The monsoon conditions prevailing in the 24hrs prior to kick off might have brought Lancaster centre to a near standstill, but it didn`t hamper our efforts to exploit the Twickenham – size pitch at Vale. With the forwards exerting control from the kick – off against a stubborn Vale pack, the backs were able to vary their lines of attack with Mike Barlow at 10 and Mike K at 12 both making good breaks close in and Henri Simpson looking very sharp on the wing. When combined with some astute kicking out of hand by Mike B and Dave Kirby, the latter making a solid debut at fullback, the first 40 mins of play was concentrated in the Vale half.
Mike B opened the scoring with a long range penalty which was quickly followed by a try from (very) close range from No 8 Dan Eccles who was prominent throughout in the loose and in particular with some effective returns of the Vale restarts. Mike K, whose tackling throughout was once again very impressive, then provided great support to Mike Barlow and crashed over despite the attentions of the Vale defence.
However, from the kick off we couldn`t control the slippery ball and Vale took advantage to score their 1st try of the afternoon. Our riposte was quick, firstly with Andy Rimmer darting over and secondly through Richard Hopkinson showing a turn of pace (???) to scoot over from 22m out.
A half time score of 29-8 was a fair reflection of our dominance and when Henri joined the line at unstoppable pace to score under the posts we thought we could really go to town. Unfortunately, in supporting Henri, Alex Wilson suffered a painful dislocation of his elbow which will mean that he`ll be missing for a few weeks.
At this point, Jake Winstanley (on possibly his last appearance for the club as he departs shortly for warmer climes), Mike Pearson and Steve Hill all entered the field of play to provide some fresh legs, and all looked in good shape. Notwithstanding a second try for Vale, we remained in control of the game and a final try from Mike Barlow, who finished with a personal tally of 18 points, completed a very good all round team performance.
The next two fixtures are against our near neighbours, which always adds an extra dimension - we know that we`ll need to be on top form to maintain our solid start to the season.
RJH