Brown Revolution. 4th XV sweep aside combined might of Lindley AND Kidsgrove to herald new leadership era
Lindley and Kidsgrove 2nds 5:15 Macclesfield 4ths
….would be an excellent, if somewhat misleading headline for the 1st match under Ryan Brown’s captaincy.
To be fair, preparations were sub-optimal. Streety’s success in organising a Piss-Up In A Brewery the night before gave the gathering at Kidsgrove Cricket Club a subdued, After-The-Lord-Mayor’s-Show quality. Smith (N.)’s enthusiasm the night before served him particularly poorly, as he parted company with his breakfast en route to the game.
Ryan, working like a silent puppet-master pulling the strings of his marionette Boz, roused the rabble, selected the team and led them out to battle on a surface that would have not been out of place in Flanders, c. 1917.
Macclesfield kicked off and L&K immediately snatched the initiative, rendering a fine 10 minute demonstration of non-penetrative forward play. Macclesfield duly countered with a series of knock-ons, dropped passes, shanked kicks and other rubbish.
With the lion’s share of the possession, Macclesfield eventually managed to creep over the try-line to open the scoring with a non-converted try around the 20 minute mark. A few minutes later L&K conceded the umpteenth penalty of the game and up stepped the metronomic reliability of JP to take the points and turn round at 8:0.
Half-time’s rousing team talk from Ryan – delivered on his behalf by Boz – was punctuated by the usual pearls of wisdom and encouragement from Smith (P.). This galvanized the Macclesfield XV to deliver a first 20 minutes of the 2nd half that was all about generously keeping L&K in the match.
Into the last 20 minutes and the evergreen Rob McLeod ambled over for Macclesfield’s 2nd try, only for L&K to wield their considerable weight and rumble over for a consolation try of their own.
All-in-all not a bad result. Win secured, job done. Thank God it was Lindley and Kidsgrove
