Ellesmere Port 28 Ruskin Park 25 A HARSH penalty in the dying seconds robbed Ruskin of a deserved share of the spoils.

First on the board through a Fisher penalty, Ruskin competed well thoughout the first half, despite a chronic lack of possession.

The home side grabbed three unconverted tries, but touchdowns from Fisher and Unsworth, plus a Fisher conversion meant the teams were level at the break.

In the second half Ruskin continued to live off crumbs of possession anmd their defence was tested to the maximum. And Ellesmere Port went ahead with a converted try and a penalty. A long Fisher penalty narrowed the gap and from the kick-off Ruskin struck again. From deep inside their own half, they moved the ball wide. Dave Birch chipped through and Gary Smith leapt high to recover it and take it into the heart of the home defence.

And there on his shoulder was Fisher to score under the posts, allowing an easy conversion to ttie up the scores.

But that last-minute penalty ended Ruskin's hopes.

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