Heaton Moor Senior Colts 10-17 Newcastle

Newcastle came from behind to deservedly take the points in an entertaining affair on a rain-soaked afternoon at Green Lane.

Both sides deserve a lot of credit for the way they worked, despite a multitude of handling errors on both sides in the slippery conditions.

It all started so well for Moor as they pushed the Staffordshire boys back with some determined forward work and, six minutes in, they got a swift reward.

From a lineout on halfway, the ball was transferred to Asa Bottomley on his own 10-metre line. With his trademark burst, he left the Newcastle boys in a heap as he scored a magnificent try, the team’s first score of the season, to give them an early five-point lead.

The remainder of the first half remained scoreless, both teams finding it difficult in the conditions and with both defences excellent.

The game turned on its head in a 15-minute spell at the start of the second half, the visitors adapting better to the conditions and scoring three unanswered tries to give them a 12-point lead.

To their credit, the Moor lads dug deep again and ten minutes from the end scored an explosive try from front-row Dallas Nelson.

There seemed no danger when he picked the ball up from the back of a ruck deep in his own half. But he took on challenge after challenge, to waltz through the Newcastle defence.

Heaton Moor spent the rest of the game camped in the visitors’ half but could not get the equalising score and Newcastle held on for a deserved victory.

It doesn’t get any easier for Moor with a difficult trip to Altrincham Kersal next time.