Sefton 33 Winnington Park 13

WINNINGTON Park lost a league game for only the second time this season on Saturday, putting in their poorest performance.

They led inside two minutes when Jack Williams kicked a penalty, but did not score again for more than an hour as their hosts scored a surprise victory.

The visitors spent the remainder of the first half defending feebly, a lacklustre approach punished by opponents who stuck to a game-plan of using their powerful forwards to make ground at the ruck.

Sefton ran in five unanswered tries as Park struggled at the scrum for the first time this term.

Starved of clean ball, their half-backs and runners made unforced errors when they acted in haste.

The visitors did at least rally during the final quarter of an hour.

A blind side break by Lee Allmark and Fraser Lindsay earned a penalty, quickly taken, that led to captain Harry Stubbs crashing over the try line from 10 yards out.

Park returned to the attack to play their best rugby of the game.

Slick handling then fed Lindsay out wide, and he escaped the attention of covering defenders to touch down a second try for the visitors.

By then though the contest had long since been over.

“We’ll need to be a lot better in the weeks ahead,” said Stubbs afterwards.

“One of the biggest positives was seeing Elliot Alston back in the first team squad after a long lay-off through injury.

“He’s not yet at full fitness, but showed the character we know he has to have an impact on the game when he came on.”

Park host in-form Altrincham Kersal, who boast an unblemished results record after 10 successive wins, at Burrows Hill this Saturday.

Kick off is at 2.15pm.

Park Burgess, Evans, Ridgway, Lepniewski, Heale, Dykes, Danny Williams, Stubbs, Johnson, Jack Williams, Lamb, Lindsay, Allmark, Pickering, Heptinstall Replacements Robins, Alston, Cannings Tries Stubbs, Lindsay Pen Jack Williams