Promising start to Congleton's season

If this is a taste of what is to come then bring it on! Congleton’s young side, playing in a home friendly on Hankinson’s Field, demonstrated some stunning winning rugby that sets them up well for the start of the South Lancs & Cheshire 3 league campaign next weekend.
Crewe scored the opening try after a quarter of an hour against the run of play. Congleton hit back straight away as Tom Kanauros gathered a loose ball outside the opposition 22 and shot through a scrambling defence to score. Not to be outdone, his brother Joe then grabbed a brace; the first a neat blind side run from the scrum, chip and gather; the second, after half-time, exploiting a weak defender near a ruck on Crewe’s try line. Not bad for a new scrum half who fed his first ball into a scrum this week! Tom Kanauros then took a well-deserved second try before a final excellent team score wide out by powerhouse Tom Wakefield who exploded into space created after several phases. In truth, Congleton should have bagged several more tries which they surely will in the future as they become more accurate and clinical in the red zone.
There were some outstanding individual performances although, as a unit, the scrum deserves praise as it was magnificent. Strong body positions and great timing of the drive gave Congleton’s backline time and space to operate and they did that effectively. In addition, surges made by the back row (Somers, Wood, Davenport and newcomer Rich Longbottom) off the scrum and in open play were glorious as they hit gaps and, when tackled, they kept driving forward to either offload or create quick phase ball. The half backs, J Kanauros and Ridgeway, is a promising combination which allowed Barlow and Williams the space to pierce the defence on several occasions. The back three of young Gary Kilkenny (another newcomer), Wakefield and T Kanauros countered well and looked sharp in defence too. Bainbridge’s power and growing confidence was also on show. The tight forwards Watts, Margot, Lea, Carter, Dalton and Sven Hassell looked like they had been playing together for years and are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
There was one moment late in the second half which showcased this Congleton side’s excellent attitude and nous. Despite being 4 tries to one up, they scrambled back and defended what appeared to be a certain Crewe score. The away side still smashed at the Congleton try line but the home side held out and forced a Crewe error, earning a free kick. Congleton quickly ran the ball through a powerful break by Williams which not only took them deep into the opposition 22m but, more importantly, snuffed out any further ambitions held by the visitors.
This young Congleton team gave the spectators a demonstration of how individual skills can flourish within a structured team framework. An excited Congleton spokesperson said “it was great to watch and we can’t wait to see this group of players achieve their undoubted potential. Better accuracy and consistency in executing the technical and tactical aspects of the game needs continued commitment to training and willingness to play hard for each other. They do that and there is every chance this team will have a very successful season”. It should be fun too…..