Crewe & Nantwich Senior Academy Colts celebrated their Halbro Colts League title with victory over rivals Sale FC, writes Pete Evans.
Sale arrived at the Vagrants as the only team in the league to beat Crewe in the competition.
With Crewe already crowned Division Champions and the teams meeting again in the Cheshire Plate Semi-final in two weeks, there was plenty to play for.
A series of Crewe penalties gave Sale the first score with a quick tap and go close to the line to lead 0-5.
From the kick off, Dan Mckenna hunted down the Sale receiver to force a penalty, which Logan Lynch slotted to bring Crewe straight back to 3 – 5.
Playing into a stiff breeze, Crewe pushed to keep in the Sale FC half.
A knock on by Sale gave a scrum just outside their 22 from which Harley Lewis at No. 8 picked and passed to Tom Ryle.
His grubber through was chased down by Harry Leech who collected brilliantly to score in the corner.
It was Harry’s first touch of a ball in a game since October after sustaining a nasty ankle injury at Preston Grasshoppers.
Lynch slotted a difficult kick from the side line 25m out to take C&N to 10 – 5.
The points kept coming now, as Crewe returned Sale’s kick off with a great break by Ollie Hollins.
He made 50 metres before forcing a penalty in front of the posts. Lynch took the points for a 13 – 5 lead.
A Sale lineout 30m out from their line was stolen and Crewe moved the ball wide to get Hollins again making metres before offloading to Jacob Aston O’Donovan who went over in the corner for a 18 – 5 lead at half time.
After the break, a steal from Sale’s lineout 30m out was worked hard through the forwards who carried and off loaded brilliantly.
With the Sale defence dragged in, Lynch spotted a gap, slipped two tackles and ran in for a great team try, knocking over the conversion as well.
But Sale are made of strong stuff and showed their character to keep pushing hard.
As they gained territory and put Crewe under pressure, the penalty count rose and Sale went over to bring the scores to 25 – 10.
Sale now had the momentum and were camped in the Crewe half.
The hosts kept Sale out until the last play of the game, when they moved the ball wide to go over in the corner, with the extras taken the game ended 25 – 17.
Crewe and Nantwich Senior Colts name has been carved on the league honours board for the first time in 22 years.
(Photos by Peter Curtis Brown, Tony Pennance and Peter Robinson)
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