COLLEGIATE 22 - 0 BIRKENHEAD PARK 3

The Collegiate 2nd XV travelled over the Mersey to Birkenhead Park for their latest league game and came away with another very good win. Park's lowly league position reflects more the number of games they have had to miss than their ability as a team. As a result we knew we would be in for another stern test in a physical encounter.

The game started well for Collegiate who soaked up a little early pressure before winning a lineout close to the Park line. Rather than go for a pushover Collegiate tried to surprise Park with a peel off a throw to the back of the line, but some very good tackling seemed to have kept them out until scrum half Tariq through a nice dummy and then squeezed over for a score, which was excellently converted by Killy.

Park then came back strongly and the next twenty minutes were a bit of an arm wrestle as both teams battered away at each other. As the first half wore on the Collegiate pack started to exert more and more pressure in the tight and after a series of impressive scrums was awarded a penalty. The kick to touch resulted in a lineout on the 5m line and this time the ball was caught in the middle and driven over for a try, to leave the score 12 – 0 at half time.

The second half saw Collegiate dominate possession and launch attack after attack at the Park line. However, the Park defence was first class and continually frustrated the Collegiate attacks. There were 2 more tries, one for Andy Woolfenden and the other Tom Brown, that sealed the victory, but it was disappointing that more could not have been made of the opportunities created and the game ended 22 – 0.

Next up we see the return of Broughton Park, who after the heavy defeat last week in the cup, will no doubt be up for revenge, so another tough game is on the cards. Hopefully we will be able to train on the grass this week and with selection getting tougher and tougher each week players will need to make every effort to attend if they wish to stay part of the team.

COLLEGIATE 84 - 0 BROUGHTON PARK 4

The Collegiate 2nd XV marched on in the cup with a simply stunning performance down on the prom at the foot of Riversdale Road . After having already defeated Broughton Park earlier in the season in a league fixture we knew to expect a tough physical battle in which Park used their strong runners to good effect, however, with another extremely strong team available once again and our strong defence we were confident of getting a result.

Having won the toss and with the wind blowing straight down the pitch we knew we had to take advantage in the first half and we certainly did, playing some excellent rugby in the conditions, utilising big runners in the middle to open up space out wide. Almost the whole half was played in the Park half and from the moment Joe Carney squeezed over in the corner for the first score we all felt this was going to be our afternoon and a further six tries before the break confirmed this as we went into half time 41 – 0 to the good.

One of the most impressive things about the 1 st half was that we had actually only kicked the ball from hand twice and so we knew that if we continued playing that way in the second then the wind might not be such a factor, and so it turned out to be as constant pressure in rucks and mauls saw numerous turnovers which gave Park very little chance to clear their lines. Once again the bulk of the game was in the Park half and if anything the whole team stepped it up in the second half, scoring a further 11 tries before the ref blew up a little early with the score at 84 – 0.

There were far too many try scorers for me to remember (or be bothered to), although I do have to mention the two wingers, Dave Fox and Andy Woolfenden (in only his 3rd game back), who both got 4 a piece. It was also such a good all round team performance that no one really stood out as man of the match, so we decided to leave it as a whole team award. This game also saw the final game for a while of second team stalwart Joe Carney as he disappears Stateside for a few months to better himself (and boy does he need to better himself). We wish him well over there and look forward to seeing him back leaner, fitter and hungrier than ever next season.

On a more downbeat note I do need to apologise in advance to anyone who gets dropped to the bench/thirds for next week, no one deserves it after that performance. Unfortunately, however, the 1st team decision to take a load of subs this week will mean a number of players moving down and so having to start for the seconds. Hopefully, any impact will be minimal.

Next up is the always competitive game away at Birkenhead Park, a fixture that has produced some great games over the last few years and another extremely tough encounter is almost certainly on the cards this time. Let's try to get everyone down training this week so we can prepare for what is generally one of our tougher games of the year, and as a result would be a great one to win.

COLLEGIATE 56 - 3 WINNINGTON PARK 2

Another week, another decisive victory as the 2nd XV marched on in the league recording another 50 point margin. With the large number of players returning from injury, and a few more due back next week, the whole club showed its current strength with more than 20 players available for the 4th team, the knock on effect being an extremely strong 2nd team that would not have looked out of place as a first team a few years back.

As a result, despite some real fight shown by Winnington, the result was never in real doubt once the first try was called early on. By this stage Collegiate had shown enough in the scrum, line out and general play to know this was going to be a tough afternoon for the visitors and three tries in the opening 20 minutes was no more than we deserved.

Things didn't get any easier for the visitors when they lost a player through injury and had to go down to 14 men, although the resultant uncontested scrums took away a part of the game that Collegiate had dominated and the match went through a poor spell when both teams struggled to find much rhythm. There was the occasional good passage that saw Collegiate score once more but it took a brief skirmish and 4 yellow cards on the stoke of half time to get us playing properly and the second half was almost one way traffic.

By the final whistle 10 tries and 3 conversions saw collegiate seal another victory by 56 points to 3 and set us up nicely for the cup game against Broughton Park next week.

There were a number of good performances on the day with Dave Fox running his usual strong lines and scoring his weekly try, Dave Fraser being a sneak and nicking the ball of the hard working second row when he was just about to score to grab glory for himself, a second strong performance in his second full game for Mike Macken, who might have been in contention for a second man of the match if he hadn't buggered off home early, Paul Hardiman and James Melling who controlled the game well from 12 and 13 as well as the usual back row performance from Andy Cowan and Martin Hoban. But man of the match this week was edged by Duncan Rogers, mainly because I wanted the second team to win the man of the match drinking race, but also because he led from the front and even managed to get involved in a fight.

COLLEGIATE 24 - 5 ALTRINCHAM KERSAL 3

After over 5 weeks without a game of rugby it was a real treat to be able to run out for the first game of the New Year at home against Altrincham. Despite the best attempts of the first team backs to spoil the party by crying off with alarming regularity, the current depth of players in the club came to the fore and we were able to field a strong line-up for the kick off, welcoming both Andy Cowan and Andy Woolfenden back from long term injury.

Despite their lowly league position Altrincham battled really well from the start and had the advantage in the early stages as a number of Collegiate mistakes (hello Jack!!) saw them take an early 5-0 lead. However, as the forwards started to come to terms with the conditions, Collegiate began to dominate and after Dave Fox went over there was only ever going to be one winner.

The conditions on the day and a general rustiness from lack of playing or training meant that much of the game was a very scrappy affair. However, there were some excellent moments of interplay in the backs and another strong performance from the pack that saw us ease towards a 24– 5 victory.

There were a number of contenders for man of the match, with Dave Fox again proving deadly with two tries, James Melling tidying up well in the backs and Andy Cowan impressing on his 2nd team re-debut but the award goes to Mike Macken for an all-round solid performance capped off by a good try.

Next up are Winnington Park, another team whose lowly position belies what is usually a very dangerous side, and once again we will need to be at our best to continue our fine run of results.

COLLEGIATE 45 - 5 BURNAGE 3

After last weeks excellent cup performance at Manchester the second XV got their league campaign back to winning ways with an emphatic, if still very disappointing, win at home to Burnage. With the first team back playing the usual course of nicked players resumed meaning a much changed team to the one fielding last week, although still a very strong looking one.

Confidence was further increased as Burnage only turned up with 13 players, meaning Dave Fraser gallantly dropping to the bench for us to field a team of 14. However, with a very wet pitch, the wind blowing a gale and a completely new back line, things weren't ideal for us to use the extra man to any real advantage.

The game started well enough as an early turnover was well used to allow Dave Fox to score the first of his three tries, which was quickly followed by his second after James Melling spotted some space out wide and sent a perfectly weighted kick for Dave to chase.

However, the terrible conditions were causing a lot of handling errors and from one of these Burnage found themselves in the Collegiate half and took their opportunity well to reduce the deficit. Not long after this the Burnage hooker injured himself and the match had to go to uncontested scrums, which really seemed to take the edge off the game and caused a real loss of focus among both teams.

The second half was a real catalogue of errors as mistake after mistake resulted in increasing frustration and a hint of almost desperation among the players. There were some brief moments of good rugby as 5 further tries were scored, another for Dave Fox with others from Mike Carson, Martin Hoban, Dave Fraser and Graeme Wilson. However, with better conditions and more controlled play that tally should have been much higher and the final score of 45 – 5 was greeted not with satisfaction from the players but a sense of disappointment at what might have been.

Next up for the second team is the visit of Lymm, a team who have had some good results recently and so we will have to back on top form if we wish to record the kind of victory required. Hopefully with better conditions and a more settled team (some chance with the firsts at the moment) that kind of performance can be achieved.

COLLEGIATE 53 - 10 MANCHESTER 2

After the disappointment of last week's defeat at Chester the Collegiate 2nd xv were determined to correct things away at Manchester. After the novelty of having no players nicked off us during midweek it seemed that we might have been in the unique position of actually travelling with the squad we had picked, until Declan decided he would rather cut his own throat than travel down the M62 to Manchester. However, despite a number of injuries in the backline, it was still a very strong squad that made the journey and eventually come away with one of the more impressive victories of the season.

Straight from the kick off Manchester showed their strength with some hard running and good play in the backs, but our excellent defence, which had been sadly missing for the last two weeks, was back in top form and once we had managed to hold out and turn the ball over it was straight up the other end to score our first try. After the confidence boost this gave the team it became a one sided affair as, with the wind at our backs, we dominated position and territory for most of the first half. It was only the lack of a cutting edge that meant we only scored 3 tries in the first half and so held only a slender lead of 17 – 0 at the break.

After the break and playing into the wind Collegiate really stepped up their play and the backs really came into their own. Quick ball was being supplied by a dominant pack and the strong running backs were a constant threat to the Manchester line. With the little possession they had the Manchester backs showed some good touches and did manage a couple of consolation tries, however the final result was never in much doubt as Collegiate ran in six 2 nd half tries to finish 53 – 10 to the good.

Special mention must go to all the try scorers, firstly the deadly Dave Fox who managed a superb hat trick to take him to 10 for the season already and then a try a piece for Richie Abbotts, James Howarth, Mike Carson, Paddy O'Donnell, Graeme Wilson and Clinton Macaskill with his last ever touch for Collegiate.

There were also a number of 2nd team debuts with James Howarth, Mike Carson and Denis O'Neill all being promoted from the 3rds last week as well as a first appearance by a new open side flanker called Sam Cocksedge who looks surprisingly like the Sam Cocksedge who has played centre for us a number of times this season.

Next up is a home game (yes that really did say a home game – number 4 for the season I think) against Burnage. Hopefully we can build on this performance to record yet another good win.

COLLEGIATE 17 - 22 CHESTER 3

After a very tough month Collegiate 2nd XV remained on the road with another hard game away at Chester, a team who had put together some very impressive performances so far this year. After the results of the last few weeks confidence was high before selection on Tuesday. However, by the end of the week, after countless cry offs and changes it was a much changed team that travelled over to Hare Lane.

Right from the kick off Chester showed that were up for the match with some strong running from the 10 and real pace and flair out wide. Things weren't helped by an early injury to Tom Nelson, who tried to head butt someone's knee and ended up with a suspected broken nose (we all wish him a speedy recovery).

This left us with an extremely inexperienced back line, with an average age of about 20 (apart from ‘old man' Sam Cocksedge, who must have felt his age). Chester took advantage of this early disruption to score a try, although Sam may want to forget about the his first tackle of the match.

After this the Collegiate pack started to get a foothold in the game but unforced errors were hampering any real attacking intent. It wasn't until the last few minutes of the half that we could apply any pressure, resulting in a try for Clinton.

The 2nd half started quite like the first, with an early injury for the concussed Simon Price and an early Chester try following the disruption. Collegiate fought back well and scored two tries through the quick thinking, powerful, effervescent and deadly from 3 yards Martin Hoban and Dave Fox. However as the half progressed the lack of any further replacements saw Collegiate start to tire and Chester get back into the game. A quick tap penalty by the Chester 10 caught too many Collegiate players asleep and he ghosted through to set up the winning try.

It was a disappointing end to a very winnable game which was lost through poor discipline, lack of cover on the bench and tired minds towards the end. Hopefully the very young 2nd team can learn from this experience and keep positive after what has been an excellent season so far.

COLLEGIATE 25 - 24 CALDY 3

After having decided that 3 home games by mid-November was far too many, the rugby gods (or fixture secretary) shoved the 2nd XV back on the road for the next 3 matches, starting with this weekend's top of the table game away at Caldy.

After last weekend's superb result against Marple it was difficult to drop players down to the thirds or bench, but as a number of first team players had to join the 2nds there was little option. It meant us preparing to travel to Caldy with a really strong but greatly changed 2nd XV and hoping that the new players could gel as well as the team had last time out.

As it turned out all of this strength and experience was needed in an extremely tough and hard fought battle against an excellent Caldy team. Things couldn't have started better for the blue boys as in the opening minutes they were awarded a penalty and as most people tried to work out what it had actually been given for, Dave Wareing took a quick tap to create a two on one overlap which was duly finished off by the ever young and speedy 2 nd row. This set a bit of a pattern for the opening few minutes in which Collegiate seemed to be able to get the ball wide quickly and score at will. Two quick tries, one each for Graeme Wilson and Clinton, saw us take a 15 – 0 lead.

However, up front Collegiate didn't have everything their own way as a well organised and experienced Caldy pack started to dominate possession and much of the rest of the first half was spent with them pressuring the line and only superb defence kept them down to one try after a strong run from the inside centre.

Somewhat against then run of play we then nicked another try of our own after some great defensive pressure meant that Man of the Match, Tariq Raja, was able strip the ball off the Caldy winger and sneak over the line. That left the scores 20 – 5 at half time.

The second half continued in much the same way as the first with Caldy dominating possession, Collegiate defending superbly and then nicking a try against the run of play after James Forshaw showed some good footballing skills with a lovely dribble and a superbly weighted through ball for Dave Fox to finish off. However, again Caldy came back strongly and the rest of the game was spent with Collegiate defending their line against wave after wave of Caldy pressure.

As the game wore on the pressure started to tell and Caldy started to take their chances and it became a matter of whether Collegaite could hold out for the final whistle. With the scores at 25 – 24 the pivotal moment duly arrived after the Caldy kicker, who had not much earlier slotted a conversion from way out wide, missed a much more straight forward penalty kick (although James Melling, on his return after an 12 month sabbatical, had missed one from right in front of the sticks a bit earlier). This lifted Collegiate somewhat and gave them the energy to see out the last few minutes of what had been an epic encounter.

Next up is another tough match, this time away at Chester. It is important to remain focused for this game and not relax after what has been an excellent start to the season so far.

COLLEGIATE 70 - 0 MARPLE

The Collegiate 2nd XV played host to a spirited Marple side on Saturday, who had the misfortune to be the opposition when we put together our best performance in a long time. The whole tone of the game was set in the first few minutes during which we pushed Marple of the ball in a scrum, took a lineout on a Marple throw and put together a number of phases to eventually score under the posts. After this there was a real belief that we would get a big win and the team duly delivered, scoring 12 tries and ending up winning by 70 points to nil (the nil being almost as pleasing as the 70)

There isn't enough space to mention all the tries and try scorers but this was the first game in which I felt the backs and forwards actually gelled together and the majority of scores were as a result of superb support play, clever offloading and quick interplay between backs and forwards. Special praise for this must be given to both Tariq Raja and Paul Hardiman, who, despite playing his first game at fly half, organized and controlled the game really well.

It was also good to see Tom Loftus do really well in his new, and I think he's hoping permanent, position at inside centre. When he timed it right and hit the ball at pace he proved a real handful for the opposition and was the starting point for many of the later tries. Once again Jack Duthie impressed from the wing with strong running, and with Dave Fox back this week, we now have two wingers that can win matches.

Once again everyone impressed in the pack, who dominated the set pieces and also got around the park well. Martin Hoban was his usual quick thinking, powerful and effervescent self and along with fellow flanker Eddie Taylor, seemed to be involved in just about everything. All these players mentioned were strong contenders for man of the match, but the award was probably edged by Paul Hardiman.

Next up we travel away to Caldy in what will be a battle for the outright lead of the league. My only concern is that next week returning first team players might result in a number of players moving down to the 2nds because after this game no one deserves to be dropped and all 17 made good contributions. However, it is a good situation to be in and shows the real strength in depth now possessed by the club.

COLLEGIATE 13 - 12 BOWDON

The 2nd XV were back on the road again this week with another difficult fixture, this time away at Bowdon, yet another team doing well in the league this year. After having the backline decimated in recent weeks, due to the first team continually nicking players, the decision was taken to try to not let them have any this week and after he showed up out of the blue to training on Tuesday, to not tell them about the returning Simon Crowder and keep him all to ourselves. However, by Thursday this had all changed as Simon and Tom Nelson were both whisked away by the ever avaricious first team, although they did give us Huw back, which was nice. So with yet another different back line we set off for the always sunny, southern Manchester expecting a really tough game but in a confident mood.

Collegiate started the game really strongly and for the first 20 minutes Bowdon couldn't cope with the pressure as we scored a try through Joe Perks and a penalty to give us an 8 – 0 lead. However, Joe aggravated his rib injury in scoring his try and had to be replaced by the ever reliable Eddie Taylor who came on and did well. As the half progressed some resolute defence prevented further scores and as Bowdon grew in confidence the game started to swing and they started to dominate possession, scoring a well worked try of their own. This was converted to leave the score 7 – 8 at half time.

The second half was very similar to the first with Collegiate dominating the early stages and scoring another good try, this time through the impressive Clinton Macaskill, who had run dangerously all match. However, once again Bowdon turned things around and put the defence under a lot of pressure before being rewarded with another try to make it 12 – 13.

As the match drew to a close both teams battled really hard, with both Clinton and Huw picking up knocks and having to leave the pitch (a big thanks to Eddie for stepping in at ten, I think he's a natural there). That meant Joe Carney came on and, according to him at least, won us the game through 1 scrum and 1 ruck.

A number of players played well with the pack playing superbly once again, but Man of the Match goes to Clinton , for his sublime running and well taken try. Special mention also goes to the powerful Martin Hoban, just for being boss, and getting MOM on Saturday night purely for being one of the few 2nd team players that had made it back to the club when it was awarded.

COLLEGIATE 20 - 10 WARRINGTON

After 5 wins from 6 at an average of over 30 points a game the 2nds went into this weekend's top of the table clash against Warrington full of confidence. Despite several of last week's team being called up to replace some weak 1st team players that always seem to cry off we started the game with what looked an extremely strong team, even welcoming back the prodigal Tom Nelson at fly half.

Collegiate started the game slowly, allowing Warrington to show why they have beaten some tough opposition this year and gifting them an opening try with a moment the half backs will want to forget, as well as a soft 3 points for a penalty. However, as the half progressed Collegiate grew in confidence and started to apply some pressure themselves, which was rewarded with a try for inside center Sam Cocksedge.

With the scoreline 5 – 10 at halftime, Warrington applying pressure all over the pitch and Collegiate attacking up the hill it looked like chances of victory were slim but the second half was a totally different story.

With Collegiate starting to win the lineout battle and debutant Simon Price playing at eight there was more control at the back of a struggling scrummage, much more of a platform was being given for Tom to get good ball at fly half and control the game. Much of the second half was played in Warrington 's half but aggressive tackling and a well-organized defence meant that Collegiate were struggling to convert their superiority.

A sole penalty was their only success for the first 20 minutes however the blues (playing in orange) never gave up and after battering away at the Warrington line Collegiate were awarded a penalty and the quick thinking Martin Hoban (not something I ever thought I'd say) took a quick tap and barreled over for the lead. A successful conversion meant a 5 point lead going in to a nervous last 10 minutes.

Fortunately, Collegiate were still on the front foot and, deciding that attack is the best form of defence, spent most of the last 10 minutes once again pressuring the Warrington line. A missed penalty kick in the final moments was then run out of defence by Warrington but Man of the Match Joe Perks managed to turn the ball over in the tackle and a few short passes later Jack Duthie crashed his way through to seal an excellent fight back.

Things don't get easier with a tough away trip to Bowdon next week, followed by a home clash with top of the table Caldy the week after. However, after today's victory we have to believe we can now beat anybody and will travel in high spirits.

COLLEGIATE 59 - 17 BROUGHTON PARK 4

Normal service was continued this weekend as Collegiate 2's travelled away from home and recorded yet another emphatic victory. An impressive looking team on paper was too strong for a Broughton Park team that has struggled all season long but never gave up and battled well for the full eighty, scoring some good tries themselves.

David Fraser continued his recent run of tries by opening the scoring after some strong forward play enabled space to be utilized out wide, before Jay Moore found space in midfield to go over for the second and Rory Pollock, playing an instinctive game at 10, broke through for the third. Park hit back with a try of their own, but two more tries before half time for Steven Hughes-Narborough Esq and Man of the Match Andy Donaldson (yes that's right, Man of the Match, honest) finished any hopes of a comeback before half time.

Collegiate utilized a strong bench in the second half and continued to dominate possession, although some strong running by Park did result in two further tries for them, and four second half tries for Martin Hoban, Dave Fox, Joe Perks and debutant Tom Brown, who capped a fine first game with an excellently taken and well deserved try.

The 2nd XV welcome Warrington to Aigburth for a real top of the table clash with a great deal of confidence.

COLLEGIATE 23 - 5 BIRKENHEAD PARK 3

As a bit of a novelty the Collegiate 2's decided it might be nice to actually play a game at home this year and welcomed our old nemesis Birkenhead Park 3rd XV to Aigburth.

As the worryingly large injury list continues to grow we also had a number of 2nd team debutants who all performed well and turned what has in the past been a hugely difficult fixture into fairly comfortable win.

Collegiate started well and dominated the early phases but failed to turn any of it into points until Huw Griffiths, who again turned in a MOM performance, clipped over the first Collegiate drop goal for some time, much to the disgust of the opposition. Unfortunately, the rest of the first half was very disjointed with neither team able to put any meaningful attacks together and it remained 3-0 at half time.

The second half was a different story and as the weather took a turn for the worse Collegiate started to play some controlled rugby with Steve Narborough leading from the front and Huw Griffiths controlling a quickly gelling back line.

Two quick tries from Steve Narborough and the fleet footed, mercurial number 8 gave Collegiate some breathing space and any thoughts of a Park comeback following there try was swiftly dispelled after the best move of the game saw Jay Moore, on his debut, go over in the corner.

The scoring was finished off by the returning JJ Calvert, who took a short break from his usually busy weekend schedule to grace us with his presence, after a well worked catch and drive from a lineout.

The 2nd xv can resume their usual travels next week with a trip to Broughton Park with a great deal of confidence.

COLLEGIATE 42 - 13 WINNINGTON PARK 2

After the disappointment of no home game last week the seconds were once again on the road in Division 3 South with a trip to Winnington Park.

The home team started well with 2 early tries either side of one by Dave Fox enabling them to take a 13 – 8 lead after 20 minutes.

However, once Collegiate settled down they started to dominate possession and territory and there was only ever going to be one outcome. Four further quick Collegiate tries, one for James Forshaw, one Huw Griffiths and two for Tom Kelly, effectively sealed the result before half time and it just became a matter of how many they could run up in total.

In the second half though Winnington Park never gave up and really upped their game, putting a lot of pressure on the Collegiate line. However, excellent defence kept the home team out and as the second half progressed it was Collegiate who finished the scoring with two late tries by Dave Fraser.

The 2nd XV can now look forward to their first home game of the season against perennial rivals Birkenhead Park 3 next Saturday with confidence.

COLLEGIATE 14 - 17 HOPE VALLEY 1

In the cold and blustery weather of the Derbyshire High Peaks the Collegiate 2nd XV lost their unbeaten record after a lacklustre performance in the picturesque setting provided by Hope Valley rugby club.

The game started well for the blue boys with some early pressure resulting in a pushover try from the line out. However, the promising start was not capitalized upon further and a very determined home team defended well preventing any scores from the opportunities.

In fact as the game progressed the home team seemed to gain belief and started to gain the upper hand, disrupting the supply of good possession that Collegiate had enjoyed. In fact, a Collegiate try early in the second half was against the run of play and was probably the last scoring chance they managed to create as the home side went from strength to strength.

For the remainder of the game it was Hope Valley that wanted it more as Collegiate seemed content to try and defend their lead. However, strong running from the Hope Valley 12 was started to create havoc and his two second half tries deservedly won the game.

Hopefully the experience will stand a relatively inexperienced (discounting Mr. Walsh) squad in good stead and act as a catalyst for future victories.

COLLEGIATE 52 - 7 LYMM 3

Another fine performance from the 2nd XV who had the upper hand against a dangerous looking Lymm side for most of the 80 minutes scoring seven tries in the process. Right from the off Collegiate set out their stall, tackling hard, disrupting early scrums and dominating the line outs which meant that a Lymm team who looked good with ball in hand were living off scraps and had very little opportunity to show what they could do.

Instead Collegiate spend most of the first half attacking the Lymm line and were rewarded with a quick hat trick for MOM Tom Loftus, who walked over for the first, powered over for the second and showed great hands for the third. All three were converted by Paul Walsh, who also added a penalty to make it 24 – 0 at half time.

In the second half things continued in much the same way with the Collegiate pack allowing Lymm very little good ball and providing a platform from which the backs scored a further three tries through David Fox, Paddy McElroy and Jack Buckton. As the half went on the Lymm team started to come into the game more and despite some excellent defence did manage a consolation try toward the end, only to then have to watch Tom Loftus to dummy his way over the try line a few minutes later to finish the scoring at 52 – 7, and cap what had been a excellent display from a still developing 2nd team.

A special mention must go to ‘Old Man' Walsh, who after being targeted as the weak link by Lymm before the game put in a faultless performance making big hits, controlling the game and getting a perfect 8 out of 8 with the boot.

COLLEGIATE 24 - 3 WIRRAL 3

The 2nd XV travelled to a damp Wirral for their first game of the 2011/12 season and came away with a hard fought but well deserved victory. From the whistle Wirral started well and dominated territory for the first 10 minutes without seriously threatening to cross the whitewash.

Some excellent tackling in the centres from Adam Kilcourse and Chris Gleed, stopped them dead and all they managed was 3 points for a penalty when Mick Nutt forget how to scrummage and was penalised for dropping his bind.

After the restart Collegiate woke up and decided to start playing rugby. The forwards began to dominate both the line out and the scrum and with the team going forward Huw Griffiths was able to control the game beautifully from number 10.

Three tries before half time, and a multitude of other missed opportunities pretty much ended the game as a contest before the interval and it looked as if it would just a matter of how many we could get in the second half.

However, Wirral picked up the pace after the break and with the ever worsening weather the second half produced little in the way of try scoring opportunities before a mercurial kick return from Jack Buckton set up a beautiful counter attack which ended with Killy going over for 5 points.

Special mention should go to a number of ‘new' players who started their senior collegiate careers and all had big parts to play in the final scoreline. Jay Lee played well at 9, provided Huw with the ball he needed to control the game; Jack Buckton was extremely busy at full back as the Wirral 10 had a very good boot but Jack ran them all straight back and was often the launch pad for most of the better moves; Paddy McElroy came on as a late sub and had a big part in the final try, making a bit of a mess of the Wirral winger as he ran over the top of him and Chris Gleed was extremely solid in the centres, running hard and tackling anything that came near him.

2nd XV Match reports 2010 - 11

2nd XV Results and Scorers 2010 - 11

All 2nd XV information will be updated on a regular basis, please click on the applicable buttons to view results/league tables and player stats.