FOR now at least, Northwich need only worry about winning.
Martin Poste had called beforehand for Moss Farm to remain a fortress, and his side duly delivered a sixth home league win of the season.
They collected a bonus-point too.
Both meetings with Burnage have been bruising, and Blacks have had to be persistent to break through a resolute defence.
They found that difficult during the opening stages on Saturday, although their attacks lacked precision.
Instead a moment of ingenuity from captain Matthew Poste helped them break through when he tapped a penalty before darting through a gap to score.
Nick Baldwin couldn’t convert though.
An intense battle resumed, and Burnage put points on the board from a penalty after half an hour.
They followed that with a close-range assault, following an attacking lineout, that yielded a try on 37 minutes.
Northwich responded, and Bud Skinkis finished stylishly at the end of a multi-phase move.
He repeated the trick to establish a 15-8 interval lead, this time following neat play by Baldwin who delivered a long pass to the wing.
There was a single score in the second-half, which was controlled by Martin Balshaw, Jonny English and Richard Dale in the home team’s back-row.
And they put the contest further from Burnage’s reach with a try on 58 minutes.
Baldwin kicked cross-field for Will Du Randt, who charged for the line.
A defender held him up, but Joel Barber was on hand to squeeze over in the corner.
Baldwin’s extras followed, coincidentally from a more difficult position compared to previous failed attempts, to complete the scoring.
Northwich managed the game from that moment on, although their guests remained solid.
A trip to in-form Blackburn, victors in nine of their past 10 North One West matches, follows on Saturday, kick-off 2.15pm.
Northwich | Hulbert, Lapniewski, Thompson, Farley, Heywood, English, Balshaw, Richard Dale, Poste, Baldwin, Skinkis, Reilly, Underhill, Du Randt, Barber Replacements Fray, Lindsay, Dudley Tries Poste, Skinkis (2), Barber Con Baldwin
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