This weekend saw Thornton travel to Birchfield looking to put right the last two weeks results. Both performances showed some signs of promise but there was a need and a desire to ensure that the performance equated to a win.

Many of the Thornton boys remember Birchfield well from the promotion winning season and on a small pitch expected a tough physical game from a team whose locality is more akin to the league version of our fair sport.

With a solid warm up under the belt the message from coach Hanson was to earn the right to work the ball out wide and captain Clapp demanded that discipline and execution were key.

Birchfield kicked off and the the early minutes of the game were an even contest which saw both teams probing to find weakness in the opposition. Both teams stood strong and the game remained scoreless despite an early penalty opportunity for Thornton. Orwin was quick to make amends however. After good work by the pack the ball was sent out of the back of the ruck to the 12 who was isolated, however quick thinking saw an excellent drop goal, and this was closely followed by a penalty which took the score to 6-0.

What we do know about Birchfield however is that they never lie down and they continue to work hard and twenty minutes in they were right back in the game. After a quick turnover on the half way line the Birchfield winger sent a chip and chase over and collected the ball before outpacing the covering defence to score under the posts. Conversion scored 7-6.

This Thornton team however were not in the mood to let this game slip away and slowly begun to assert themselves on the game. The forwards were dominant in the scrum and loose and the returning Ben Calvert provided a steady supply of accurate line out ball. In the backs Pete McCauley dictated the game and structures well and in Dan Orwin and Rob Meekins had two willing runners who took the ball to the gain line time and again.

On 26 minutes Thornton re-took the lead. With Thornton winning a scrum on the Birchfiled 5mtr line the Thornton 8 took it upon themselves to shove their opposition pack over the line and Johnny on the spot Michael Docherty was there to simply place the ball over the line. Dan Orwin now in confident mood slotted over the conversion and the score was 13-7.

As the half wore on Thornton remained in the ascendancy and strong running around the fringes resulted in good gains. Neil Wright epitomised this with a quick pick up at the back and with a stern hand off to the Birchfield Guard he set off up the pitch like a runaway train eventually being stopped on the 22 by the covering Birchfield defence. However the only further points added came courtesy of another Dan Orwin penalty. Half time 7-16.

With the teams changed ends the second half kicked off and Birchfield applied some early pressure however the defence stood strong. Despite having some big carrying forwards Thornton were solid in defence, with Ryan Haywood excelling at 7 in both stopping and turning over ball. Again Thornton had an opportunity to extend their lead via a penalty however the light rain caused Orwin to slip at the vital moment and the kick was scuffed away.

Thornton again took a foothold of the game with Tom Bailey and Simon Hoddinott carrying strongly. Both Simom and Toms development continues apace with the latter sending opposition tacklers sprawling on a number of occasions, Tom Bailey continues to grow each week and his decision making in the loose alongside his excellent lineout work show how well he is developing and meeting the standards of 1st XV rugby.

The teams continued to exchange possession however Birchfield grew into the game. Ill discipline was allowing Birchfield to release pressure however after a good break Dan Orwin once again took the opportunity to take points with a more conventional drop goal this time.

Thornto began making substitutions and Birchfield took the interruptions to seize the initative. On 72 minutes the referee awarded a free kick to Birchfield on the Thornton 22 and the Birchfield 10 sent over a cross field kick which the Birchfiled winger duly converted. Conversion missed but with the score at 12-19 Birchfield were back in the game.

Again however Thornton responded in style on 72 minutes Rob Meekins stepped to the fore and scored the kind of individual effort that saw him crowned player of the season. With Dan Orwin drawing defenders his perfectly timed pass saw Rob in space outside the line of defence and with quick feet and a turn of pace he beat two defenders before outpacing the covering third to score under the posts. Conversion scored and breathing space however Thornton were not done there.

As Birchfiled kicked down field calls were made to put the ball out for full time however a quick word from Sean Donnelly on the side lines suggested this not to be the case and Thornton played on with Chris Clapp returning the ball a good thirty yards. The ball was quickly shipped to the right and Simon Hoodinott made good ground. The green called was raised with a stacked attacking line to the left, and again Dan Orwin drew defenders before sending Ross Mellor-Clark on his way down the wing. Ross expertly drew the last defender and played in Clapp who dived into the corner to end the game.

Now in the heat of this exciting team move it appears that our beloved Albert suffered a momentary mental episode. As the final pass was made to Clapp, Albert regressed to his youth and upon thinking he was receiving the ball he dived into the corner to score the match winning try. Unfortunately for Albert he was off the pitch and didn't have the ball.

The final whistle went and Thirnton were victorious. This was an excellent team performance, with the forwards working their socks off they provided excellent ball to the backs all day long as well as making good ground themselves. Most pleasing was that the game plan was effected for 80 minutes with Thornton gaining a valuable confidence boosting victory against a strong Birchfield team. Thornton will be looking to take this performance on to next week where the play Burnley, another tough test.