BURY RUFC...8

ECCLES...6

ONLY six weeks have elapsed since Bury last played Eccles and in that time Bury have enjoyed three wins and a draw in their league campaign.

The previous encounter saw Bury badly mauled when they visited the Salford home of Eccles, going down 34-7. It was therefore with a hint of trepidation that Bury welcomed Eccles to Radcliffe Road for Saturday's return fixture.

It would have been a brave man who would have forecast a win, a damage limitation exercise being a much safer bet.

So it came as no surprise when Bury had to cope with a line-out five metres from their own try-line in the opening minutes, imaginary viultures could be seen in the skies.

However, Eccles were penalised for entering the subsequent maul from the side and the home supporters blew a sigh of relief.

There has been little change in personnel but coach John Hargreaves is at last getting the players into a positive and confident frame of mind where losing is not an option.

After that initial shock Bury went on to dominate the opening 15 minutes, although Eccles opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a successful 20 metre penalty conversion.

The home side should have scored through a combined forward and three-quarter passing move, but hooker Sammy Kelly with a two-man overlap going begging, failed to use the players and was tackled short of the line.

Bury should have scored at least twice in the last 10 minutes of the half, but awarded a penalty in front of the posts, they decided to take the scrum option put could not drive Eccles back over their try-line.

To compound the felony given the same option seven metres to the right of the posts they again turned down the kick and instead of going into the interval level were three points in arrears.

Led from the front by captain John Westwood and with the three-quarters marshalled by Glynn Smith, playing behind a dominant pack, he shrugged off his 38 years to show just how good a tactical kicker he is by grinding the opposition down, and a kick for goal in the 24th minute of the second period drew Bury level.

However Eccles were to reply with 10 minutes of the game remaining to go back into the lead.

To win Bury needed to score either a try or two converted penalties. They chose the former route.

Ten metres from the Eccles try-line, the visitors were awarded the put-in. As the Bury jumpers made their move the Eccles' hooker failed to throw the ball in and Bury were awarded a free-kick for the technical infringement.

Setting up a defensive wall made up of props Holland and Marshall and with Kelly as the link, Smith fed lock forward Adam Laughton the ball 15 metres from the line and he crashed over for the try, easily converted by Smith to guarantee revenge and a deserved victory.

BURY: Holland, Kelly, Marshall, Smithson, Laughton, Westwood(c), McDermott, Robinson, Smith, Livesey, Fielding, Elliott, Chester, McGarraghy, McDougal.

VICTORY over Eccles pushed Bury into joint second spot in North Lancashire 1. Title favourites De La Salle, who beat second-placed Littleborough 37-12, are top with 24 pts.

But Bury are hot on their heels, along with Littleborough (2nd, 17 pts) and Eccles (3rd, 17 pts), with Bury fourth, also with 17 points from 13 games.

In fifth spot Didsbury Toc H, who lost 16-15 at Burnage, have 16pts, followed by Burnley with 15 pts and Burnage on 14 pts.

It's another top-five clash tomorrow for Bury, who travel to Didsbury to take on Toc H, having lost the first meeting 44-10 back on November 1.

If Bury are to gain promotion they will have to address their defensive frailties which sees them with the worse points difference of all the top eight clubs with a minus 49 figure.