Wilmslow 12 Kirkby Lonsdale 45

WILMSLOW’S home campaign ended with defeat to runaway league champions Kirkby Lonsdale, but not as convincingly as the scoreline suggests.

For 60 minutes Saturday’s North One West game had been a real contest.

The first critical moment came as half time approached.

Wolves were laying siege to the Kirkby line and twice in as many minutes they had been held up on the line but when they came from a five yard scrum for a third time, they dropped the ball and it was seized upon by Kirkby winger Harry Huddleston, who ran the full length of the field to score.

Instead of it being 14-all at the interval, it was 21-7 for the visitors.

Wolves created a try for Caleb Loomans just after half time and the deficit looked manageable.

For a while Wolves gave as good as they got.

But it all changed when their most potent attacking force, scrum half Sean Street, had to leave the pitch injured and Ollie Wilkinson moved up from full back to the number nine slot.

Wilkinson, who has plenty of experience at scrum half and is a tidy player, but was not the threat that Street was in keeping the opposition back-row defence occupied.

More misery was soon to follow when he had a pass intercepted on halfway by Kirkby scrum half Ben Walker, who then galloped away for Kirkby’s fourth try.

Wolves number eight Alex Taylor had a perfectly good touchdown from a catch and drive soon after ruled out by an unsighted referee and as the hosts tried to chase the game in the closing 15 minutes they were brutally punished for any error or misjudgement.

Wilmslow’s last game is at relegated Eccles on Saturday, April 22.