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By Sean Field-Lament

The first game at the National Sports Centre saw a resurgent Teachers' team taking on a desperate Police team whose captain Jamie Webb cannot seem to get his team out of the all too familiar mid-season tail spin.

In ideal conditions, on a pristine paddock it was Teachers who came out of the block firing on all cylinders. The Police, despite being buoyed by the presence of Ben Beasley, Matt Smith and Iain Simpson, appear listless and thoroughly disorganized.

A rampant Red pack set the tone early with quick early ball being shot out to their eager back line. The once vaunted Police defense failed to appear and the slick handling and a running from depth of the Reds three quarters soon had the Police in tatters. Stand off Naylor spotted some space outside and a long pass uncorked a grateful Jeff Sangster to score an unconverted try out wide for a first minute 5-0 lead. Chris Naylor added a penalty soon there after to extend his sides lead 8-0 with less then five minutes played. Quick hands, released the ageless wonder Alvin Harvey out wide and the venerable winger made no mistake to dot down in the corner, giving the Teachers an early 15-0 lead.

The reeling Police side recovered momentarily and some strong running by Jamie Billings and Tom Sutcliffe set up a long penalty kick effort by Michael Kane. Kane's howitzer-like leg knocked over the three-pointer to close the gap. Teachers though were in no mood to allow the Police back in the game and in a flash had extended the lead to 19 points when Alvin Harvey finished off an exuberant attack by stepping inside and touching down near the posts for a converted try.

Down 22 to 3, Police endeavoured to recover and managed to string together some passages of play. Jamie Webb was the recipient of a finely weighted Jonathon Cassidy pass which saw the Police captain canter in from 40 yards out. Kane converted to bring the score to 22-10.

Police inexplicably discarded their tight style of play and looked to throw the ball about. This open style suited Teachers far more and just before the half, a slick counter attack, which saw the boys in Red throw the pill around with great abandon, was finished off by Naylor. The converted try gave the Teachers a commanding 29-10 half time lead.

Second half

The second half saw the return of the charismatic Teachers' prop Bryan Desmond and wholesale changes made in the Police side as the holiday excesses and lack of match fitness began to show.

Police strongman Mark Evans began to make some in roads up front and with Ben Beasley winning solid lineout ball the Police began to look competitive. However, time and time again, promising attacks were wasted by the wrong option at the last second or were snuffed out by the ever-present Bobby Hurdle.

In a move that epitomized the Police ineptness and the Teachers sense of adventure- the backbreaking bonus point Teachers try summed up the game. Police flanker Warren Bundy's strong mid field foray was woefully unsupported and the ball was expertly stolen in contact by Hurdle. The quick thinking Porter shot the ball out wide where it went through no less the five pairs of hands - all the Teacher backs touched the ball - coming in at pace and from depth.

A last ditch try saving tackle by Kane went for naught as the ever present Teachers' back row recycled the ball quickly and released Peter Dunlop to score down the short side to finish the game off as a contest. As their league aspirations evaporated in front of them, the Boys in Blue's frustration was palatable with Vice-captain David Bird beginning to throw in some rather dubious late tackles. With the game over as a contest and nothing else to play for, referee Dennis William Dwyer wisely called the game early and avoided any nasty incidents. The win secured Teachers five points and saw them leap-frog Renegades for the league lead.

Mariners 14, Renegades 12

The second game saw Renegades, needing a win to remain top of the league, take on their nemesis Mariners who had beaten them 15-0 in a previous wind swept encounter. In a highly entertaining affair both teams adopted a balanced attack approach.

Up front some epic battles occurred with the Mariners front row edging out their opposite numbers in the tight. In the lineouts Mariners duo of Gary Brady and Dave Rorke showed what hours of training can do. With little other option than Mariners second row Rorke manfully jumping at two, Renegades still could not close down the timing of the throw in despite the best efforts of giant Dave Sidder.

In a see-saw first half both sides showed enterprise and it was Renegades who looked the slightly more dangerous. Several loose kicks were dangerously returned by the Renegades fullback Neil McGuiness and the mercurial Tom Healy, but some truly outstanding tackling by Mariners fullback Alun Thomas denied sure scores.

Seconds before the half, a rapier like run by Renegades' winger John Jackson was stopped short of the line by a shivering Richard Brown tackle. The ball was turned over by flanker Kris Furbert and scrum half Mark Pomeroy released the ball down the blind side. Alun Thomas entered the line with some pace and galloped the length of the pitch for a heart-breaking counter attack try.

The second half started with momentum firmly with Mariners and despite some confusion at the referee's interpretation of the ruck laws they still continued to make in-roads.

After a strong passage of play Richard Holden crashed over for a converted try and a 14-0 lead. Renegades showed their pedigree and never gave up the fight. The ever competitive Healy continued to be a thorn in the Mariners side. New Renegades' outside centre John Ellison, back on vacation from Durham University, also added some sparkle to the event and on several occasions his deceptive dummy pass and side-step had his man grasping for thin air.

Eventually Renegades crossed over when silky standoff Greg Garside spotted an opening and slipped through. McGuiness converted the try. With the game tensely balanced at 14-7, both sides threw everything into the fray. The large partisan crowd down on the sideline roared their respective sides on, in a game taking on epic proportions. Some strong drives by Renegades No 8 Peter Dunkerley and Mariner Jackson set up his second row partner Dave Sidder who powered over from close for his sides second try.

A collective groan went through the Renegades' camp as McGuiness' conversion attempt agonizingly slipped past the outside of the post. Trailing 14-12 with 10 minutes to go, Renegades continued to pound away at the Mariners doorstep and were only thwarted by some heroic defense from a Mariners' side seeking only its second victory of the season. Such was the nature of the game that Renegades' superman Mariner Jackson manfully continued to play on in the dying minutes of the game with an injured leg which was subsequently found to be fractured. Referee Ron Flesch's final blast of the whistle not only ended a fantastic game but also Renegades time at the top of the league table.[[In-content Ad]]

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