The Blues certainly went into the game as second favourites against a side that is known for having a superb attack and were second highest points scorers in the division. Blackheath sat third in the table before kick-off and presented a tough test for the away side.
The match began as a somewhat cagey affair with both sides trying to make their mark on the game, the breakthrough came when Blackheath kicker Sam Windsor converted a penalty after just two minutes. Macclesfield had opportunities to take advantage but two separate handling errors cost them what could have been vital tries.
Macclesfield settled into an early rhythm playing some attractive rugby and after some intense pressure from the forward line scored their first try of the game after just 13 minutes, though Eaton was unable to add the extras the away side took a slender lead.
Blackheath responded immediately after Macc failed to control the ball from the restart and Kicker Windsor added his second penalty of the game. The Blues had the chances to punish Blackheath but again errors cost them, and also intense pressure from the home side was always an issue.
In the final minutes of the first half Macc scored two decisive tries, the first coming from Tom Eaton after more determined forward play and the second from Alan Marsh, which was all down to a dazzling run from Charlie Mulchrone. At the break Macc led 17-6.
The home side came out in the second half with greater purpose and immediately pegged Macclesfield back with a try from Dave Allen taking the score to 17-11. The home side then conceded a penalty and allowed Eaton to extend Macc’s winning margin to 20-11.
Blackheath continued to apply heavy pressure but the Blues forwards and defensive line stood strong and would not give in. Though Macclesfield again conceded a penalty and were punished by Windsor’s boot, just five minutes later Blackheath added there second try of the game through Dave Allen and Macc were up against it.
The game was now evenly poised and both sides were going for the win, the Blues retained possession of the ball and moved up field, they were calm and composed and great understanding from Eaton and Mulchrone allowed Tom davenport to score what turned out to be a vital try with ten minutes to go.
Though this was not the last action of the game, Macclesfield had full back Ben Coulbeck sin binned and were forced to play out the final minutes of the game with just fourteen men. Intense pressure from the home side saw them run in another try, but Windsor failed to convert. It was now 25-24 with only minutes to play; Windsor twice had the chance to seal a last gasp victory with his boot but missed on both occasions.
The ref signalled the end of what was a thrilling game of rugby and Macclesfield can be very proud of victory that came as a result of superb determination and a fantastic team effort.
The following Cookies are used on this Site. Users who allow all the Cookies will enjoy the best experience and all functionality on the Site will be available to you.
You can choose to disable any of the Cookies by un-ticking the box below but if you do so your experience with the Site is likely to be diminished.
In order to interact with this site.
To help us to measure how users interact with content and pages on the Site so we can make
things better.
To show content from Google Maps.
To show content from YouTube.
To show content from Vimeo.
To share content across multiple platforms.
To view and book events.
To show user avatars and twitter feeds.
To show content from TourMkr.
To interact with Facebook.
To show content from WalkInto.