24th November 2012

Congleton welcomed Prenton to Hankinsons field on Saturday, but with the Bears short of numbers mid-week there was a couple of changes to the team, including some recently progressed colts stepping up to the mark. The team was looking promising against a side we have struggled against in the past.
As the first half kicked off it seemed an even match, Congleton were solid in the rooks and mauls, and had good control during open play, and after a few good phases of play from the forwards, the ball was passed out wide where Mark Beresford managed to break through a gap in the Prenton back line, and in his usual lightning-fast style made a run from the half way line dodging three defenders and off-loading beautifully to Bambi, who touched down for the first try of the game, which Joey K converted, giving the home side an early lead of 7-0. Unable to cope with the pressure of being behind, the visitors discipline stared slipping, and as mistakes were made some of the oppositions players took their frustration out on the referee, which gave Congleton the extra yards they needed put some more points on the board, Joe kicking a perfect penalty goal, increasing the lead to 10 points. The restart saw Prenton retaliate, and a couple of unfortunate mistakes paired with slow reactions from Congleton led to the away side scoring a couple of try’s, one of which was converted. The first half ended with Congleton trailing slightly at 10-12.
The start of the second half saw some changes in the team, Adam Smith coming on for 6 and Gareth Croft on as second row, unfortunately this line up didn’t last too long as within 30 seconds of the whistle, Crofty went down with a nasty sounding knee injury, and had to be carried off the pitch. After a short while the game was back into full swing, with Congleton showing off their impressive new line outs which have been a key subject in the recent training sessions. Andy Watt was hitting his targets with pin point perfection and there was great control from the pack, this helped to present the backs with clean ball, and a few swift passes out wide found young Tom Winship on the wing, and on his debut game for the first team scored a fantastic try, converted again by ‘golden boots’ Joey K, to put Congleton back in front.
Prenton now below in points decided again to step it up a gear, and a great kick up-field put Prenton 10 yards from the Congleton try line. The last 10 minutes of the match saw a final display of aggression from the Visitors, who were literally throwing forward after forward at the home side’s defensive line, trying to break through for a try. But Congleton had different ideas, and no matter what Prenton tried, nothing got through the solid concrete wall of defense that faced them. It was a tense end to a tough, physical game, but also a crucial and deserved win for the Bears, and also a great send off to Mark Beresford who played his final game for the club before jetting off to Australia for 12 months. The whole team wishes him all the best on his journey down under. Final score 17-12, MOM was Joe Kanauros / Jacob Bainbridge

Scorers
Jacob Bainbridge (1T) Tom Winship (1T) Joe Kanauros (2C, 1P)