Wharfedale 14 Macclesfield 32

ALL the predictions of an easy SSE National League One win for Wharfedale were blown away by half-time.

Dale had the advantage of the strong wind and the slope but went in at the break leading by only one converted try to nil.

Macclesfield showed great strength of character in the first 40 minutes, tackling hard and refusing to buckle.

The visitors came out in the second half and showed Wharfedale how to use the conditions, how to control the ball, how to support the runner and how to run a line-out.

Dale’s line-out started well but fell apart badly in the latter stages, whereas Macc’s went from strength to strength.

Wharfedale’s try in the first half was from a poor clearance taken by James Doherty, who put Oliver Cicognini in at the corner.

Jamie Guy made light of the conditions and landed a superb conversion from just inside the touchline.

Max Smith opened the scoring for Macc in the second half, and Thomas Eaton’s conversion brought the scores level.

Wharfedale bounced back when Lloyd Davies ran the ball in from 35 metres and added the conversion.

A converted Matthew King try and two successful penalty kicks from Eaton then took the visitors into the lead.

Matthew O’Reagan and Max Smith added two more tries for Macclesfield, with Eaton converting the first to give the relegated side a thoroughly deserved bonus-point win.