Gadd starts new reign with victory
Macclesfield 24
Chester 14
MACCLESFIELD secured a winning start to Marshall Gadd’s reign as head coach with a win in the Cheshire derby. Chester had arrived in buoyant mood following their mud wrestle victory over high-fliers Hinckley last week.
The home side built on their new-found positivity with a maul try, as Blues’ legend Billy Robinson was at the bottom in the eighth minute. Chester enjoyed long spells of possession in the Macclesfield half and took the lead with three points from the boot of James Robins in the 14th minute.
Chester were making more phases, territory and breaks and this eventually told as the Men in Red entered the Blues’ 22 and an offside penalty allowed them to maul for the corner with Alick Croft going over on 31 minutes.
The possession had all but dried up for Macclesfield but when they finally got the ball it came wide and James Hampson snuck into the corner.
That try gave the hosts the momentum in the second half and Lewis Winterbottom scored almost immediately to make it 17-8.
Robins kicked six points to reduce the deficit but the Blues had series of powerful scrums on the Chester line and a penalty try was awarded to seal the five points.
TEAMS
MACCLESFIELD: Lomax, Hampson, Winterbottom, Davenport, Hall, Morton, Townsend, Mantell, Moss, Robinson, Barker, Burden, Twigg, Palmer, Parkinson
Replacements: Nyemba, Poole, Lacey, Parfitt, Allsop
CHESTER: Green, Preston, Foden, Payne, Rees, Robins, Holloway, Campbell, Croft, Hughes, Owen, White, Hyde, Baxter, Joseph
Replacements: Strudwick, Parry, Baston, Reed, Ford
REFEREE: Matt Turvey
ATTENDANCE: 325
Star man
Myles Hall – Macclesfield
