Moor travelled to Blackpool on Saturday for what on paper would be perhaps their easiest league game of the season so far, as the opposition were firmly rooted to the bottom of the table having conceded an average of 85 points in each of their previous games played. In the event, although Moor had a comfortable win, the expected scenario did not occur. Blackpool competed strongly from the first whistle to the last and perhaps the game might mark a change in their fortunes.

It was the home side that opened the scoring with two penalties in 9 minutes, the first time this season that they have been in the lead and the black humour of their supporters was evident as they requested the referee to blow the final whistle! Moor finally got on the score sheet after 10 minutes when winger Chris Sutton scored the first of his hat-trick of tries. Although Moor then added to their score at fairly regular intervals before half-time, Blackpool did not make it at all easy and limited them to 3 more tries before the interval; the first by Ben Tumata, converted by Martin Shelley, the second by Shane Stone and the third by Kieran McColl, again converted by Shelley, with the latter adding a penalty to make the score 27-6 to Moor at the break.

Playing with a strong wind at their backs, the Green Lane side were expecting the home team to run out of steam, as so many of their opposition have done this season, but this was not to be. It took 10 minutes before Sutton scored his second try, following a turnover as Blackpool were attacking, which Shelley converted. ‘Pool then had their best period of the game as, for the next 5 minutes, they were camped in the Moor ’22 and only good defensive work kept them out. Eventually this pressure was rewarded when they drove over for an unconverted try following a quickly taken tap penalty on the Moor 5-metre line. The rest of the game became a bit untidy as, at times, Moor over-elaborated and Blackpool threw everything into defence, resulting in a stop-start game. Moor did score 2 further tries in the last quarter. The first was Sutton’s final try, which was perhaps one of the best of the season. He was put away just inside the opposition’s half and a combination of a subtle change of pace and direction enabled him to glide around the advancing defence and he touched down under the posts for an easy conversion by Shelley. It was another 13 minutes before the second and last try was scored, this time by Ivan Smetana, again converted by Shelley, for Moor to win 48-11. Although this was Moor’s highest score of the season, the expected avalanche did not happen and Blackpool will take great heart from their performance.

This Saturday, Moor take a break from league action as they are at Eagle in the second round of the Lancashire Plate competition, k.o. 2:30 pm.

The 2^nd XV continued their recent run of victories as they beat previously undefeated league leaders Stockport 3^rds, 24-12, to keep them in fourth place in the Miller Homes 4 East division.