Rugby League: Rochdale Mayfield 6 - 34 Thatto Heath

Mayfield welcomed St Helens side Thatto Heath to Rochdale on Saturday, a side they pushed close early in the season during both club’s great cup run.

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Mayfield made too many mistakes for the third week running, and the visitors capitalised, scoring six tries with steady, unspectacular, rugby league.

The game had a close start with Mayfield's forwards ripping in and Wayne English exciting the spectators from full back, but 10 minutes in, poor numbering on the edges gave the visitors two breaks on their right and they sliced through too easily to go six points up.

 

 

Mark Biggins, Sean Mulcahy and Luke Fowden were enthusiastic and with Cole Connoly probing, Mayfield put massive pressure on the Thatto line over the next 15 minutes.

The equaliser wouldn't come though and, as is so often the case, the opposition took advantage of good defence, and some luck with forward pass judgements, to break down field and double their lead on 30 minutes.

It stayed 0-12 until half-time.

In the second half Mayfield made too many unforced errors first dropping off an offloading player, then not contesting a simple kick to the corner.

The Rochdale side didn't give up at 0-22 though and produced a remarkable defensive set to trap the visitors on their line, only for the clearing kick to take a wicked bounce into a chaser’s hands, who raced 50 metres to score.

Mayfield kept trying but were held up and then dropped the ball with the line begging, before man of the match, Luke Fowden, smashed through under the posts after the lively Lewis Butterworth had again been held up.

6-28 and Thatto got the last score on the last play to end it at 6-34.

The home team's errors meant that they were never in the hunt, but the pack were enthusiastic enough, and the backs tried to play enough good rugby, that it was clear that this Mayfield group are not far off being more than good enough to compete at this level.

Man of the Match, Luke Fowden, was pushed hard by Sean Mulcahy in the forwards and Cole Connolly, the Ace Electrical sponsors MOM and Wayne English in the backs.