With a contingent of 2nd/3rd/4th Team Tigers in the NE beginning celebrations on Ashley Rowlinson's stag do, and another contingent headed up to Newcastle after the games, it was a somewhat different looking 4th XV that gathered together on Saturday afternoon. Our front row had been finagled by the 3rd XV and as a result, Jonny Allen and Billy (propping for the first time) stepped into the breach on either side of hooker Pete Keers who made a welcome return to the foray. The number 8 shirt went to Ian Aldred with Adam Brown playing in the centres alongside Tony Jones at 10 and Chris Drench at full back.

With the 4th team pack having spent the previous Saturday and Tuesday training hard on scrummaging (and some of them still present for the game), confidence was high that our boys would have a good battle in the forwards and that confidence was well placed. From the outset, the boys ran hard and hit the Ashton forwards with plenty of gusto. In what proved to be a closely matched tie, both sides gave their all with neither side prepared to give any ground away easily. The first scrummage was the big test for the SP pack and they came together strongly. The Ashton forwards were not a small bunch - their loose-head was the size of two of our props if not our entire front row so it was always going to be a test for our novice tight-head Billy. However, Billy and the rest of the front row came through the test with flying colours, the pack right behind them, putting the pressure onto the Ashton pack. It just proves that training really does work…..!!

The Tigers were the first to make any decent ground, the forwards playing through a couple of phases before unleashing the centres who crashed through the Ashton tackles and made excellent ground on a number of occasions. We were unlucky not to score on many of these occasions, handling errors creeping in to keep us off the scoreboard! Before long, the half time whistle was blown by venerated referee Steve Ward and the score line read nil-nil.

With a decent half of rugby under their belts, the lads regrouped and after a quick chin wag prepared themselves for the remainder of the match and again, the boys started well. Tony Jones led by example, dropping his kick deep into the Ashton 22 which bounced away from the defence and into touch, setting the attack. The Tigers kept Ashton pinned in their own half for a good period of the 2nd half and the pressure soon proved too much as our forwards crashed over the try line to score the first points of the match, the conversion well taken and scored by Tony. The pressure was kept on by our forwards and we broke through on two other occasions but both were deemed by Mr Ward to have been held up although one of these decisions was certainly contentious…!

As time ticked on, it looked as though the boys would win this hard fought battle. A free kick from close to the touch line and 40 metres out would have guaranteed the win but unfortunately the kick was short and play continued. In the dying seconds of the fixture, Ashton kicked over the top of the Tigers defence and chased the ball down to score in the corner. It looked to some as though the ball had actually gone dead but the referee decided to award the score and the conversion tied the game. As the final whistle blew, no one could begrudge the score; 7-7 was indeed a fair reflection of the closeness of the game.

Whilst 4th team rugby may not be the most skilful and beautiful of games, I could not let this report finish without mention of a glorious dummy played by Pete Keers which the Ashton defender fell for hook, line and sinker! I’m sure if you ask him nicely, he’ll talk you through the move…!!

Next week, the boys (now sat at 6th in the league) have an epic journey to Derbyshire to play Hope Valley 1st team (4th in the league). Training is on Tuesday lads so lets make the effort and we can improve further still!!