Plucky hosts run out of steam

Photo: PICTURE by CHRIS SUNDERLAND

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: Hollinwood’s Mike Richmond is surrounded by a posse of Eccleston Lions players.

RUGBY: 
 
HOLLINWOOD gave as good as they got against Eccleston Lions who had beaten the local club by 60 points earlier in the season.

The scoreline, 16-8 in the Lions’ favour, symbolised the determination in the Hollinwood ranks, though they paid for a lack of fitness in the second half.

Andy Gorey put the hosts in front with a penalty, and those two points separated the sides for the majority of the first half in this North-West Counties League Division Three encounter.

But it was the Lions who nosed ahead at the break after notching a converted try.

Hollinwood went close on several occasions early in the second period, before Matty McCullough, who enjoyed his best game for several weeks, crashed over and Gorey added the goal for an 8-6 lead.

On top and on course to stage an upset against mid-table opponents, Hollinwood worked hard to increase their narrow advantage, but the Lions did not buckle and regained the lead with a try.

Conditions were heavy underfoot — the fixture was one of only a couple to go ahead in the league — and as both teams tired, missed tackles and wasted opportunities became a feature of the game.

The Lions sealed victory with a converted try late on, leaving Hollinwood with just two wins to their name entering the festive break. Gorey was named man-of-the-match, while Kevin Collins and Mike Richmond put in a lot of hard work in the forwards.