Perhaps with the previous week’s game in mind, there was no lackadaisical start to Warrington’s performance at Southport. An early high kick from Southport was well taken at the back and returned with interest into the Southport in goal area but just ran dead before winger Harrison Turner could make the touch down.

It was Southport, however, who opened the scoring in the tenth minute. The right winger looked as if he had the legs for a try himself, and so thought the three Warrington chasers, all unfortunately overlooking the inside supporter who received the inside pass and sprinted over unchallenged. 5-0.

For the most part, the game was played in the Southport half. Although the home team had more of the ball, recycling well and retaining possession, they could make little headway against Warrington’s implacable tackling where, as often as not there were two tacklers to a man. To a man, tackling was remorseless but big hits from Downes, Hamblett, Rowan and Hartill were particularly noticeable in disrupting the Southport advances. Resulting scrums, however, from spilled Southport ball were Warrington’s Achilles heel. Here Warrington were under pressure from the start as the Southport front row won the battle of who could get lower and either recovered possession or disrupted Warrington’s.

Nevertheless, Warrington were next on the board in the thirteenth minute with 3 points from the boot of JP Hudson when Southport were penalised for a deliberate knock on in their 22. 5-3.

An excellent high kick into the corner from stand-off Matt Beeley was plucked out of the air by Luke Turner and found its way to Joe Craven. Hard yards from the back rower gave Warrington a scoring chance but the last pass was forward. Warrington continued to press but lost their line out just 15 metres from the Southport line.

In the twenty fifth minute a counter attack from Warrington, initiated by newcomer Ryan Newton at centre was well supported by Johnnie Evans and subsequently Ty Hamblett who took the ball to within 2 metres of the Southport line but no further.

With five minutes to go in the half, Southport hit the woodwork from a penalty in Warrington’s 22 awarded to them for Warrington’s coming up at the scrum.

HT 5-3

Two minutes into the second half, another penalty to Southport for a scrum infringement was not missed and a further similar penalty ten minutes later stretched the home team’s lead to 8 points. 11-3.

With twenty minutes to go a magnificent break by Kyle Cherrett from his own 22 took Warrington into the Southport half then, carried on by Luke Turner, deep into Southport’s 22 where Warrington were awarded a penalty for a late tackle on the Warrington player as he chased his kick. Craven took the short penalty but was stopped two metres short. With time beginning to run out, Warrington upped the pace and, with fifteen minutes to go, a break in the centre from Hudson put winger Harrison Turner in for a try in the corner. 11-8.

From the restart, a break from Beeley, in his own half unleashed centre Jamie Hartill for a superb 50 metre jinking run to the posts. Hudson converted 11-15.

Another break from Downes looked promising but the pass to Newton with the line at his mercy was forward.

With seven minutes to go Southport we’re awarded another penalty for a scrum infringement, which, taken quickly from somewhere near where the offence was committed, caught Warrington napping and gave them a try in the corner. 16-15.

With five minutes to go a long penalty from straight in front on the Southport 10 metre line gave Warrington the opportunity to regain the lead but this was just too long for Hudson.

The final minutes saw Warrington attacking with some desperation but Southport managed a turnover and quickly hoofed the ball off the pitch.

FT 16-15

The game could easily have gone Warrington’s way, but an inability to secure their own possession at line-outs and scrums and a lack of precision at crucial moments in attack annulled the sterling work done in defence.

Report by Roy Potts WRUFC