Sandbach entertained Vale of Lune on Saturday for what may have been the first ever league meeting between the two clubs. The Bach made a string of changes with Jack Oakes making his league debut at hooker, Tim Young returned from injury to start at 8 and Harry Leese moved to inside centre.

This was the ninth Neil Dey Memorial Match and Sandbach were led out by Neil’s nephew and current Under 11 player James. There was a minute’s silence in memory of Neil, a former ‘Bach player, before the match got underway.

It seemed to be the perfect start for Sandbach when 4 minutes in a dummy from Laurie Essenhigh created a gap for him to break Vale of Lune’s line. The captain linked with winger Elliott Morris who needed no invitation to open his scoring account for the afternoon. Matt Randle was on kicking duties and he slotted the conversion to give Sandbach a 7-0 lead.

Vale of Lune were struggling with their lineout and Sandbach kept on winning the ball back, but the Vale had plenty of drive and were threatening. Big tackles were required and Josh Brookes delivered on that front as did the debutant Oakes, who looked sharp and energetic. It was a full on opening 15 minutes.

When the Vale finally had a successful lineout in a promising position, their maul was pushed back by a robust Sandbach defence. However, the Vale kept on persevering and another lineout from 5m out couldn’t be stopped as they piled over for the try.

With a few minutes left of the first half, an excellent penalty kick from Mitchell gave Sandbach a lineout from 5m out. From the maul Essenhigh moved the ball wide and the Bach went through the phases and edged closer to the line, but Vale of Lune kept them out. The forwards stepped up their efforts and they got within a couple of metres but eventually the Vale won the ball and cleared to end the half. It was a frustrating end and Sandbach should have come away with the points for their efforts. The teams headed in seven points apiece.

A few minutes into the second half and Sandbach were making up for the earlier missed opportunity. From a lineout, their maul, which has been extremely effective this season, drove them to within 5m of the line. The ball slipped through to Morris, who was flankedby his fellow backs as he drove over the line for the try. Randle’s conversion narrowly missed as it clipped the posts, but it was still a perfect start to the second half.

Vale of Lune picked up a yellow card as tempers flared and another penalty to Sandbach gave them a lineout in a strong position in the heart of the Vale’s 22. Tom Holmes leapt and took possession and the maul formed. The ball went wide to Morris who was brought down just short of the line, however his outstretched arm reached to put the ball down for an incredible finish. Randle’s conversion moved the scores to 19-7.

Minutes later, a penalty to Sandbach in their own half caught the Vale off guard when Mitchell went quickly with an audacious tap and go. As he sped forwards he found George Cole in support. Cole offloaded to Morris, who went back to Mitchell and he thundered over the line for a sensational try.

Sandbach don’t park the bus in the last 20 minutes and Morris, who was already on a hat trick, got his fourth try as he gathered a loose ball. Another great kick from Randle and Sandbach were storming ahead at 33-7.

Vale of Lune got a try of their own to give them some hope of staying in the game but minutes later, intelligent thinking and a quick lineout from Cole to Essenhigh gave the scrum-half his first try of the afternoon and put an end to the Vale’s hopes.

At 40-14 and with five minutes left, Randle, who has continued to impress off the tee, slotted a penalty for a further three points. Sandbach weren’t done and Holmes, who had put in a huge shift, took the ball from the restart and started another attack. Itwas Essenhigh who secured the Bach’s seventh and final try and Randle kicked the extras to make it a half century. In the dying minutes, the Vale got a consolation try as the match ended 50-19.

If ever there was a match to describe as a game of two halves, this was it. Both halves were entertaining and feisty at times, but both wielded vastly different scorelines. Sandbach’s scintillating attack and determination made them unstoppable and a thrillingsecond half capped off a fantastic afternoon of compelling rugby. The Bach have a rest weekend to look forward to and will be ready to go again when they host Winnington Park for what will surely be a cracking local derby.

Match report by Rhys Fullerton

Next match:

Sandbach 1st XV Vs Winnington Park 1st XV

Saturday 30th Date – Kick-off 2.15pm

Bradwall Road, Sandbach