It was a tough week in the Congleton selection camp, with several of the regular 2s players unavailable to play - even the referee was proving difficult to source. It was looking as though the game may have to be postponed or cancelled. Fortunately, a fellowship of men approached the weekend full of vigor and determination, ensuring the battle against Glossop 3s commenced as planned.

The game started with a twelve strong Glossop, with Congleton a player down with eleven on the field. Against all odds, the first 5 minutes saw a Bears pack who wanted to make their presence known. The starting kick from Humphreys bounced perfectly into open space, and a pressured Glossop fumbled their first touches. Early scrum to Congleton which number 8 Wittiker picked up and took cleanly into contact. The second rows rucked over and paved the way for several more phases of forwards crashing through. As play moved up the pitch, the pressure proved too much for the defense, and a penalty was given for hands in the ruck. Cue a confident kick to touch by Tideswell, expertly providing the forwards with a line out just 8m from the opposition's goal. A steady throw and clean take, the pack aligned to form a powerful maul. They trundled forwards, making mincemeat of the Glossop defense. After clearing the line, Whittaker touched down in the corner to draw first blood. A painfully narrow missed conversion gave Congleton an early 5 point lead.

Glossop returned fire with a well placed kick off, collected safely by Mcnicholas. The pack continued their efforts with strong and accurate carries, gaining valuable metres. An unfortunate knock on blessed the opposition with a scrum, which resulted in several phases of attack from the home side. The Congleton defense held strong, with Wakefield putting in a crunching tackle to slow the onslaught, however a gap was formed and the attack proved successful - Glossop equalised with an unconverted try.

Not to be disheartened, Congleton fought back with valor. Solid performances from the front five enabled the visitors to get back into the opposition 22. Coombes Sr flying into contact with his trademark aggression, and first time captain Holbrook crashing through the centres to gain another five yards. As the aggression mounted, loosehead Noone found space towards the outside and powered into an unsuspecting back, knocking him aside as if a cardboard cut out. A solid dive to the line and Congleton doubled their score.

With the home side dazed and confused, behind at the hands of a short stacked side, they suffered a communication breakdown. Arguing between players, confusion about the rules, all whilst Congleton remained calm and clinical. After another clean collection, the ball was back in possession, where the Congleton 9 and 10 controlled the ball with fluidity. A storming run by Rasoul, and clever footwork from Coombs Jr gained Congleton even more position, piling pressure on the Glossop backs and resulting in multiple handling errors - Congleton won a scrum 10m from the posts. The Welshman's 8 pick up proved promising again, as a mere 2 phases later and Noone broke through two tackles to score his second try of the day.

Unfortunately the points came at the price of an injury, and with only 8 mins left of the first half, Noone was instructed to rest. Now, two men down and with a 10 point lead on the home side, Glossop shifted a gear and started to play smarter rugby. After a run of impressive passes and carries, the weakened Congleton defense were well on the back foot. A centre broke the line, and was merely inches from scoring when Coombs Jr came screaming across the pitch to make a try saving tackle. With the ball still in the danger zone, Noone bravely stepped back onto the battlefield and the Congleton defense kept the attack at bay until the whistle. Half time - Glossop 5 - Congleton 15.

The second half brought with it a new found sense of confidence from the home team. Following on from their narrow miss in the previous play, the realisation that they were a player up (and hence had an overlap on the wing) had finally sunk in. As soon as Glossop regained possession, they fired the ball through the back line and went right round the Bear's defense. Their quick winger tucked in and headed over the line to score. A precise kick between the posts, they had boosted their score to 12 within minutes of the whistle. As Congleton restarted, their heads remained on the game, with Tideswell chasing hard and cleaning out the catcher. A loose ball meant a scrabble on the floor, and a penalty against the run of play put Congleton back in their own half.

After another few minutes of trading phases, the visitors' reduced defense was again exposed and abused, and for the first time in the game, Glossop were in the lead. 17 - 15. The valiant squad of eleven were still hopeful, with a strong restart causing a scrum in an attacking position. Congleton stuck to their game plan and kept the ball in hand, when Humphreys spotted a gap and utilised the pace of the backs. Winger Reed stepped around his tackler and left him eating dirt, whilst cutting inside towards the posts. He dived for the line and grounded the ball well, unfortunately the referee didn't see the move and called a ruck instead of a try. Quick thinking by Whittiker, he fired a bullet pass straight to Holbrook who struggled through the wayward Glossop defenders and just managed to ground over the line. This time the try was confirmed, and the Bear's were back in the lead, 17 - 20.

As the restart commenced, the toll of the afternoon's relentless aggression started to show. Fatigue built within the Congleton side and the defense began to wear. With the home side having substitutes, fresh legs could be brought on to keep the attacks alive. Holes were punched through by well rested players and Glossop were quickly back on top from another try, giving a score of 22 - 20. A collection of handling errors and a few soft penalties, combined with the constant overlap in attack saw the home team gain two more tries with a conversion. 34 points to 20 with fifteen minutes still on the clock.

As the waves of attack kept coming, the spirit of the Bear's never faltered. Every man on the pitch put their bodies on the line and threw themselves into contact. Tideswell managed to steal a lineout, Coombes Sr turned over a ruck, Wakefield tackled his opposite number low and hard. But the extra man proved indefensible, and Glossop sneaked through to score another converted try. Now trailing 21 points and with barely 5 minutes left, the ref mused the idea of calling the game early - an idea that was met with fierce rejection from every player on the Congleton team. They were there to play rugby, and were playing with pride until the dying seconds.

A tough final few plays saw Glossop head over the try line for a last minute score that ended the game 46 - 20. Words from the captain: “Whilst it may be a loss on paper, it was a tremendous effort by Congleton 2s, and the situation could and should have been far worse, if not for the fearless attitude of the entire squad. Every player did what was asked of them and more” Man of the Match was handed to Alfie Tideswell for his relentless work rate during the 80 minutes. Congleton 2s will be away next Saturday at Ashton Under Lyne where they will look to build on the last few performances.