Having played Congleton at the Vagrants back in mid-October, this was the return match on their territory. For the second week running we were blessed with great weather again, and the positive vibes from the pre-match training session meant we went into the matches in totally the right frame of mind.
With a few regular players unavailable this week, we still managed to stick loosely to our two ‘competition’ teams for this season, but instead played each game as a team of eight; using substitutes on a rotating basis. We ended up playing 5 games!
I’d love to tell you I concentrated fully on each match but with the regular switching of teams, match time-keeping, scoring and monitoring substitutes ....somewhere down the line I lost the will to live and couldn’t keep track of each player on the field for each match!
However, I did manage to record all match scores and try scorers, including two young ladies in our ranks who scored their first trys for the team!

Make no bones about it, as each week goes by, real improvement is being shown by our players. We are more focused, disciplined and ready for action; with the games very rarely interrupted for sloppy play or off-sides. It’s great to see our support play improving each game, and although the pitch at times can seem very crowded ...our players certainly make the most of the little space they can find.

Matches 2 and 3 marked milestones for the two happiest girls in Congleton – Molly Manaton and Regan Davies each touched down for their first try’s in Crewe & Nantwich colours – what a cheer went up for both girls as they ran back to the half-way line!! Both Molly and Regan had to get past at least three Congleton players to get their own tries, and it was a really great moment to see their big smiles being reciprocated by the rest of their team mates too!

Today also marked a great personal performance from our very own Ben Blakemore! Ben’s been so close on numerous occasions over recent weeks- it was terrific to see him finally get on the score sheet again. I don’t know what his Dad gave him for breakfast but he ran in 3 great tries; the last, weaving past nearly the entire Congleton team!

Match 1 – DREW (Crewe & Nantwich 4 v Congleton 4)
Try scorers : Max Ramsay (2), Ben Digby (1), Rory Pillar (1)


Match 2 – DREW (Crewe & Nantwich 4 v Congleton 4)
Try scorers : Ben Blakemore (1), Ben Digby (1), Molly Manaton (1), Rory Pillar (1)


Match 3 – WON (Crewe & Nantwich 5 v Congleton 4)
Try scorers : Rory Pillar (2), Ben Blakemore (1), Regan Davies (1), Bill Putt (1)


Match 4 – LOST (Crewe & Nantwich 4 v Congleton 5)
Try scorers : Max Ramsay(2), Ben Blakemore (1), Ben Digby (1)


Match 5 – WON (Crewe & Nantwich 3 v Congleton 2)
Try scorers : Jamie Bailey (1), James Johnson (1), Max Ramsay(1)


Squad :
Jamie Bailey, Ben Blakemore, Regan Davies, Ben Digby, Callum Frazer, James Johnson, Louis Leonard, Molly Manaton, Thomas Marshall, Rory Pillar, Bill Putt, Max Ramsay