Following what turned out to be a comfortable win against Port Sunlight the week before, the boys in blue went into this home fixture full of confidence against a Trentham side that has been struggling to find their feet in South Lancs/Cheshire 2 this season.

The match started at a fantastic pace, with the home side looking to impose their dominance early on. Following multiple penalties, this gave the 1st XV their first opportunity for points, kicking the penalty to make the score 3-0.

This was the start needed, as the opening points lead to another 50 in the first half alone.
With a pack dominating in both the set piece and the loose, this provided the perfect platform for Collegiate's skillful backs to find space seemingly at will.

With constant territory, the bonus point was secured within 20 minutes, and the away side wondering how they were to stop the juggernaut that was a Collegiate side clearly on form.

First half tries came courtesy of a number of players, including a brace for win Alex Redfern, one for Sam Holliday and Chris Lloyd and one for Paul Jones and Adam Anderson.

The second half started in a completely different fashion.

Knowing they had the game won, the home side allowed their control to drop, giving away five penalties in as many minutes. This caused more frustration that anything, allowing Trentham to build territory, but never really pressuring the Collegiate try line.

This lasted the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half until, almost inevitably, the 1st XV kicked back into gear. From the back foot, more tries came and, with the visitors tiring, the scores looked almost too easy, allowing for Pete Nelson, Alex Redfern, Toby Kinealy and more to get over the line for at least one.

Credit where it is due, Trentham never gave up on the game and showed fantastic spirit to continue fighting right until the end.
This mentality to keep going will, I'm sure pay dividends at some point and grant them that much needed win.

From a Collegiate perspective, not the toughest test we will face this season, but the way the team conducted themselves throughout should give them real confidence when we head to Southport next week.