42 Bradford & Bingley 15

A DISASTROUS final 30 minutes saw the Bees concede 27 points without reply as a tight game slipped away from Martin Whitcombe’s men.

The turning point was the sending off of talismanic Bees back-row forward Guy Ford in the 57th minute.

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The Bees were already trailing 30-15 at this stage, but there was still belief that the side could pull back a couple of scores and salvage at least a bonus point.

Ford’s walk for the early bath following a swinging, high tackle seemed to knock the wind out of the Bees and almost decapitated the Penrith player.

The Bees management, however, were upset with the referee’s decision to not punish the Penrith player who launched into Ford with a series of blows after the incident.

Penrith opened the game by far the brighter and were well led from half-back by Paul Newton and the intelligent Steve Wood, who claimed 17 points for his side.

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Penrith took the lead through a penalty and then a try from winger Ed Swale, converted by Wood.

Bees half backs Richard Scull and Giles Hetherington began to get into the game and both were on the scoresheet by half-time, sandwiching a converted try by Penrith second-row Robert Dawson.

With the Bees turning round with the wind in their favour, it all seemed set for Whitcombe’s men to claim a victory.

When Gavin Stead chipped over a penalty to level the scores 10 minutes into the half, the Bees seemed on track.

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The wind dropped and Wood started to clear his lines rather more effectively.

Suddenly, the pressure was at the other end of the field. Centre Mike Hawley was first to benefit, followed swiftly by Wood.

With a conversion added on, the home side were suddenly 12 points clear and, with Ford off the field soon after, facing 14 men.

Penrith lost a player to the sin bin but there was no stopping them as they rattled in another 15 points in the final quarter.

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The result left the second-placed Bees just two points clear of Chester and 20 points adrift of champions Stockport.

Middlesbrough 29 Chester 15

MIDDLESBROUGH gave their campaign a much-needed shot in the arm when they beat higher-placed Chester at Scatcherd Lane.

Both sides had players sent-off and several yellow-carded but Middlesbrough kept their cool and secured a five-point win with a fourth try coming in the final two minutes.

Middlesbrough started to dominate and full-back Simon Moore kicked them ahead with a penalty.

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Second-row Richard Barker touched down and Moore converted to put his side 10-0 ahead.

However, a red card on 36 minutes left the home side short-handed and Chester took advantage, running in tries through No 8 Will Brown and scrum-half Tom Chappell, and fly-half Rhys Hayes’s conversion put the visitors into a 12-10 lead.

They extended that lead with Hayes kicking a penalty two minutes after the restart, but Boro hit back with Simon O’Farrel scoring on 55 minutes after kicking ahead and collecting before touching down. Moore’s conversion made it 17-15.

Chester had a man sent off shortly after and Middlesbrough continued to extend their lead with hooker Richard Horton being driven over after 66 minutes, Moore converting.

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Horton bagged his second try in similar style on 78 minutes to secure the bonus point.

Stockport 22 Beverley 17

Beverley came within five minutes of inflicting only a second defeat of the season on the leaders but had to settle for a losing bonus point.

It was a match of great quality with neither side going more than one score ahead. The victory confirmed Stockport as champions but this was far from an easy ride.

After 30 minutes, Beverley led 6-0 through two penalties by full-back Phil Dale. Five minutes from the interval, fly-half Jonny Edwards crossed for a home try, adding the conversion and then kicking a penalty to give Stockport a 10-6 interval lead.

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The tempo increased in the second half. Dale kicked two further penalties either side of a breakaway try from home full-back George Cook after a Beverley attack went wrong.

Beverley regained the lead with a try by winger Glen Walden, who raced onto a penalty which had rebounded off the post to touch down.

But replacement Phil Leigh then burst through the middle for a match-winning converted try.

Bromsgrove 21 Sheffield Tigers 14

Bromsgrove consolidated their lead in Midlands as they avenged a 31-24 defeat at Tigers at the start of the season.

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Sheffield matched the home side’s two tries and still have games in hand over the three teams ahead of them.

Bromsgrove took the lead with a penalty by full-back Jon Critchlow and went further ahead with a try by centre Toby Wilson, converted by Critchlow.

Tigers pulled back a try by winger Gareth Morley after 39 minutes, former Rotherham favourite Johnny West converting, but another penalty saw Bromsgrove turn round 13-7 in front.

Replacement right winger Adrian Hayles raced over for an unconverted try and Critchlow added a third penalty before Callum MacKenzie’s converted try earned Tigers a bonus point.