Greenhalgh - Debut

MANCHESTER - 10
SEDGLEY PARK - 26
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Two more recent signings made their debuts: back-five forward Juan Crous at blindside flanker and Danny Greenhalgh at prop, but it was the home side who started the brighter, going in front on three minutes.

A poor pass by Sedgley player-coach Tim Fourie 10 metres from the Manchester try-line was hacked on by a  home player as they turned defence into attack with a sprint two-thirds the length of the field ending with a try by the Sedgley Posts. The only saving grace was that the attempted conversion was charged down by the speed of Tigers’ winger Jan Van DeVenter.

Manchester was adventurous from the first whistle, spinning the ball wide to both flanks as they went in search of points. Sedgley preferred to work the phases in the forwards before giving it to fly-half Steve Nutt to either kick for better field position or try to set up his three-quarters.

The first of Sedgley’s set-backs arrived in the twelfth minutes when Van DeVenter limped of clutching his groin to be replaced by youngster Henry Monsell.

But the Tigers slowly built up a head of steam and from a successful five-metre lineout the ball was spun left to right where Number 8 Jon Skurr was on hand to barrel over in the corner; Nutt then stepped up and added the conversion to make it 5-7 to the Tigers.

Skurr showed up well throughout the game, taking the initiative time and again, especially from the base of the scrum and running straight, gaining valuable hard yards.

After a slow start Crous began to figure more and more as the game went on, in particular his strong running with the ball in hand.

At halftime wholesale changes were made in the front row, with Birchall, Roberts and Halsall forming a new tight three, while Chris Leck replaced Chris Wilkinson at scrum-half.

These changes worked with the Tigers extending their lead seven minutes after the restart. Nutt’s break down centre field gained good field position from where the possession was recycled a number of times before Adam Newton crashed over the Manchester line from close range; Nutt again added the extras to make it 5-14. Shortly afterwards Newton was replaced by skipper Jimmy Ponton.

It looked like a rout would surely follow when on 59 minutes ball from a five-metre scrum was fed to replacement winger Henry Monsell who went over by the left corner flag, with Nutt’s third conversion making it 5-21.

But Manchester would not lie down and continued to play their expansive game, which frustrated the Tigers to a degree.

However, the visitors extended their lead further on 69 minutes when Chris Briers pounced on turnover ball on half-way and left the Manchester defence in his wake with his jinking run, only to injure an ankle in the act of scoring his side’s fourth try of the night to make it 5-26.

Five minutes from time a cheeky diagonal cross-field punt ended with the Manchester Number 8 catching the ball to flop over the Tigers’ line unchallenged to make it 10-26.

The Tigers then dominated the final five minutes and should really have added at least one more try but it was not to be.

SEDGLEY PARK: De Jager, T.Albinson, Briers (Wilkinson 70), Payne, Van DeVenter (Monsell 12), Nutt, Wilkinson (Leck 40), Greenhalgh (Birchall 40), Keys (Roberts 40), Du Plessis (Halsall 40), Fourie, Townson (Newton 72), Crous, Newton (Ponton 54), Skurr. Replacement not used: J.Albinson