Bury...0

Carlisle...54

DESPITE requests from readers I will refrain from going into the history of Bury's opponents Carlisle, writes Mike Jones.

The match on Saturday was dedicated to the memory of Bury club secretary and much respected Geoff Hilton, who's family and friends, were guests of the club on Saturday.

Moving tributes were given by club president Graham Smith and Vice-President of the Manchester and District Referee's Society, former international referee and old friend of both the Bury club and Geoff personally, Peter Hughes.

Members of the Carlisle club committee and supporters joined with Bury in recognising Geoff's contribution both on and off the field for nearly 50 years.

The manner in which the game was played would have pleased him totally without malice and provided much pleasure for the considerable crowd.

Bury played against a stiff breeze in the second half and could have scored in the opening minutes when captain John Westwood rescued a ball from the loose to feed stand-off Bota who's shifting quick ball to Harvey Leeming, making his first appearance for some six months after a nagging injury, made forty metres and could have scored but laid off to number eight Smithson, who was dragged down just short of the line and the try went begging.

Using the often used and much abused Carlisle truly was a game of two halves, Carlisle made the mistake of taking on the Bury pack and made no progress whatsoever. Their persistence in playing it tight meant Bury were able to snuff out any threat and their only reward in the first half was a penalty in the last minute of injury time.

After the re-start, they did see some return for their forwards efforts when some atrocious decisions by the referee. Bury pushed into the corner and the tight head prop of the visitors was to score in the corner from the resulting line-out.

The avalanche of tries that was to follow was when Carlisle realised that their three quarter line was being unused.

Their next try came from an unforced error by the normally ever reliable Freschini, drafted in at short notice at full-back. He was to miss an awkward diagonal kick as Carlisle outside centre picked up the score an unconverted try.

Bury by now had lost the services of stand-off Bota, who withdrew not through injury but as a legacy of a recent illness and was to be replaced by Hamer in the centre with Steve McDonhue moving to out-half.

Bury seemed cursed with bad luck. Two more tries resulted from opportunism. An ugly fly-hack down the Bury try line for a score in the corner. This was followed by a Carlisle up and under bouncing short of the Bury full-back rising fifteen feet in the air over his head and gathered by the approaching right-wing.

Full credit to the Bury defence, particularly newcomer John Sheppie and Leaming, but their efforts came to nothing with the Carlisle player backing up and he gathered to score.

Carlisle now had their tales up and realising that Bury were vulnerable to the wide ball were able to capitalise and produce a scoreline which was not a true reflection off the Bury efforts.

The referee only made one good decision in the whole of the game when, having suffered a strained calf muscle, and needing medical attention, faced with the option of Bury's physio Phil and tuition by Crippen, and that of the nubile female who accompanies Carlisle he opted for the administrations of the latter, lucky devil!

Team: Holland, Kelly, Roberts, Kennedy, Lawton, Westwood (c), Smithson, Robinson, McDougall, Bota, Kyle, Leaming, McDonagh, Sheppie, Fereschini. Replacements: Hamer for Bota (38).

Tomorrow, Bury visit Lancaster Raod ground of De La Salle (Salford). Kick-off at 2.30pm.