Trafford MV battled hard to win at Broughton Park

By Wilf Dooley

There was a sense of déjà vu as Trafford MV travelled to Broughton Park in testing conditions, this time in the league.

After the fixture 2 weeks ago, TMV felt that if they played with better tactics and applied themselves, the win could be theirs. Unfortunately, they made it easy for themselves, but in the end, they battled hard and ground out the first win of the season, moving up to 8th in the league after 3 games.

Other than a mistake at the start allowing Broughton Park to run in unopposed, TMV had control of the first half. Trafford kicked well to gain territory, and the forwards started to make yards through pick and goes around the ruck.

This allowed James Webster to drive over for the first and well-deserved try. TMV’s dominance continued throughout the first half. More territory led to good hands through the backline, and Laurence Ryan scored wide on the right wing. The half ended with ill-discipline from Broughton, which meant 10 minutes in the sin bin for one of their back row.

The second half started well for Trafford; accurate kicking into the far left corner meant Broughton couldn’t relieve pressure. The resulting line-out saw TMV set up a driving maul, which thundered over the try line with hooker James Halsall getting the ball down.

TMV’s discipline slipped with too many needless penalties creeping into their game. This allowed Broughton territory and eventually meant they brought the scores level at 17-17. With 5 minutes left, and with the win within reach, Trafford reverted to the pick and go.

The only way this could be stopped was for Broughton to concede a penalty, which Aaron Booth safely kicked over to give a slender lead with just one minute left on the clock. TMV defended their lead, led by Jack Gobbett.

A fantastic team performance from Trafford MV with the whole squad pulling together to grind out a well-deserved win. Player of the match was prop James Webster. Trafford MV now look ahead to travelling to New Brighton, who are just 1 point ahead in the league.

There were also wins for TMV Ladies 12-55 at Leigh and for TMV 3rd XV 20-5 over Stockport. New players are always welcome at Trafford MV, adding strength to playing squads at all ages and levels. Contact wilfdooley@virginmedia.com for info.