Rugby Union: Littleborough Seconds 36 - 26 Tarleton

Littleborough produced one of their performances of the season to record their first win in three games against Tarleton.

A hat-trick from centre Danny Lawlor, plus as tries from Chris Collins and Konrad Hill saw Littleborough beat a very good side in Tarleton.

Both teams exchanged tries in the first half at a sunny Rakewood as Littleborough took a slender two point lead in to the break.

The second half produced three more tries and a penalty in a pulsating game that went right down to the wire.

Tarleton, who won the reverse fixture 24-5 a few days before Christmas, came into the match on the back of a fourmatch winning run, took the early lead as the fly half broke through the midfield and made a cross field kick to the right winger to gollop up.

Littleborough's response was immediate and pure quality. A well worked move with quick hands from the likes of Richard Taylor, Nathan Mason and Joel Rawlinson allowed Konrad Hill to dart into a gap in the opposition ranks. He made no mistake by sprinting down the touch line to score Littleborough's first of many in the game.

Tarleton took back the lead with another strong run by the fly half who gave his team mate a loose pass which he took well despite being surrounded by four Littleborough players.

Once more the tide of the game swayed as Littleborough got a second when another well worked move down the right allowed Hill to put Aaron Jones into a gap. Despite the left winger being felled metres from the try line, he was able to pop up the ball for captain Chris Collins to finish off the sweeping move.

Littleborough scored another try in between two tries for Tarleton as Danny Lawlor capitalised on a slow retreating Tarleton side to squeeze in under the posts.

At the break Littleborough had a narrow 19-17 advantage, partly to the flawless kicking of Richard Taylor.

Taylor added to his personal points tally with a straight forward penalty in front of the posts before Littleborough produced one of the best attacking moves of the season to carve the visiting Tarleton defence open.

Great interchanging of passes in midfield allowed Richard Taylor to fizz a miss pass to Jones, who drew in two men on his wing before feeding Lawlor on his inside to score in the left corner.

Tarleton, determined not succumb to a defeat that would leave their promotion hopes in seriously jeopardy, brought the gap back down to three points as the scrum half dummied his opposite number and squirmed in for a try.

As the game entered the latter stages Tarleton were firmly on top but could not find a way through and were punished.

Centre Lawlor intercepted a loose pass on the left wing and had the required pace and stamina to go in for a try from well into his own half. Richard Taylor produced a wonderful conversion to take the score 36-26 and give Littleborough the much appreciated breathing space as well as the victory to boot.