Wirral seal Cheshire Cup Semi final.

The rain backed off at 11 but the wind remained, the surface looked as slick as the hairstyles on both sides. Wirral kicked off and put immediate pressure on the hosts within their own 22, Chester managed a successful turnover and cleared their lines long up field and succeeded in gaining a “50-22” (a new law gifting them the put in to the lineout) . From the lineout the home team worked the ball well through hands and managed to score wide left, with an unsuccessful conversion Chester were 5-0 up after 6 mins and Wirral knew they were in a proper game.
One thing this Wirral side are good at is understanding their opponents and what needs to be done. The scrum and lineouts were evenly matched and both defences were keen to get off the line and make first up tackles. Like most games between these 2 sides there always appears to be an extra competitive edge and this one was no different. The wind was a factor with one or two unsuccessful touch finders and this put pressure back on Wirral when Chester ran the ball back at the visitors.
Following a period of good pressure on the edge of Chester’s 22 a fine move after 21 minutes saw Joel run a positive line showing great pace and determination to break a flat footed home defence and race in to even the scores 5-5. Wirral had now settled and began to keep the ball and work their way into good field positions, marshalled effectively by half backs Mitch & Ben . Minutes later Tom W found himself in space on the left showing good pace to beat a couple of defenders, the play was brought back after Tom Galloped clear to score, his foot was adgued to have touched the line resulting in a home lineout . On 29 minutes Chester made a telling break from their own 22 that saw them gain 60 mtrs of territory before Sam made a fantastic last ditch tackle to keep them at bay, the home team managed to recycle the ball wide left and crossed in the corner making it 10-5 to Chester at half time.
The half time team talk was positive as Wirral now had the wind in their favour for the second half and they were in no mood to exit the Cheshire Cup today.
After 5 minutes of sustained pressure of the second half Wirral successfully recycled the ball to enable Abe to cross in the right corner to level the scores 10-10 Game on! Harry L and Joel were running hard lines in the middle of the field attempting to get on the Chester edges, but in fairness to both sides the defences were winning the day. Wirral had begun to dominate the scrum and on Saturday afternoon’s the ref might have given a penalty or two for persistent standing up, but Sunday rules can be a bit different. This game was now looking like the next score could decide the game and on 29 minutes Chester were adjudged to have strayed offside at a breakdown 40 mtrs out. Ben pointed at the posts and the Linesmen were dispatched by the ref to behind the posts, a cleanly struck penalty glided between the posts, 2 flags went in the air and Wirral led 13-10 with 6 minutes remaining. Excellent game management and strong defence saw Wirral over the line and into the Semifinal.
This team have an excellent bond, they don’t know when they’re beaten and they have the right mix of graft and glitter. This is the age when lads drop off and find other things to do, this bunch must be encouraged as they enter the senior ranks to carry on playing. Some will go on to bigger things in the game, but some will just enjoy club rugby and the places it takes you and the people you meet .You too could be the next Mark McCall with a grin as large as a Cheshire Cat when the referee blows the winning final whistle.
Jamie Kimpton