Hungry Wolves

Their hosts were sadly depleted, a mere shadow of Sale teams of the past, but there was no doubt about the hunger and eagerness of another embryonic young Wolves outfit.

It was a dream debut for fullback Matthew King, who scored after just two minutes and went on to cross the line on four further occasions. Former Sale winger and record try scorer, Chris Lillie also scored twice on his debut, prompting that old Sale warrior of the 1970s, Richard Trickey to grimace that it was payback time for Wilmslow as he surveyed the carnage. There were two tries for the returning Jimmy Byers, one each for Ben Day and Tom Noot and nine conversions from ten attempts by Bob MacCallum, striking the ball as sweetly as ever.

Coach Giles Heagerty, always taciturn, declared himself only moderately satisfied with what he had seen. It had been an opportunity for him to evaluate early season form and fitness, to try out new combinations and to assess the claims of several new arrivals. We are a long way short of where we need to be he said. Despite the score line, we had to work very hard. The players were keen to play the kind of exciting rugby we aspire to but the performance could only be described as ‘work in progress’. He picked out Matthew King, Tom Noot and Alex Donaldson as the outstanding players on the day but added that with so many good players to choose from there would be real competition for places in every position.

The close summer season has seen the normal comings and goings amongst the players, not least the expected departure of scrum half Charlie Mulchrone to Macclesfield, now a National 1 side. Also heading in the same direction is the very promising young back Elliott Brierley, who graduated in the spring to the Wolves, when the Wilmslow High School season finished. Absent for the season’s start will be the powerful Ulsterman from Donegal, James Keyes, injured on a work assignment in an incident with a ladder, but he’s expected to be available later in the autumn. Last season’s full back James Conville, a Lancashire U20 player, we think has been persuaded by the county authorities to sign for the National League side in Rochdale. As a medical freshman at Leeds University, Rochdale is obviously much easier for him to get to than Wilmslow and of last season’s leading try scorer, Jordan Kennedy and his pal Jamie Thomas, there has thus far been no sight or sound.

Nevertheless, skipper Mike Clifford and his vice captains, Ryan Parkinson and Bob MacCallum, still have the core of last season’s squad at their disposal with former high school players, Alex Taylor and Lewis MacKay joining the senior section this season. The St. Ambrose, Sale and Altrincham Kersal connections have seen the arrival of Matthew King, Chris Lillie, Stewart Lindsey, Paul Noon and Dominic Clancy amongst others which include the former Loughborough University prop, Liam Macrea, who has moved to the area to take up an actuarial position in the town.

The Wolves’ opening match in League North 1 West will be at home on Saturday 4th. September against their old rivals from Northwich, who themselves only narrowly missed out on promotion last season to the National Leagues. They will provide Mike Clifford and his men with a stern test from which we shall get a better picture of their true worth.

In the University of Salford Leagues, the newly married Tim Medwell will captain the second string in League 1; Mark Hamilton leads the development side in League 4 South and Andy Duggan will take the 4th. team into League 5 East. The U19 side will compete in Division 1 of the Raging Bull North West Colts League.

It would be fair to say that Wilmslow’s rugby players are biting at the bit to get started and will enter the new season full of optimism.