RFU National League Two

Sedgley Park...25pts

Orrell...12pts

IT may not have been pretty, but it was hard.

This was a day for the tough men and, in coming from behind to beat famous opponents, Sedgley showed they have what it takes. A historic victory for the Whitefield club.

Orrell started well, running and tackling with aggression from the outset, and they soon had three points on the board through a Phil Jones penalty, a score which Colin Stephens cancelled out with a long kick drilled low into a tricky crosswind.

Orrell's backs looked specially dangerous, with centre Andy Craig and full-back Richard Welding outstanding, and it took a superb cover tackle by scrum half Dave McCormack on left wing Neil Kerfoot to prevent an Orrell try.

The visitors were looking the stronger side at this stage but Sedgley were hanging on well, even taking the lead for a couple of minutes, a Stephens penalty being followed by one for Jones.

The score remained tied at 6-6 up to the interval, a half in which there had been as much tension as rugby.

Sedgley had made the conscious decision to play a tighter game than usual but, in playing in an alien style, perhaps they had given their opponents too much respect? This view seemed justified when two more Jones penalties put Orrell six points ahead early in the second half. But significantly no tried had been leaked by a Sedgley defence in which centres Carlos Hassan and Jon Scales were outstanding.

The back row of Kern Yates, Richard Senior and in-form Tim Fourie had defended well also but then, in the game's final quarter, they were to create the tries that won the match.

Colin Stephens first reduced the arrears with a penalty that bounced kindly off the crossbar, then with 20 minutes gone Orrell made a handling error that led tooa scrum on their own 22 line.

Fourie picked up at the base, Senior supported and impressive young lock Paul Arnold crashed over to put Sedgley 14-12 ahead.

Orrell were looking rattled, beginning to make mistakes and to give away penalties. And in little Welshman Stephens, Sedgley had just the man to punish them.

He began to kick to the corners, pinning the visitors back, he even brought off a great tackle when Jones attempted a break.

Orrell's problems were compounded when experienced lock Charles Cusani was sinbinned for repeated line-out obstruction and STephens kicked the resulting penalty.

There was no way back for Orrell and, with eight minutes remaining, Sedgley's second try put the game safe.

Once again the Fourie, Senior combination provided the spark, the former Yorkshire captain making a deep hole in the visitors' defence.

Then, with all the Orrell backs out of position, Sedgley swung the ball wide for Scales to crash over at pace, unstoppable from close range.

Stephens missed the conversion but added a late penalty while Sedgley kept their line intact thanks to yet another fine tackle, this time by wing Ross Bullough.

So Sedgley regained second place in the league and will be there or thereabouts when promotion is decided; and so will Orrell.

PARK: Moon; Wilcock, Hassan, Scales, Bullough (O'Hare); Stephens, McCormack; Latham (Alcock), Keyes, Johnson; Arnold, Rees (Grainey); Senior (Grainey), Yates, Fourie.