Liverpool Collegiate (A)

Marple visited an always strong Liverpool Collegiate and struggled with the intensity & running lines.

After a decent start going-up the hill Marple scored first with a Gregg penalty, the home side quickly responded with 2 breaks through the middle both leading to converted scores.

Marple lost Hooker Biggs & Scrum half Thompson early which did not help as both the pack & backline needed re-shuffling.
Collegiate scored a further 2 first half tries out wide to gain the bonus point by half-time.

The 2nd half began more evenly with Marple now having the slope & by getting the set-piece back into the groove from the uncharacteristically wayward 1st-half.
The Home teams lines of running however continued to cause Marple problems & they crossed again with 15 mins remaining. Marple responded with a surging break from King, quick recycling for Crawford to cross untouched for his 2nd in 2 weeks.

With the game won the home team didn’t relent and ran everything at Marple who defended well with H Duffy & Stevenson to the fore but again fitness told & Collegiate crossed for 2 more late tries to finish worthy 43-10 winners.

Of note were the 2 spectacularly botched line-outs (lines-out?) thrown by both Marple Hookers, 1 going less than 1m the other less than 30cm

MoM: King.