A bumper crowd turned up at North’s Tudor Lodge base in anticipation of a classic game to decide the League Title.

North picked the side from the 20 man squad that had secured a memorable victory at Stockport, with Dave Garvey recovering from a knock he had picked up in that game.

The atmosphere around the ground was tense, and this seemed to spread to the pitch in an opening half which included many unforced errors but few scoring chances from the two leading teams who had scored over 1500 points between them this season.

North could never get any momentum going and conceded countless penalties during the first half for infringements around the ruck. The penalties benefited the visitors but not the game as a spectacle as Sale’s tactic was to use their good kicker and strong line-out to maul their way up the field. Although Sale had territorial, and numerical advantage after North had a player sin-binned after 20 minutes, neither side really threatened. However, Sale were successful with 3 penalties during the half, with only a solitary Scott Danby kick in reply, to lead 9-3 at the break.

Although the high penalty count against North continued, they were a different team in the opening 25 minutes of the half and were camped within the visitors half. Wingers Steve Donoghue and Kyle Howard were looking extremely dangerous, but they were given the ball on too few occasions as the battle up front once again took centre stage. Try-machine Donoghue nearly scored the first try of the game after an excellent run ended over the try line only for an excellent tackle by the Sale full back which prevented the youngster grounding the ball.

Wednesday night’s sensational game had clearly taken its toll on North’s shattered players, combined with the loss of two more players to the sin-bin for infringements around the ruck, and they were unable to keep up the initial momentum of the half. Once again the game descended into a rather dull spectacle. Sale added another penalty to extend their lead to 12-3, and the ball rarely left the middle third of the pitch with both sides continuing to make unforced mistakes. Both sides were finding it difficult to beat their opposite defence, and as the minutes ticked away North’s tired legs were unable to create anything to get back in the game.

North had controlled the opening 25 minutes of the second half, and if they could have added any type of score during this period, the result may have been different. Sale were comfortable for the last 10 minutes and recorded a 12-3 victory which tied up the league title.

The large crowd appreciated the effort North’s players had put into the game, and the season as a whole, and gave them a rousing reception as they left the field.

North Captain Gary Pugh said “All credit to Sale, they were strong favourites to win the league at the start of the season, and are a good side. We have had a fantastic time this season, and the team spirit we have created has made it one of the most enjoyable of my career. We have had two teams out every week, and on certain weeks three North Manchester sides have taken to the field, their have been extensive renovations to the club and these will continue, and we have even started a youth section with our under 12’s side who will have regular fixtures next season. This club is growing, and it is a great place to play rugby. Our aim for next season will be to go for promotion once again, and increase our playing numbers even further. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters and our main sponsor ETC Communications for all their support over the season”.