Leek came out of the blocks quicker of the two teams, and forced and immediate penalty after Longton came of their feet at the first ruck. Dan Smith converted the penalty for an immediate three point advantage. Looking to extend their advantage, Leek used their forwards well in a quick succession of pick and go’s to make good yardage up to the Longton 22 metre line.

The period of sustained pressure forced Longton to come in at the side of the ruck. The penalty was again expertly converted by the in-form Dan Smith. It was only a matter of time before Longton came back into the game, moving the ball through the backs hands, and only the superb defence of the Leek backs stopped Longton from scoring a try. Leek forced Longton back to the halfway line, but a break from the Longton inside centre through the midfield forced full back Edgar Lloyd into making a desperate try saving tackle. On 27 minutes, Longton’s sustained pressure was rewarded with a try.

The Longton forwards caught and drove from the line out, and then spread the ball quickly across the field, and a missed tackle by the lacklustre Neil Edge saw Longton slide over into the corner for the first try of the game. The conversion was successful, leaving Leek 7 – 6 down. Longton obviously had the wind in their sails as it was not long before they went over again. From the kick off, the Longton pack made good ground, and a penalty given away by the Leek Director of Rugby Neil Edge allowed Longton to punt the ball into touch for a line out deep inside the 22.

The catch and drive from the lineout saw the Longton blindside flanker force his way over for a try. The missed conversion left Leek 12 – 6 down. It was a wake up call for Leek, and with half time looming, a turnover from the kick-off gave Leek quick ball allowing the centres, brothers Ben and Dan Smith to punch holes through the Longton back line. A period of dynamism from the Leek pack made good ground to just inside the Longton 22. A quick pass from scrum half, Alex Maton allowed Lucas Buxton to pass the ball to man mountain Jason Reaney who sidestepped the Longton fullback for a lovely try to the right of the field. The conversion was missed by Dan Smith. Half time came, and Leek were one point behind at 12-11.

The break was welcomed by Leek, and came out all guns blazing in the second half. Receiving the ball from the kick off, the Leek pack, led by hooker Dan Bould drove to halfway. After a quick succession of passes, Leek found themselves at the Longton 22. A beautiful move between the centres left Ben Smith with room to run. After rounding two players, he was one on one with the fullback, and a quick sidestep left the player bamboozled, and a try under the posts for Leek. The missed conversion left the scores at 16-12.

Leek were obviously the dominant side in the second half, and it was only a matter of time before Leek added more points to the tally. The sloppy Longton defence were found to be offside, allowing Leek to gain the lineout on the Longton 5 metre line. The catch from Neil Edge, fresh from his adventures in the Australia, saw leek on the try line, and a rapid dart from scrum half Alex Maton saw Leek’s 3rd try. At 21 – 12, Leek were cruising, and this was only made worse for the Longton side with their blindside flanker sin binned for swinging a punch at the impressive Ben Smith.

The resulting penalty was taken quickly, and a long chain of passes put Lucas Buxton into the corner for Leek’s fourth try. All in all, it was a very rewarding afternoon for Leek with their hard work and discipline being the difference between the two sides. There were some notable performances particularly from Ben Smith and the evergreen Lock Jason Reaney.