CONFIRMED as champions and promotion secured, Northwich show no sign of stopping yet.

A starting line-up including four changes from the previous Saturday, and with others switching position to cover absences, Blacks were unsurprisingly slow to get going at Wigan.

Indeed, they trailed inside five minutes when the hosts ended a spell of pressure by touching down out wide.

A response arrived after quarter of an hour.

After a kick was charged down following a Wigan scrum, Robin Houghton collected the ball to claim a fine solo score.

Nick Baldwin converted, and the visitors led for the remainder of a competitive contest.

He slotted a penalty on 30 minutes to make it 10-5, then Gavin Vaughan added his name to the scorecard after chasing his own hack forward and keeping calm to cross the whitewash.
Baldwin added the extras, just as he did after Anthony Davies forced his way over following Dave Farley’s charge forward.

Northwich scored four tries after the interval, the first on 47 minutes when Richard Dale went over.

Sam Naylor’s burst was the highlight of a move that ended with Baldwin’s superb pass to the full-back.

It was John Harrison’s turn to score next, dotting down in the corner after scrum-half Matthew Poste had kicked neatly his way.

Two further scores arrived in the game’s final five minutes.

Houghton claimed the first, then Dale doubled his personal tally, converted by Baldwin to add gloss to a 20th successive league victory.

It leaves Northwich 15 points clear at the South Lancs/Cheshire Division One summit.

Second-placed West Park visit Moss Farm next weekend for the final fixture on President’s Day, kick off 3pm.

Northwich | Maddocks, Vaughan, Michael Bradshaw, Farley, Smith, Heywood, James, Collins, Poste, Baldwin, Davies, Naylor, Houghton, Harrison, Richard Dale Replacements Cartman, Lloyd, Grabski Tries Houghton (2), Vaughan, Davies, Richard Dale (2), Harrison Cons Baldwin (4) Pen Baldwin

Additional reporting by Steve Wood