COLLEGIATE 17 - 10 ORRELL

On a lovely crisp winters day unlike the week before the playing conditions were perfect, the pitch had held up well to the poor weather conditions and Collegiate were ready to take on the fallen giants of Orrell.

Collegiate started much the brighter and had alot of the possession and in the early stages it looked like this was going to be a stroll in the park for the boys in blue.

As the two teams felt each other out they exchanged missed penalties and then as Orrell infringed again the normally reliable Lloydy pushed another penalty wide. The early domination from Collegiate came to fruition when good hands created the first try for mike Carson to finish close to the sticks making the conversation easy work for Chris Lloyd.

The game was an interesting mix of two contrasting styles Collegiate's flowing open rugby against Orrells rumbling tight pack play. Just before half time some smart work from the Collegiate back line led to another try for the young Irish whipper snapper Mike Carson to score his second of the game and at 14-0 up the supporters of the blue boys were thinking of a bonus point win.

The 2nd half was a different story though and when Orrell barged over in the corner from one of their immpressive forward drives they gave themselves a lifeline.

The refereeing from the official of the day seemed to favour the opposition as his pedantic management of the breakdown started to put Collegiate on the back foot.

First a yellow card for industrious prop Ritchie Abbotts gave Orrell more hope as the destructive collegiate scrummaging was disrupted by his removal. Orrell came more and more into the game via their barging forward play supported by some interesting refereeing decisions.

After his 10 minute break that man Abbotts was only back in the fray for 2 minutes before mistakenly being given a second yellow card for an infringement at the base of a ruck which he wasn't involved in.

Collegiate down the 14 men and Orrell with their tails up! Bad went to worse when Orrell scored a second try to make it 14-10 and a very nervous period for the Blue men. Some staunch defending from Collegiate kept their nose in front something made even more difficult when the hard working Phil Brown felt the wrath of the ref's yellow card for not rolling away at the base of another maul.

Collegiate now having more points on the board than players on the pitch. Orrell though were tiring and Collegiate managed to get some respite and get upfield into the Orrell 22. It was here that Orrell for the first time in the game felt the wrath of the ref and had one of their players binned.

It was Orrells turn now to defend and they did so resiliently but they couldn't stop that man Carson again this time showing his footballing skills by dropping a goal to give Collegiate some breathing space, 17-10 and this is how the game concluded.

A hard earnt win in the end but the point happily accepts by Collegiate. Roll on Ormskirk next week and a chance for revenge from the early season loss in the corresponding fixture.

COLLEGIATE 3 - 17 LITTLEBOROUGH

Again, very disappointing that no match report was received. Here is Littleborough's

COLLEGIATE 28 - 27 WINNINGTON PARK

Following the way Collegiate managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory in the previous game it was enviable that spirits may be a bit low entering this game.

Contrary to what was expected Collegiate actually started brightly and took an early lead via the boot of the majestic Chris Lloyd, but all too soon normal service was resumed by the boys in blue as they let Winnington slip in for an easy try.

Things went from bad to worse as another loose ball was not dealt with and Winnington pulled further ahead extending their lead out to 20 points to 3. Things looked bleak for the Blue boys but then a spark of inspiration from Phil Brown who made a break from the base of the scrum to go half a pitch length and then gave a perfectly timed pass to that man Lloyd again to have a walk over try. 20-10 game on!!

Collegiate seemed to up their game and piled on the pressure but the unimaginable happened and Winnington worked the ball out to their rapid winger to score a well worked try. 27-10 things looked bleak again and in weeks gone by that would have been game over but no that was not the case.

Collegiate refused to give up and when they scored another try it was winnington who were rocked on their heals. The blue boys belief began to grow and their play reflected this with Mike Carson being notable for his tenacity in the centre.

A change of touch judge by Collegiate putting Uncle Jackie on the flag also added to the momentum with some vocal input from the sideline. The game was evenly poised at 27-20, following a Lloyd penalty and a try by young Phil Brown, when captain courageous Joe C-A pounced on a loose line out by winnington to barge over in the corner, the leggy Lloydy unfortunately pushed the conversion wide to leave it nail bitingly close at 27-25 with 5 minutes to play.

Winnington tried to close the game out but Collegiate managed to gain possession of the ball and headed down field. Then the breakthrough came when Winnington gave away a penalty and, as if in some sort of weird karma following last weeks loss, they were marched back 10 yards making the kick so much more accessible for the boy Lloyd who managed to slot the penalty 27-28 and that's how it remained Collegiate able to gather the ball from the resulting KO and shepherd it into touch to finish an exhilarating game for a well deserved and overdue victory.

Link to Winnington Park report

COLLEGIATE 25 - 26 ASHTON ON MERSEY

Ashton on Mersey are a gauge to assess how far the first team have come since their promotion with us, two season ago. A win away earlier in the season gave the 1st XV heart going into this first fixture of the new year despite the number of late cry offs from the back as it was a terribly cold day. This heart could be down to the quick promotion of the third team stand off to the bench as the second team captain lamented releasing any of his team as usual, meaning the pitch was dog poo free with his arrival!

On a cold but dry afternoon Ashton quickly took the lead from a Collegiate indiscretion that was immediately rectified by pressure from the restart to allow the fleet footed Lloydy to cross the white wash and then convert his own try to put the boys in blue ahead (7-3). This built confidence in the team and the boys in blue continued on the front foot, but came away from the Ashton 22 without anything to show.

A collapsed ruck in the Colegiate 22 led to the next points for Ashton from the boot of their 12 and warnings to both captains about the discipline of their players. The referee made himself very clear about his next course of action if any further infraction were seen.

From the resulting kick off, and with Collegiate on the front foot again they managed to work themselves into a try scoring position that was this time finished off. (12-6). Collegiate were looking to push on from this score and when next on the Ashton 22, with players from both sides getting to grips with each other after a ruck collapsed, the referee chose to dismiss from the field of play a player from each side, rather harshly.

Ashton reacted better to this enforced change and with Collegiate having the put in in their own 22 with time up, Ashton put 8 into the scrum, compared to Collegiate 7 and managed to regain possession to scramble over the line on the half time whistle (12-13).

In a reverse from the first half Collegiate took the first points to regain the lead deservedly 15-13. The line out was competitive all day, and Ashton managed to get a rolling maul going from one line out which proved unstoppable to the Colleigate forwards to put Ashton back in front. Pressure from Lloydy prevented the Ashton 12 adding the extras despite being in front of the posts. Ashton immediately built on their lead by adding another penalty to leave collegiate chasing the game (15-23).

Once again from the restart collegiate put pressure on, and regained the ball. A series of phases opened up the defence to allow Moley to put the winger away in the corner, well at least he thought it was, but with his heart in mouth, he was more than happy to see the spritely Ian Mc skip in in the corner. An immediate infringement from the restart allowed Collegiate to get position back up field, or at least everyone thought it would bar Richy Abbotts who took the quick tap, unloaded to Moley to allow Rhys to go in from half way, rounding the flailing arms of the would be Ashton defenders. (25-23).

So all Collegiate needed to do was gather the restart and send it to touch. Unfortunately the referee missed the Ashton 7 palm the ball forward a country mile that put Collegiate on the back foot. An indiscretion again at the ruck area resulted in a penalty being awarded. Phil Brown was unable to get out of the way and unjustly said to be slowing down play. The referee advanced the ball the mandatory 10 and the Ashton 12 duly converted, which was followed immediately by the full time whistle.

A disappointing final result, that when put into context gave the 1st XV two of their 3 bonus points this season and the first time they have scored 4 trys. Numerous other opportunities were wasted and on another day they would have taken all 5 points. When assessing how far we have come against Ashton on Mersey we are more than comparable to them, except in the fact that in the two games they have scored last to take initially a losing bonus point and then the win from us meaning we still require a little more guile and determination to the final whistle.

If this attacking rugby is taken to Winnington Park on Saturday, with their large pitch, the Boys in Blue will definitely get their first away win of the New Year

COLLEGIATE 21 - 7 TYLDESLEY

No report received

Report from Tyldesley's wesbite HERE

COLLEGIATE 19 - 29 WIGAN

The 1st XV travelled away to Wigan on a wet, windy and bitterly cold day. Conditions didn’t suggest that it would be a fast-paced game of a fairly good standard. However, the quality of the match was pleasantly surprising.

The main disappointment was that the boys in blue and blue were slow to get into the game in the first half, leaking soft tries through small errors and slipped tackles. The half time score was 22 – 3 in Wigan’s favour, leaving Collegiate with a lot to do.

The second half was a polar opposite to the first. Collegiate came out firing, disrupting break downs, lineouts and showing some fierce defence. Penalties from Lloydy and a try each from Joe Perks and Jack Duthie pulled Wigan back almost within striking distance. Ultimately, the damage had been done early on, as Collegiate ran out of time to overcome the deficit or snatch a losing bonus point.

Mark Lucass put in a good performance earning the hard yards up front. Also, James Howarth and Jack Duthie showed their quality and strength of character, stepping up to the demands of the 1st XV.

The boys in blue and blue will look to carry forward the intensity of the second half into their next fixture against Tyldesley at home.

COLLEGIATE 7 - 18 WEST PARK

No report received

Report from West Park's website HERE

COLLEGIATE 13 - 13 HOYLAKE

No report available

COLLEGIATE 10 - 29 GLOSSOP

The 1st XV travelled away to Glossop in their latest league fixture. They were met by wet, heavy conditions underfoot and an even heavier Glossop pack. The boys started the game superbly, putting the opposition under intense pressure in defence and cutting them open in attack.

This was the case for the majority of the opening quarter of the match. However, they were only able to notch up seven points from this period, courtesy of a trademark Rob Connolly try, gathering the ball just inside our half and speeding through Glossop's defence.

Unfortunately, this proved to be the only real highlight for Collegiate, as Glossop made the most of their weight and scored a couple of pushover tries. Collegiate were guilty of being a little desperate in attack in the second half, leaving us a little exposed out wide. Glossop punished us for this and extended their winning margin.

Despite the result there were some massive positives to take from the game, largely coming from the unified efforts of the first twenty minutes. All the boys need to do is sustain this for longer and show a bit more of a cutting edge to create clear cut try scoring opportunities.

The 1st XV host Hoylake next.

COLLEGIATE 7 - 17 BOWDON

Collegiate played host to Bowdon in their latest league fixture. The conditions were reasonable and there was a fairly strong wind supporting the team playing up the slight incline. Collegiate kicked off and immediately put pressure on the opposition, taking the catcher down and creating a turnover from a charged down clearance kick. Unfortunately, the boys were unable to convert a long period of attack into points, allowing Bowdon to maintain hope they were still in the game.

Benefitting from poor discipline and immaturity, which has cost us dearly of late, Bowdon kicked their way into the Collegiate half. Following a respectable defensive exchange, Bowdon scored from a push over try. The visitors then capitalised from more Collegiate mistakes, a simple penalty in our red zone and a kick for touch that didn't make it, giving Bowdon space to exploit and score. Collegiate went into the half time break 17-0 down.

The second half was almost a different match. Collegiate cut the stupid discipline issues out and made less mistakes. This put Bowdon under pressure and cracks started appearing in their defence and judgement, as they started conceding several penalties. The boys showed a huge amount of heart and determination to fight back in the second half, with Collegiate's try coming from an exceptional break by Stephen Hughes-Narborough and his offload inside to Joe Callaghan-Adnams to score near the posts.

Collegiate continued to probe at the oppositions try line for the remainder of the half but were unable to overcome the first half deficit. It is worth noting the performances of Tom Nelson, who demonstrated his quality to step into a crucial position following some time away, and Stephen Hughes-Narborough, who made a great impact coming off the bench. Sadly, Phil Brown suffered a sore looking cut to the mouth and had to leave the picth in the first half. We all hope he recovers quickly.

Despite the disappointing result, the boys demonstrated some of the passion and skill that may have been missing in earlier matches this season. Obviously, this is something they will look carry forward into their next match away to Glossop.

COLLEGIATE 17 - 14 WARRINGTON

Collegiate travelled away to face Warrington, which everyone knew would be an important game for the boys in blue and blue to win. They managed to do just that, eventually emerging with a narrow victory.

Collegiate won the toss and elected to use a strong wind to their advantage in the first half. This soon paid off, as Collegiate gained good ground in the Warrington half allowing Lloydy to ghost through the defensive line with expert precision; this set up James Forshaw for one try and another for himself.

Collegiate controlled the majority of what remained of the first half but allowed Warrington to stay in touch with some converted penalties.

A dodgy bounce later, Collegiate found themselves under the posts having conceeded a shock try, leaving Warrington right in the match.

Collegiate seemed to lose their way slightly in the second half, failing to exploit the opposition's weaknesses identified in the first half. Instead, Warrington were given the chance to play in a tight, scrappy game that suited their strengths.

Play was largely nervy and riddled with mistakes, including some poor discipline gifting Warrington the lead with a couple more penalties. Collegiate trailed 14-12 with nine minutes left to play, a tense finish was guaranteed.

The boys showed some good composure, carefully working their way into Warrington's territory. Graham Wilson, impact player of the season so far, showed his fresh legs hitting a great line, which meant he dived over the line unchallenged.

A minute and a half of fierce defence and sheer determination followed, as Collegiate held on and saw the victory out. Unfortunately, this came at a cost, sustaining two injuries. Lloydy left the field with a nasty cut above his eye and Rory suffered several facial fractures. We all wish them a speedy recovery from their injuries.

Collegiate host Bowdon in their next league fixture.

COLLEGIATE 17 - 22 ORMSKIRK

It was a special day for the club on Saturday, hosting arguably the whole club's best attended event of the year. The setup and general organisation was outstanding, even the weather smiled upon us, offering a dry and sunny day. The only blemish on the day was the disappointing result, with the 1st XV losing by a small margin the visitors, Ormskirk.

Collegiate started brightly and controlled the majority of possession in the first half. Lloydy slotted a penalty to calm early nerves and claim the first points of the game. Good interplay between the back row from a scrum in the Ormskirk half broke the defence's line, giving Danny Oliver the opportunity to get over the try line. The try was converted to give Collegiate an early lead.

Ormskirk were gifted the opportunities to stay in touch with us by giving away cheap penalties deep in our own half, frustratingly something that wasn't learnt from throughout the match. The half time score was 10-6 to Collegiate with all to play for.

Failure to convert periods of possesion and perhaps a loss of structure and direction at times prevented Collegiate from pulling away from Orsmkirk, who chipped away at the scoreline with another penalty. Then, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Orsmkirk to score a breakaway try down the wing, putting Collegiate on the back foot. The boys managed to keep their cool and respond by building the phases and Mark Lucass scoring from a driving maul in the corner. Lloydy showed immense skill under pressure, nailing the conversion to put Collegiate back in the lead, 17-16.

The match was set for a tense finish, with six minutes to go and a one point lead to defend. Poor discipline and general naivety cost Collegiate the win, giving away two simple penalties for Ormskirk to convert. It was a gutting finish for the boys, knowing the game was well within our grasp and if we'd played a bit smarter we could have come out clear victors.

I'm sure the whole squad are already looking forward to taking out this frustration next weekend, travelling to Warrington.

COLLEGIATE 16 - 10 ORRELL

Collegiate's 1st XV travelled away from home in poor weather conditions to face Orrell. They managed to battle out a hard-earned victory despite the rain and boggy pitch. The match was riddled with knock on's, slips and mistakes, which suited the home team and made the game more of a dog fight. Early pressure was applied by Collegiate, gaining good ground in the Orrell half and attempting a penalty shot at goal. Unfortunately, this missed and Orrell were able to use the slight slope of the pitch to kick deep into our territory. They made the most of this opportunity bundling the ball over the line in the corner.

Collegiate were not phased by this, with Lloydy leading the way taking converting two penalties to put us back in front. Collegiate had looked more threatening and skilful throughout the half and it was disappointing to concede a dubious try in the far corner. It would have been an interesting one to go upstairs to the TMO with but it was given and the boys had to respond. The half-time score was 10-6 to Orrell, Collegiate still in touch thanks to Lloydy's penalties.

Collegiate's quality and higher fitness levels began to show in the second half, exploiting space more effectively and moving the ball through the hands. The slippery ball caused a few chances to go begging but Ross Smith and Graeme Wilson each crossed the line, finishing good team movement up the pitch.

Graeme was a standout performer on the day, making a real impact from the bench, gaining hard yards and getting the team on the front foot. There was an overwhelming sense of togetherness felt throughout the squad and the victory should boost confidence moving forward.

The 1st XV host Ormskirk next, which should be a momentous occasion as the rugby section has been granted permission to play on the top pitch in front of the club house. A great honour and a privilege to play on a county cricket standard surface!

COLLEGIATE 5 - 29 WINNINGTON PARK

The 1st XV were unable to build on their win against Ashton-on-Mersey, losing at home to a well-organised Winnington Park side. Early encounters were fairly even but Collegiate looked slightly more threatening.

A few good line breaks from Adam Kilcourse and Tom Chadwick were very promising but couldn't be converted into tries. Winnington Park capitalised on these early let offs, getting back into the Collegiate half and snatching a quick try.

The boys attempted to lift themselves and scored a try through Ross Smith but proceeded to concede another couple of tries before half time. This was largely due to simple lapses in concentration and failing to properly tackle Winnington Park's No. 8. The half time score was 17-5 to the visitors.

The second half was littered with yellow cards, which did nothing to help Collegiate settle into the game and establish some rhythm to their play. Collegiate dominated possession for the majority of the half but frustratingly all of their attacking efforts were thwarted by a strong Winnington Park defence.

In amongst this it seemed that Rob Smith had crossed the line but the referee judged that it had been held up and called for a 5-metre scrum instead. To cap off a generally frustrating day for Collegiate they leaked two more tries, one of which was a last minute breakaway try after sustained pressure on the opposition's line.

There were some positives to be drawn from the game, namely a return to fitness for Will Readdie after quite some time out of action and an outstanding performance from Phil Brown, who genuinely committed his body to the cause. I'm sure everyone will also join me in wishing Tom Chadwick the best of luck as he goes off to university and thank him for his efforts in the season so far.

The 1st XV travel to Orrell this Saturday.

COLLEGIATE 26 - 19 ASHTON ON MERSEY

It having been a tough start to the season, Collegiate 1 st XV knew they needed to raise their game, pull together and get the job done to bring home a victory from their travels to Ashton-on-Mersey.

Despite being greeted by farmland fresh air and the changing room cleaner's attention to detail with the hosepipe, the boys were able to earn the desired result.

Collegiate started the game well, with a sustained period of pressure in Ashton's 22. Unfortunately, this wasn't utilised to maximum effect, although we did come away with three points from the boot of Chris Lloyd.

The remainder of the first half was much like the early part of an arm wrestle, relatively disjointed with neither team managing to find the finishing touches they were looking for. Ashton snatched the only try of the first half, which was fairly soft and came from a lapse in concentration and physicality on our own line. This meant that they went into the break with a slim lead, 7-3.

Collegiate were confident that the game was within their grasp, all they needed to do was look after the ball and the opportunities would come. This proved to be the case when Dave Proctor crossed the line, benefiting from some exceptional offloading and general forward play.

Tom Chadwick made some impressive probing runs throughout the match and earned us some valuable yards. Lloydy was able to develop a bit of daylight between the sides by slotting a couple of penalties in the opposition's final third and grabbing a try for himself.

A breakaway score from Rob Connolly put the game beyond doubt, as he managed to gather the loose ball deep in our own half and beat any covering defenders for pace. Frustratingly, Ashton scored in the last phase of play earning them a point, which on the whole a neutral would have said was probably deserved.

Collegiate next host Winnington Park.

COLLEGIATE 13 - 25 NEW BRIGHTON

No report received

Report from New Brighton's website HERE

COLLEGIATE 5 - 52 TYLDESLEY

The 1st XV travelled to Tyldesley for the second match of the league campaign. They met an organised team, who made the most of their larger pack size. Collegiate opened the match well, controlling possession of the ball for the majority of the opening ten minutes. However, failing to make this count proved costly, as time spent in the opposition's red zone was not converted into points.

A mixture of errors from Collegiate allowed Tyldesley to gain significant territory, assisted by a strong diagonal wind and their inside centre's powerful boot. The score going into half time was 24-0, which did not seem beyond us at this stage.

Unfortunately, the start of the second half did not go to plan, with Tyldesley benefiting from a lack of decisiveness from the kick off and scoring an early try. Collegiate continued to battle hard but were unable to prevent a succession of further tries. A small reward for our efforts was a try from Dave Wareing, who took a nice ball from Dave Proctor close to the opposition's try line.

It was a disappointing day for players, coaches and supporters alike, as we failed to play to our potential in attack and defence. The squad will remain positive and keep the confidence in their ability, venting these early frustrations through training hard and focusing on putting things right in the upcoming fixtures.

The 1st XV host New Brighton next weekend.

COLLEGIATE 19 - 49 SALE

The 1st XV hosted Sale for the opening match of the league, meeting a team with talent, strong financial backing and ambition to rapidly rise through the leagues.

Collegiate came out of the blocks firing, playing physical and controlled rugby. A series of rumbling phases from the pack earned an opportunity for the backs to move the ball wide culminating in a well-timed miss pass to Rory Pollock, who scored in the corner.

Despite the promising start the Collegiate boys were guilty of allowing Sale to play to their strengths for the rest of the first half, allowing them to win quick ball easily and attack space. A scrambling defence fought hard to re-organise but slipping off a few first up tackles gave Sale the chance to capitalise on several 2 on 1's.

The second half saw a far stronger performance from the boys in blue and blue, as they competed better at first phase, disrupted the breakdown and pressed Sale in defence. Inevitably, this led to mistakes from Sale and gave Collegiate the front foot. After making some good ground in Sale 's half, Duncan Rogers hit a good line and battled to dot the ball down from a few yards out.

Collegiate defended valiantly throughout the second half, keeping tries conceded to a minimum. It was disappointing that by this stage the score line damage had been done and we had been too quick to accept Sale 's quality rather than challenge it. It was good to end the game on a high though, as Lloydy opened up his dancing feet to neatly glide through a couple of gaps and finish under the posts.

Clearly, some lessons to be learnt and things to work on in training but overall there were some positives for the team to take forward into the forthcoming fixtures.

The team faces Tyldesley away next week.

COLLEGIATE 19 - 3 DE LA SALLE

The 1st XV came away moving through to the 2nd round of the Lancashire Trophy following this brutal encounter.

From the off Dela persistently used rough house tactics to try and rattle the Blue Boys but failed to do so, as the lads tried everything they could to actually play rugby and were rewarded for their endeavours and patience with a very 'comfortable' victory as the home side rarely got out of their own half.

In the 4th minute the Salford side gained their only points via a penalty 25 metres out but this was quickly snubbed out with Chris Lloyd replying in kind within 2 minutes.

On 12 minutes the ball was sliced in field to debutant Tom Chadwick at full back who fielded and then ran in 50 metres through 6 desperate tacklers to score in the corner.

The game then became very unstructed and neither side could really gain a foot hold in proceedings. The only other points of the half were another penalty for Lloydy on 25 minutes.

The 2nd half was pretty much the same as Dela used their physicality to attempt to put our lads out of the stride, which they achieved to some extent, but couldn't capitalise on this themselves as Collegiate's midfield defence absorbed everything that came their way.

At the 57 minute mark the game took a major turn for the worse, as Hywel James was attacked with a barrage of punches when pinned at the bottom of a ruck resulting in a broken cheekbone and 6 stitch gash. As Hywel was trying to get away from the onslaught by his assailant he reacted completely out of character and understandably raised his hands in self-defence.

The referee immediately dismissed the Dela Number 8, but also deemed Hywel's reaction sufficient to receive the same sanction, which seemed somewhat harsh considering the position Hywel was originally in and was trying to defend himself. We wish him a swift recovery.

From here the result was only going one way and from a another clean line out win 10 metres out skipper Joe Callaghan-Adnams was guided over by his pack to extend the lead further.

A third Lloydy penalty on 66 minutes took the 1st XV to an unassailable position as Dela had very little in attack and the final whistle couldn't come quick enough for players and spectators alike, as this was a very unsavoury affair that the likes haven't been witnessed for many years and hopefully will not for a long time to come.

1st XV Match reports 2010 - 11

1st XV Results and Scorers 2010 - 11

All 1st XV information will be updated on a regular basis, please click on the applicable buttons to view results/league tables and player stats.