First took on Second at Heath Road on Saturday and the Lancashire & Cheshire Counties 1 match of the day did not disappoint, as supporters were treated to a cracking cut and thrust game in a lively atmosphere. There was very little between the teams in the meeting at Gorton Street in October when Widnes claimed an 20-22 victory with a last gasp penalty and, with Widnes unbeaten at home so far this season and Eccles racking up the bonus points since achieving promotion, another high stakes close contest was expected with the outcome certain to influence the battle for promotion for both clubs. Conditions were chilly and breezy and the hosts began brightly, capitalising on the visitor's hesitation to deal with an exit kick on the halfway line. The Widnes 14 (Krause) picked up the bouncing ball and broke free up the right wing deep into Eccles territory, setting up a platform for the 12 to chip through to his 13 partner to score in the corner, with just a few minutes played.TRY WIDNES (Patient) 5-0 03" For the next 10 minutes Eccles looked to redress this early set back, setting up camp inside the Widnes 22 but failed to collect any points from the pressure they created. An opportunity to reduce the deficit was missed when a routine penalty kick in front of the posts for stand-off Simpson, went wide of the target. Minutes later an inaccurate kick from fullback Parkinson sailed straight into touch giving Widnes respite and possession on the halfway line. Despite the issues with a cross wind in the air, on the ground the Eccles forwards were enjoying their work, where Donovan, Lillie and Frost were adding experienced steel to the youthful pack, giving Eccles the edge in the scrum. However, carelessness at the breakdown was costly to Eccles and it was Widnes who took their opportunity to further extend their lead with a well struck kick just inside the Eccles half.PENALTY WIDNES (Leadbetter) 8-0 11”. Following the restart Parkinson was held up in a maul and this triggered a response from Eccles who began to take the game to Widnes, initiated by Fortune on the left who made an exicting break up the blindside before being tackled. The ball was switched quickly across the field to the right flank where inter-passing between the outside backs resulted in Simpson crossing the line for a well worked score. TRY ECCLES (Simpson) 8-5 19”. The conversion kick was wide of the sticks but simple rugby had paid off for Eccles who were enjoying better possession and feild position, forcing Widnes to make errors in their own territory and the penalty count increased, disrupting the flow of the game and creating disputes amongst the players. With half an hour played Spooner replaced Cullen in the back row and Eccles had a sequence of attacking line outs in the Widnes 22 where the ball was cleanly caught but the progress of the driving mauls was halted by defensive swimming which went unpunished by the match official. Complaints were however penalised and Eccles were marched back, releasing the pressure on the Widnes goal line. The wrestle for control was eventually broken in the 33rd minute when a Widnes pass on their left flank was intercepted by Ackers-Johnson who, at 60 meters out, switched on the burners and fired up the wing to score behind the posts. TRY ECCLES (Ackers-Johnson); Converted (Simpson) 8-12 33”. The evenly balanced first half concluded with Eccles ahead and playing good rugby following their slow start. There were plenty of contentious talking points for the spectators to discuss and with 9 penalties to Eccles and 7 penalties to Widnes resulting in frustrations, the referee took the opportunity to speak with the captains during the interval. 8-12 HT Widnes began the second half as they had began the first, playing fast aggressive rugby and Eccles had to sustain some early pressure, eventually turning over possession and breaking out with swift passing along the back line to move play up field to a scrum. At 45 minutes Candland backed up his defensive performance with an effective attacking break into the Widnes 22 but slow arriving support followed by some commentary saw Eccles once again walked back to the halfway line giving Widnes the opportunity to break and ultimately win a scrum in front of the posts. The ball was moved out wide where the hosts had an overlap and the Widnes 12 crossed the line in the corner to put them a point in front. TRY WIDNES (Lawton) 13-12 50" Eccles further refreshed their forwards, Aspinall for Campbell and Cullen for Frost. However these replacements were initially nullified when Hooker Cox was sent to the sin bin on 56”. This should have given the hosts an advantage but the 14 men of Eccles rallied, doubling their efforts without their Captain and building attacking momentum inside Widnes territory. A series of line-outs offered promising opportunities to strike but Widnes continued to hold on against the pressure. On 60” an Eccles driving maul was held up in the corner. Widnes kicked in an attempt to exit but the ball was caught cleanly and Simpson returned it with interest, attacking through the middle to keep play inside the 22. Cox returned to the field and another Eccles penalty was awarded. The kickable points to nudge Eccles back in front were rejected in the breezy conditions in favour of the bolder line-out in the corner which was won in the air but the move broke down in the middle of the pitch. Throughout this tense, sustained period of attack Eccles remained composed and determined as they moved the ball coast to coast, in search for a way through the resolute Widnes defence. As the game entered the last 10 minutes, the pressure on Widnes eventually told as they kicked to clear their lines. The ball was pouched by Parkinson on the halfway line and offloaded to Fortune who had looped inside from the left wing and linked with Ackers-Johnson on the right. The winger had plenty to do but used his power to sweep around and out flank the scrambling defence to score in the corner to retake the lead. TRY ECCLES (Ackers-Johnson) 13-17 73". With the clock ticking down, this blow seemed to knock any remaining belief out of the Widnes team. A few minutes later an attacking line-out for the hosts was squandered, resulting in an Eccles scrum, from where Simpson and Wright combined to move play quickly back into Widnes territory. From a breakdown on the right, scrum-half Long fired a trademark arrow pass into the middle of the pitch and the ball was switched back inside into the waiting hands of Houghton, who topped off yet another all-round terrific back row performance, by charging through the gap to score behind the posts and wrap up the result. TRY ECCLES (Houghton), Converted (Simpson) 13-24 78". Widnes had time to restart but knocked-on putting the ball into touch and frustrations boiled over against the barriers of the playing enclosure before the referee restored order and brought the game to its conclusion. It had been a close contest up to 50 minutes but Eccles had dominated the final 30 minutes and deservedly claimed the bonus point win with comednable effort from the forwards and two late tries sealing the result. Eccles now move into top spot above Widnes who have a game in hand over Eccles. Neither team can afford any slip ups as they enter the final stages of the season with both Aldwinians and Wilmslow in persuit and in a position to mount their own challenge. As a final note, back at Gorton Street the Eccles 2XV beat Widnes 2XV 44-0 to remain unbeaten at the top of the Division 2 North. Next game for Eccles 1XV is Bolton at home, Saturday 17 February. FT 13-24 Photos by Phil Saunders Hall Team: K Reed, F Cox, A Campbell, S Lillie, S Donovan, A Frost, M Houghton, L Cullen; S Long, L Simpson, C Fortune, H Candland, J Wright, G Ackers-Johnson, W Parkinson. Replacements D Aspinall, N Spooner, B Read.
