I suggest you have a word closer to home then mate. mmp even rang your lot about 10.00ish to warn our numbers were starting to look a bit iffy (4 dropouts on the day again - 2 are medical, both concerning kids so can't complain about those but getting pretty naffed off with the state of our squad at the moment - 2 more season ending injuries this week). We were coming with 15/6 last night.

Myself and mmp made the decision at exactly 11.00am and I can guarantee he rang Widnes straight away.

Just a point of interest - how come you play for Widnes if you live in Manchester?

Played in widnes since I was 8. Only moved to Manchester 2 years ago to be closer to work all my mates in widnes. At my age i just want to play with friends for fun. Good luck drumming up interest in the closed season

Chorley 48 - 6 Newton.

This result as been coming for a while from a very young side.Blew the Storm off the park in the 1st half, 2nd half became very niggly and bad tempered at times.Newtons only try was a penalty try that was pretty soft.All in all it was a good afternoon down at Panther Park.

Had a few big players out for us and drafted a side together at last minute instead of throwing the game like other clubs might have, had players with injuries and still turned up - for that im quite proud. that wasnt a young side compared to ours though, also from the team you had when u came down to ours i saw 2 faces i recognised, so its not the same team as you had all year before you say it is. that being said big win for you, totally deserved it, and if u play like that for the rest of the yearthe only way is up the table. congrats we certainly wont get beat like that again this year.

At leats 10 of those from yesterday played at your place. We are now benefiting from our under 18s side coming through. Average age was about 22 compared to the start of the season when we relied on a few older heads to make the numbers up.Just shows that it only takes 1 or 2 players to change a sides fortunes.Its definately looking good for the future.We are also playing through summer so thats even more experience for the 18s as they step up to OA rugby.

heard that we are now playing Chester in the Bowl instead of newton due to them playing someone they shouldnt of against chester any truth in it??

Wigan Bulldogs 52-6 Rylands

Without going into too many details, Storm have been replaced in the cup by Chester. There has been a 'muscommunication' over the eligibility of a player but everything Newton did was above board, upfront and by the book. That said, and mitigating circumstances aside, Newton have accepted their 'punishmen't and moved on. The lads are rightly very disappointed considering the circumstances but nothing underhanded has gone on.

NWC BOWL

Chester V St Helens Wild Boar - obviously going to pick my own team to win this one.

Hindley V Rochdale Mayfield - Hindley to win this one and favourites to win the whole comp.

Rylands Sharks A V Wigan St Cuthbert’s A - could go either way both good teams.

Wigan Bulldogs V Eccles - Be a tough game and another one which is close to call, could go either way but ill go for eccles.

League

Bury Broncos V Crosfields - Will Bury have a team, have the given up bothering?

Chorley Panthers V Eccleston Lions - Chorley are playing well recently and i think they will continue to push up the league

Westhoughton Lions V Widnes Tigers - Widnes will have to much for Westhoughton.

Bowl

Chester vs St Helens WB
Hindley vs Mayfield
Rylands vs St Cuths
Wigan Bulldogs vs Eccles

League

Bury vs Crosfields - apparently quite a close game at Crosfields so going with Bury with home adv
Chorley vs Eccleston - just on their form at the moment
Westhoughton vs Widnes

Chester V St Helens Wild Boar -

Hindley V Rochdale Mayfield

Rylands Sharks A V Wigan St Cuthbert’s A -

Wigan Bulldogs V Eccles -


Bury Broncos V Crosfields - Will Bury have a team, have the given up bothering?

Chorley Panthers V Eccleston Lions -

Westhoughton Lions V Widnes Tigers -

Westhoughton have conceded to widnes tigers

West Bank it is my understanding this game is getting re arranged for 2 weeks time although I could well be wrong

West Bank - we have NOT conceeded to Widnes, it has been re-arranged for 16th April, as Serginho said.

Bury 50 - 16 Crosfields



Scoreline probably says it all - I'm pleased with that win, we only had one half-back available and lost him injured in first half, with several other first stringers missing...then lost a couple more to injuries but the boys did well and for the most played a good, controlled game with some nice attacking play - if we'd had a decent kicker could have been 60. Big wraps and credit to Crosfields, who came with loads of kids but never stopped running.

A few of their older lads need to address their cheap shots though. It was the same at their gaff a few weeks ago and yet again there were knees and elbows flying in all over, often very late. You don't need to do it boys, it lets you down badly.

Any news from Chorley vs Eccleston? Has Westhoughton vs Widnes been rearranged?

Eccleston beat Chorley 24-14 i think.

How did this get rearranged? I thought the concrete, inflexible, non-negotiable rule was NO free weekends, NO rearranged games, etc...not a dig at Westhoughton or Widnes, just wondering how this was achieved?

i dont know to be honest pal maybe some one will come on and clarify, but in my years of playing under northwest counties they seem to not be as fixed in with their original mindset once the league has been won / or the majority of the league games have been said, this being said maybe it was an issue with the teams facilities and good to see bothe teams reached an agreement early on in the week so i dont see the issue. Nothing pi55es me off more than seeing 18-0 nils and yesterday i think approx 35% of games were not fulfilled across all nwc divisions and cups, total shambles if you ask me and a tougher punishment should be brought in for next year.

On your hand mate good to see you have fielded a team and got a good result, you never know what crossfields team are gonna turn up especially when their first aint got a game like what always seems to happen to us at boars, i would just concentrate on keeping your number high hopefully on the back of that result you will start to see some off them knocks healing quicker than when your on the back of a drumming.

Wild Boars vs Chester 32-18
Not the best performance from the wild boars but lets say the result was never in doubt, with 6,7 and 9 all missing and other key men out we knew it would be a back to basics game, we got an early try and kept the pressure on to dominate the arm wrestle. We must have bombed about 6 or 7 tries and i put this down to the new blood in key positions. However credit to chester kept plodding along big side and got round the pitch very well and 2 consilation tries in the last couple of minutes made the game look closer than it was, with out being disrespectful on another day we would have put 50+ passed them but we came to get a win and left with a win and based on the circumstances we was happy with the day. I think we need friendlys now to stop the rust setting in before the semi's no game for 2 weeks was bad enough but 4 weeks will be awful so if any teams aint got a game maybe calling wildboars would be an option

Good results for our division with Wigan bulldogs and rylands making it through to the semi's to join us and hindley, shame hindley got given the game but this may work against them as rust may set in for them too

Totally agree,

Again Crosfields with the cheap shots. Without sounding like an old moaning get, it could result in a bad injury. Its well out of order, a few digs here and there is part of the game, but they take it to the extreme. Punches in back play when a lads back is turned, trying to gouge eyes etc. Not good

Crosfields number 6 must have been about 18-19 got a sly punch in when Burys number 10 scored a try

wasnt very sly! just punched him from the side in full view of everyone there straight after a try was scored!!!... and off he went for 10 minutes.

Everyone else may have saw it dont think number 10 saw it coming

On to this weeks fixtures

Bury vs Eccleston - After last weeks game would think Bury would be on a high
Chorley vs Crosfields - Depends on which Crosfields turn up but with Chorleys form recently can see a
good win
Newton vs Wigan St Cuths

Bury vs Eccleston - Ecclestion all day for me just cant see Bury winning this one.
Chorley vs Crosfields - Chorley to win, think they will be to fast for Crosfields.
Newton vs Wigan St Cuthberts - Close game but Cuthberts to sneak a win.

On another note we have got Rylands in the semi final of the bowl and Wigan Bulldogs have got Hindley.