Alnwick 43 - Wirral 35

DESPITE the long journey, Wirral with a depleted side put in a tremendous performance in a game where the lead changed hands eight times, the final result was in doubt until the final whistle.

There was a strong wind which made play difficult and it was Wirral who had first advantage with the wind and after eight minutes had opened a 0-10 lead but within seven minutes Alnwick had hit back with two converted tries to take the lead 14-10.

By half-time, Wirral were leading 19-20 and this lead was not thought to be enough given the wind advantage to the home side in the second half.

However it was Wirral who increased their lead with a second try by Chris Crowley before Alnwick's lively scrum half ran in for two tries in the space of two minutes, which gave the home side a 33-30 before Wirral hit back with their fifth try through Tom Cole.

However, this was not enough as a further penalty and a try with the last play of the game sealed the win for Alnwick and thus denied Wirral a losing bonus point.

Given the number of young players in the team this was a spirited performance by the Wirral team and augurs well for the future.