Clitheroe crash for 8s as unbeaten stretch finally ended

This time we lost out by just a single try in a very tight game where we had the chances and possession to at least draw level but a combination of errors and bad luck stopped this delivering a score. Indeed both Jason Wilkinson and Michael. Bailey were denied scores by the tiniest of margins. Again, Rossendale displayed a great team ethic and all players should be proud of this performance. Yes it was a first defeat and it was good to see that we did not like to lose but we did not lose through lack of effort or quality of play. The improvements in passing, handling and support play continued with some outstanding link play earning plaudits from Clitheroe. There were some really excellent tries scored through a series of passes rather than runaways, and once again we saw huge effort and commitment from all. Tries came from Ieuen Bissell ( 2), Jason Wilkinson, Dan Stevens and Tom Leech. Rowan Tweedale showed excellent maturity and epitomised the team spirit throughout the game - and after. Sam Ludlam and Freya Rawcliffe both contributed surging runs and collected tags , and Michael Bailey , Tom Whitaker and Luke Entwistle all ran their socks off from start to finish.
In a grandstand finish, Rossendale had Clitheroe on the ropes but despite concerted pressure, Ieuen ,Dan and Tom W were all foiled before the final whistle.
Opportunity to bounce back next week against Aspull, maybe worth a few practices at home tagging with tea towels ....... Tightening up the tags is the one big point for development going forwards.

Big thanks to the parents for a fantastic turn out and for all the help and support - we certainly had a bigger crowd than the hosts !!! The under 7 team suffered a similar reverse, 4-5, hopefully a decent eye witness report will follow ..........
See you next week for more thrills !!!!