Once again a very tight set of results with 5 out of 7 losing clubs picking up a bonus point. At the top however, a gap has opened up between the two leaders -Sandbach & LSH- and the chasing pack. Beneath the top two, there are just 6 points covering 3rd to 8th places. At the other end of the table the City of Carlisle recorded their 4th win of the campaign and they do not look like relegation candidates on current form. This column begs to suggest that 7 or 8 wins in the season should see any of these clubs safe-assuming that there are no deductions. With two more fixtures to play in the 1st half of the season, club committees will be considering their second half options because 2 or 3 results could still transform league positions in a tighter than normal season.

Carlisle 20-13 Widnes
Carlisle won this match on a good day for rugby in Carlisle and indeed across the region. 3rd placed Widnes are proving the surprise package this term and this was a match where the result was in the balance until the final whistle. Widnes got onto the board early with a Leadbetter penalty and on 20 minutes they scored a beautiful try when a scrum on their own 22 gave an opportunity for a long Matty Smith break down the wing and an inside pass saw the stand-off Leadbetter cross and then convert. The match was proceeding, at that stage, according to league position. Carlisle responded positively through their pack that increasingly dominated and Weightman reduced the deficit by kicking one of several penalties on offer. With 5 minutes of the half to play the Carlisle full back James Rocke went over and the Weightman conversion gave the home side a 10-8 lead at the break. Second half errors were creeping into the Widnes game and the Carlisle pack continued to control play without real threat to the visitors line. With 10 minutes to play, the Carlisle forwards did threaten and were camped in the Widnes 5 metre zone and several attacking scrums were infringed by the visitors. Finally, the inevitable penalty-try was awarded and a yellow card produced. A further penalty by Weightman saw the home side 20-8 ahead and just a couple of minutes to go. On a rare visit to the home half, Matty Smith found a way to cross for Widnes. Then amazingly, the visitors regained possession from the restart to see Andrew Riley run clear but as it turned out the pass had been ruled forward and the whistle blew.

Liverpool St Helens 18-13 Wilmslow
LSH made heavy weather of defeating Wilmslow who could so easily have won this contest, given that they enjoyed as much territorial and possessional play as their Moss Lane hosts. The LSH faithful will say that winning when they are off-colour is the right sort of problem to have, and their record confirms this view. LSH were first to show and their forwards took control of the set pieces throughout. After 13 minutes the visitors really should have gone ahead when a killing pass was knocked on with the line beckoning. Wilmslow did eventually take the lead after half an hour when Tom Rayner finished off a quick counter attack and MacCallum converted. MacCallum was causing the LSH some problems with a number of cross kicks behind the LSH back line. The dominant home pack finally drove across the visitors line after 35 mins for No 8 Kearns to score. Cunliffe could not convert but did kick a penalty to give his side an 8-7 lead at the break. A moment of brilliance from LSH's McClurg just 4 mins into the second half was going to be enough in the event as he sidestepped and dodged over from 25 metres out and Cunliffe converted. Wilmslow were having plenty of second half possession and another overlapping pass did not go to hand when a score looked possible. At this stage MacCallum had 4 penalty attempts of which just two were successful to bring the visitors to 15-13. On the stroke of time Cunliffe put the result beyond doubt with a further penalty.

Rochdale 29-16 Aspatria
The Aspatria connections had no complaints after going down to a lively Rochdale side on a good day for rugby. Rochdale went ahead after only 4 minutes with a good backs try but the visitors clawed their way back to 7-6 after two long range Clegg penalties. Two more Rochdale tries came after very good play among their backs who moved up through the gears and through the visiting defence fairly comfortably. Clegg kicked another penalty for the visitors and after half an hour the score of 19-9 was a fair reflextion of the play. Aspatria themselves started to play more adventurously and this was rewarded as Mark Lister was on the end of some smart handling to go in under the posts and 19-16 looked much better. Rochdale however got their forwards going and rumbled over to register a 4 try bonus point to keep their average up and to lead 24-16 at the break. After an hour the same Rochdale pack repeated their part piece by once again rolling across the Aspatria line to complete the scoring. The Cumbrians look in trouble with a 10 point gap between them and 4th from bottom Carlisle.

Sandbach 60-8 Anselmians
Sandbach changed over 15-3 ahead after Cargill, Elliot and Smith scored tries for the home side and Mason had kicked the visitors only 3 points. Anselmians' experienced pack had a lot of possession during the game but Sandbach were always sharper out wide. Cargill, the home skipper found that each of his first half conversion attempt was from the sidelines. The home side altered tactics in the second period and the cultured boot of Cargill was kicking into space and away from the heavier Saints forwards. The tactic was executed with deadly precision and Jackson scored after good work by Burton and then came a mini deluge as Smith, Burton and Massey all scored running tries for the rampant Cheshire outfit. Cargill called it a day after missing his first five conversion attempts and the former Winnington Park full back Ben Elliot promptly kicked the next five successfully. Anselmians No 8 Tupoa scored from a push-over but Smith, Burton and Herd all scored late home tries to complete the route. It is looking good for the Cheshire lads at this stage.

Vale of Lune 28-20 Leigh
Vale of Lune versus Leigh conjures up a vision of WW3 to the impartial observer. An unsuspecting referree, Mike Hayward had arrived to take control of the Vale second team match versus Ashton-on-Mersey. Carl Hall, the appointed official, pulled up lame in his warm up before the match and Mr Hayward kindly agreed to step up to the mark. He was to have a busy day, but went about his task with great competence in a match that started 10 minutes late.

Jimmy Moore for the home side intercepted a pass well in his own half and after a little ball juggling he ran home from 70 metres and had enough gas left to kick the conversion. Moore kicked a penalty and then prop James Hesketh scored well after a good line out move by Vale. Mr Hayward needed to bring the captains together for a discussion about "ungentlemanly conduct" as the first period boiled over. Peter Ince the Leigh hooker then scored before Tom Forshaw added a second that also resulted in a yellow for Vale's Lee Acton. Curran for Vale crossed after great work from Ball but Ince closed the half for Leigh with another try from a driving maul. Leigh were looking quite capable of winning this encounter at the break but Moore licked 42nd and 63rd minute penalties to relieve pressure on the home side. Forshaw kickad a penalty and then a good half back move by Leigh saw winger Ross Shepherd cross wide out. More boisterous exchanges saw to it that Mr Hayward was once again active and a prop from either side took a break. The scrums were then uncontested -not much else on the day had been uncontested-but the clock ran down through much added time to give the home side a "hard fought" victory.

Wigton 19-24 Broughton Park
The travelling Park supporters were in high spirits as they arrived at picturesque Wigton. Park started well and Titiloye crossed in the corner after a strong run with O'Brien converting well from wide out. Wigton had a good strong pack on the day and a rolling maul was too difficult to stop legally and a penalty try was awarded when it was deliberately pulled down. Easy conversion and 7-7. Duffy and Titiloye for Park combined well to allow the visitors to go ahead and once again O'Brien converted a difficult kick. A yellow card brought Park down to 14 players and the Wigton pack rolled over for a second try but O'Brien kicked a penalty and then Titiloye finished off a splendid 40m Thomas break HT 12-24. Again the Wigton forwards drove over and the score was 19-24 with 20 minutes to play. As the clock ran down Wigton had their tails up and yellow followed yellow, followed yellow for Park in the final 10 minutes. With just 12 men on the pitch. the visitors managed to hold out for a hard won victory.

Wirral 20-19 Northwich
And finally to Clatterbridge where Northwich were visiting their long term rivals. It was loose Northwich play after 10 minutes which allowed Craig Harvey to score for Wirral in the corner. Harvey converted very well from the touchline. Northwich responded and outside centre Hallam finished off a good attack to cross near the posts and to also improve upon his own try. Yet another sloppy piece of defending against a smart, opportunist move by Wirrals Joe Murray saw the home team double their lead when Murrays effort was once again converted by Harvey from a difficult angle. At 14-7 ahead at the break the match was not beyond the visitors and, even when Harvey knocked over two well struck penalties to stretch the lead to 20-7, it was never over because the visitors always looked dangerous going forward. Dan King, returning from inury for Northwich, had come off the bench for the visitors and made an immediate impression with a couple of typically strong runs. It was King who found himself close enough to a Northwich maul to get the finishing touch and pull the visitors back to within a converted try. With 5 minutes left Hallam for Northwich yet again found an overlap after great work by Barber and touched down a metre in from the corner. 20-19 and the conversion to come. It was missed, but the last chapter was still to be played out as visiting hooker Chris James once again made good ground and a penalty was awarded 35m out and nearly half way in from the touchline. Again the kick went wide and Wirral had won by a single point. On the day Wirral kicked their chances and deserved their victory for that reason. Northwich look destined once again to be the bridesmaids.

Sandbach look ominously comfortable at the head of the table. Simon Verbikas their experienced player coach has been in charge for a couple of seasons and Cargill is not a new boy either. A couple of closed season recruits maybe but it seems as if good old fashioned team work is the recipe for their success. They will do well if they hold off the challenge of LSH through the Winter months.