Sandbach 1st XV 40-19 Widnes 1st XV
Saturday 12th April – Kick-off 3.00pm
Papa John’s Men’s Community Cup - Regional 2 North Plate - Round 2
Bradwall Road, Sandbach

Sandbach were due to play Burnage in the first round of the Papa John’s Men’s Community Cup but when they withdrew, the second-round fixture was moved forwards and Widnes were now the opponents.

Widnes finished ninth in the league and Sandbach beat them twice this season, but cup matches can throw all sorts of surprises, and the Bach were taking this fixture seriously. They made several changes to their squad with the experienced Jack Seddon returning to the starting lineup and Rhys John was named on the wing for his 1st XV home debut.

After a lively opening five minutes, a try on the wing for Widnes’s Lawton gave the visitors the perfect start. Having only lost once at home all season, this wasn’t part of Sandbach’s game plan. There were some strong words for the players by captain Laure Essenhigh, Tom Namguads and Seddon as they regrouped on the touch line.

The talking to worked and Sandbach levelled the game six minutes later when a maul from a 5m lineout drove towards the line. George Perkins had the ball in hand to score the try and continue his excellent form. Perkins scored his second try a few minutes later when he intercepted the ball and sped through Widnes’ 22. Matt Randle slotted the conversion to increase the lead and push his individual scoring tally for the season to an impressive two hundred points.

Scrum-half Essenhigh moved Sandbach further ahead after 33 minutes and the Bach were back in control. Elliot Morris, playing at centre, had hold of the ball and skipped a couple of tackles before being brought down on the wing. He passed to George Cole who swerved through Widnes’ defence before passing to Essenhigh, who still had work to do, for the try.

Widnes threatened late on in the first half after earning numerous penalties in Sandbach’s half. They edged closer to the line with a tap and go but were eventually held up on the try line by a resilient Sandbach defence. The referee called time, and the teams went in with the Bach leading 19-5.

Sandbach kicked off the second half and Widnes knocked on the restart when two of their players clashed. However, Widnes won the scrum and managed to kick clear. Shortly after, Widnes earned themselves a yellow card and after a kick to touch, Perkins was attacking for Sandbach once more. The Bach gained a penalty in the Widnes’ 22, which put them 10m out. Another penalty and a lineout from 5m gave Sandbach the perfect scoring opportunity. A slick lineout move saw Oli Jones offload in the air but the Bach couldn’t capitalise, and the try was denied by the Widnes’ robust defence.

Will Bowbeer increased Sandbach’s score 50 minutes in. A fantastic run by Randle and several passes later, Bowbeer found himself with two defenders to beat. A sidestep by the hooker and a big push to the line earned him the try. Randle kicked the extras and the Bach were leading 26-5.

Another penalty to Sandbach and fly-half Henry Mitchell expertly lofted the kick over the last defender for the lineout close to the line. The lineout was overthrown, squandering another opportunity but it wasn’t long before they were attacking again. Widnes picked up another yellow card and a tap and go penalty edged the Bach closer to the line. The ball landed in Namguads’ hands and three players couldn’t stop the powerful prop from scoring.

Randle scored Sandbach’s final try of the day after a huge run on the wing by John. The debutant surged to the line before being brought down. He passed from the floor to Randle who took the ball and scored under the posts.

Widnes had another player in the sinbin, but they managed to score a try with twelve minutes remaining. It looked unlikely to make a difference as Sandbach had looked more comfortable in the second half, however the visitors weren’t giving up.

As the match drew to a close, it began to boil over and yellow cards were shown to both teams. Widnes had the last say as they scored in the final play, but it wasn’t enough. The match ended 40-19 and Sandbach progressed to the next round. Player of the match was awarded to double try scorer George Perkins.

Sandbach will now face either Illkeston or Melboure in the quarter-finals. The Bach showed their intent on Saturday as they aim for a successful cup run and you wouldn’t put it past them going further.

Match report by Rhys Fullerton