By David Wilkinson
National Two Rugby at Priory Park, all starts again today as we welcome Bournville to Macclesfield, not for the first time in the Club’s 150 year history, but I am told it has been a long time! The Midland side started well last week with a 40 – 22 win over fellow new-boys Devenport Services.
It was a tough day at Camborne, but what we did see was the determination and talent of 9 players on debut for the Club. Dan Leake, ex Rotherham Titans and Sale FC, started at 10, and made a god-fist of it; Dan will tell you that he is a converted 15/Wing, which was evident by the pace he brought to his game. Also on debut in the backs was Billy Birkett, a Macc lad, in the Sale Sharks Academy, and recently with Sale FC; Billy didn’t really get the opportunity to show off his talents on Saturday – but watch this space. Mason Winterburn, who is dual registered with Sale FC, came off the bench at Scrum Half, making several impacts, with quickly taken penalties, always making good ground. In the Front Row, Theo Hulbert, from Sandbach started, with Christian Hone, on loan from Sale FC, coming off the bench. In the back five, Elliot Thompson, ex Sandal; George Boughey ex Newport Salop; and Harry Hughes ex Sandal were all starters that played very well, with Ben Blackburn ex Tynedale coming on after 25 minutes with immediate impact. Last week was a tough shift, but it will serve everyone well for today, they will have learnt a lot, after playing together for the first time.
These were Head Coach Rhys Davies’s thoughts: “We are excited to be playing national league rugby at Priory Park again. There are plenty of positives to build on from last week; we know if we can tighten up on some of our mistakes then we’ll be very competitive every week. We are looking forward to welcoming a strong Bournville side who had a perfect start last week at home.
Give them a good cheer today as they run out at Priory Park for their home debuts, along with all of the other familiar faces. The Whaa-Hoo machine will be loaded up with some new tunes from the new players, and let’s hope it sings loudly for the 80 minutes.
The squad is: 1. Dan Percival, 2. Ollie Longmore, 3. Theo Hulbert, 4, Ben Blackburn 5. Harry Harding, 6. George Boughey, 7. Harry Hughes, 8. James Oliver, 9. Danny Martin, 10. Dan Leake, 11. Jamie Harrison, 12. Harry Blackwell, 13. Harry Oliver, 14. Billy Birkett, 15. Tom Jennings, 16. Carl Droy, 17. Andy Darlington, 18. ChristianHone, 19.Elliot Thompson, 20. Mason Winterburn.
