January 25th 2014

Oxton Parkonians 0 Congleton 15

Cheshire and South Lancs 3

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRENGTH UNDERPINS TOP PERFORMANCE

In tempestuous weather away on the Wirral, Congleton’s fantastic spirit and discipline repelled the Parkonians feisty forwards and nullified their attacking threats. The tone was set early on when the Congleton pack stole the ball from the very first scrum. Their defence was outstanding with the wind in their faces and, instead of kicking the ball out to relieve pressure, they exploited opportunities wider out. However, despite their best efforts, they were thwarted a number of times, not by the Parkonians defence, but by the flight of the ball in the fierce wind.
Although at times risky, had the ball gone to hand, they could easily have been 5 tries to the good. However, in the final minutes of the half, Congleton attacked wide from their own line with Kanauros and Manning combining superbly to take the ball into the opposition 22. A couple of quick aggressive rucks on either side of the pitch, and the tiring Parkonians defence stretched, Ridgway whiffled through the gap to snatch a well-deserved half time lead. This was so not in the Parkonians script!
With the wind at their back and confidence oozing from every pore, Congleton set about the second period with real control and discipline. Half backs Ridgway and Willis ensured the game was played in opposition territory by superbly exploiting the cavernous spaces left by the tiring and shell-shocked defence. Congleton chased kicks with venom forcing deep defenders to concede territory and possession. No matter how much the Parkonians players punched, kicked and abused the away team, they could not shift them from their plan. Following a three-pointer for Kanauros, the second try came. Reardon decided to opt for a scrum in front of the Parkonians’ posts instead of a certain 3 point kick at goal and he was rewarded when centre Wood smashed over to take Congleton 3 scores ahead at 15-0.
Parkonians’ limited tactics to target the blind side were misguided and too readable for Congleton’s sharp and well-structured defence. Winning, however, was not enough as they wanted to keep a clean sheet away from home. On the final whistle, Parkonians sneaked through and, with the wing charging towards the line, 19-year old debutant Sam Newbuoy, who’d just come on, flew across from the opposite wing for a preposterous try saving tackle – a piece of play which epitomised the spirit that this young side.
This is a Congleton team who are learning about grunt and grind as well as panache. Last week, the forwards felt they were responsible for the less than upbeat performance, but this week they were the heroes. Led by a stonking front row, they fought like gladiators and provided the backs with space and time - and that is all backs ever ask for. Willis commanded and cajoled the forwards into their defensive structure and continues to impress at 9. Carter was exceptional at lock and showed exactly what he can do in the tight and around the pitch - his gyratory spin and slip-like catch from a re-start was immense and his relationship with Beck is becoming as tight as that of Davenport and Dalton. Davenport at 7 was back to his destructive best - removing the legs of any opposition that dare go near him. On top of that Partridge looked sharp and provided much needed oomph - his fastidious nature will ensure he dots the I's and crosses the T's in future performances as he get match sharp. In truth, while the players mentioned deserve praise, it would be easy to praise each and every member of the squad. They were magnificent.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect was the low penalty count. This was the bane of Congleton early in the season but now their excellent level of discipline is being rewarded. The players’ technical capability and confidence combined with belief in the team’s attacking and defensive structures means they rarely need to infringe.
Captain Reardon said afterwards "for me, this was even better than the match against Buxton. Everyone was up for it, everyone was excited by it and everyone put their body on the line - what else can a captain ask for? Bring on the next league fixture! There will be some tough selection decisions as we were probably missing 6 or 7 players who would have been in the frame to start today”