Feeney on fire for Tigers

With Kiwi fly-half Blair Feeney in outstanding form with the boot, Sedgley withstood Orrell's first half onslaught and after the break opened up to run in another try from Feeney, who quite rightly rounded off proceedings with a drop goal, as Sedgley recorded a memorable double over relegation doomed Orrell.

Things started well for Sedgley with Feeney popping over a simple penalty in the second minute.

Two minutes later his opposite number Jimmy Moore had an opportunity to square matters but was wayward with his kick.

From that early point the home side then mounted an offensive on the Sedgley line that lasted most of the half, only committed and resolute defence, along with Feeneys boot kept the home side out.

The Kiwi then made it 0-6 and slotted over a third penalty on 21 minutes to extend Sedgley's lead to 0-9.

For all their pressure Orrell didnt get points on the board until the 41st minute when a Moore penalty made it 3-9.

But then Sedgley took their only real scoring opportunity of the half to go into the break 3-16 up.

Skipper Jimmy Ponton claimed the ball at a line-out 10 metres from the Orrell line and fed Lund, who made valuable yards before offloading, the ball was then fed out to the backs, moving along the three-quarters from left to right.

Winger Ian Voortman joined the line at a scything angle and burst through a couple of tackles before passing to centre Danny McGee, who went over in the right hand corner; Feeney added the conversion.

Sedgley emerged for the second 40-minute spell determined to stamp their authority on the game and within minutes a flowing forward surge spearheaded by Jon Skurr and player-coach Tim Fourie showed they meant business.

Forwards and backs then combined to drive the ball deep into Orrell territory, but the home side turned the ball over at the ruck.

However, minutes later Orrell had no answer to another forward inspired drive, with Fourie and Lund driving the ball towards the Orrell line where Feeney latched on to it to burrow over through a pile of bodies to claim the Tigers' second try. He then converted his own touchdown to make it 3-23 to Sedgley with 48 minutes gone.

Moore's boot closed the gap to 6-23 but he missed another penalty attempt from half-way before Sam Reay knocked the ball on yards from the Sedgley line, and on the hour mark Orrell scrum-half Neil Chivers was racing for the Tigers' line, only to be pulled back for a forward pass.

It was then Sedgley's turn to go close before Voortman was yellow carded after he clashed with Orrell's Richard Wigham.

A man down for 10 minutes, Sedgley were forced onto the back foot once more.

Orrell got to within five metres of the Sedgley line from where they swung the ball right to left and back again, wasting an overlap in the process.

But with 10 minutes to go their pressure finally bore fruit, and from a line-out skipper Richard Wilks drove the ball towards the Sedgely line where centre Ross Whinney joined the attack at speed to go over in the right-hand corner, although Moore missed the conversion attempt.

Sedgley came back strongly, with only a knock-on denying Jon Feeley a try.

But Sedgley had done enough to claim a league double over Orrell and all but cement their place in National One for next season.

Mathematically Sedgley can still be caught, just as mathematically Orrell can still avoid the drop to National Two, but both events are highly unlikely.

The only minus for the Tigers was a knock suffered by De Jager, who limped off in time aded on, with what looked liked a recurrence of the ankle injury that saw him miss the start of the season.

SEDGLEY: De Jager, Feeley, McGee, Hassan, Voortman, Feeney, Wilkinson, Du Plessis, Keys, Thomas, Fourie, Lund, Senior, Ponton (c), Skurr. Replacements: Oxley (for Keys, 51), Collie (for De Jager, 83), Lourens (for Thomas, 78), Hall (for Senior, 71), McCormack (for Wilkinson, 46), Welding (for Voortman, 78), Holtzhausen (for Fourie, 80).

PETER COLLINS