NORTHWICH were beaten at Burnage by a last-ditch penalty goal.
Blacks led 15-7 early in the second half but the hosts landed three penalties to take a one-point advantage into the final 15 minutes.
Alex Speakman converted another penalty for Northwich but Burnage had the last laugh to seal a 19-18 success.
The contest was as close as had been expected.
It was played at breakneck speed with both sides showing ambition throughout.
For the first 15 minutes the match was a stalemate as both sides struggled to get the upper hand.
It was the visitors who broke the deadlock when a secured lineout enabled Northwich to mount a charge.
Following a sustained period of possession, Thansville Mayman crossed the line to open the scoring and the extras were added by the excellent Speakman.
The response from Burnage was to mount an attack on the visitors’ line and on the 20th minute a half-tackle in the midfield led to a converted try for the home side.
On the half hour Blacks had an attacking scrum and moved the ball wide for Speakman to step inside to score a neat try which he failed to convert.
Within 10 minutes of the restart Northwich extended their lead with a Speakman penalty.
However, over the next 10 minutes Northwich conceded three penalties, the third of which came with a yellow card for Jonathan Knipe and Burnage grabbing a one-point lead.
This set up a frantic conclusion to the match as the visitors reclaimed the lead with another Speakman penalty.
With 80 minutes gone, Burnage mounted an attack and following a good period of control they were given a penalty for an infringement at the ruck.
The kick was successful to leave Northwich with only a losing bonus point for their efforts.
Despite the outcome there was a lot to take from this match.
Man of the match Hurjo Besuidenhout had a solid game along with the whole front row, demonstrating how strong Blacks can be both in the set-piece and around the park
Currently in eighth place on the table, they return to action on Saturday, January 31, at home to Douglas.
