1st XV Match report - Hoylake v Sale

Hoylake 19
Sale 25

Apologies for the brief report but unfortunately I had to take an unexpected trip to A&E after 20 minutes, only to be outdone by Chris Whiteley who followed me in an hour later with a proper dislocation...

When I left, we were doing our best to give Sale the space they needed to get their dangerous backs moving and ultimatley allowed them to score two long range tries due to numerous missed tackles. However, I was reliably informed that the performance improved (when I went off for some reason) and Hoylake went into the second half with a 16-12 lead via a try from winger, Matt McLaren, and the rest of the points coming from Steve Young's boot.

Hoylake held the lead for 20 minutes in the second period before Sale eventually broke through for an unconverted score and Young restored the lead with another penalty. With 5 minutes to go, the hosts lost substitute, Whiteley, who had come on for injured veteran, Dan Baldock. Because all subs had been used at this point, Hoylake finished the match with just 14 players.

Sale took advantage of the extra man and scored a late try followed by a penalty as a result of some defensive errors. Two points lost by the sounds of it, leaving Hoylake with the task of securing two away wins on the bounce to haul themselves out of relegation danger.

First up, Warrington away on Saturday. Time to stand up and be counted!