The 2nd XV went into the season in a transitional period, with many new lads stepping up to senior rugby. While always a challenge, this is hugely positive for the club and helps create a sustainable second team. Ashton, however, came into the derby on the back of two early losses, desperate to kick-start their campaign.

Captain Bower was delighted to welcome back Alex Meredith and Paul Lane, whose quality added real strength to the squad. The Mashers also handed a debut to former Ashton junior Keir McGinn. This was especially pleasing for the 2nd XV coach Allen Bower, who takes great pride in seeing former juniors step up into senior rugby.

One criticism of Ashton’s earlier performances was a lack of structure, but this was put to bed early on, with Josh Meredith controlling the game superbly from scrum half. In the opening 15 minutes the home side dominated possession, only for a try to be held up and handling errors in the red zone to leave the scoreline blank.

As the game settled, the points came. First-half tries from George Guerin and Alex Meredith gave Ashton a 10–7 lead at the break. It was a frustrating margin given their control of the ball, but a lead nonetheless, and positives to build on heading into the second half.

The conditions deteriorated after the restart, with stoppages and scrappy play reducing the quality of rugby. Despite this, Ashton’s defence held firm. Excellent link-up from the forwards saw Paul Lane crash over for a decisive try that put the result beyond doubt. The whole squad stood tall—special mention to Dave Shaw, usually one of the quieter characters, who showed real fire late on to help set the tone.

This was an excellent morale-boosting win for a squad that has shown resilience despite a tough start. Dogged defence and flashes of quality rugby proved enough to secure the derby victory

Captain’s Notes

I want to thank everyone for their patience and empathy with reduced minutes in such a large squad, as well as the trust in believing results would come. We may not be flying high in the league just yet, but the morale and potential of this group is at an all-time high. With more lads training and playing, we’ll only get better—and I haven’t enjoyed being part of a squad like this for a long time.

Man of the Match: Alex Meredith