Wallasey 8 Ashton 5

ASHTON on Mersey remain precariously placed in the South Lancs/Cheshire One after falling to the narrowest of defeats at Wallasey.

The visitors just edged possession in the opening quarter despite an inconsistent lineout and some penetrative running from Wallasey.

Winger Mark Bresland saved the visitors with one run from the Ashton five-yard line and fullback Darren Moroney turned defence into attack with a huge kick from which forward Mike Wain picked up the scraps to gain another 20 yards.

Ashton forced a penalty to yield a pushover try from Tim Hinsley at the corner lineout. But Ashton had never dominated and after the break lost the edge in possession and handling.

Wallasey were faster on the wings and looked dangerous whenever the ball was in the open.

A clever ground kick from the home side five yards parallel to touch was not cleared to touch and found the opposition fullback who quickly switched play to the opposite wing.

Ashton could not cover the threat in time, enabling Wallasey to win a series of rucks bringing them a try. A good 10-minute spell from the home side brought them another three points.

Belatedly Ashton started to take advantage of their power in the set scrums to win a penalty. However, spurning this chance Ashton, despite some good runs from the backline, had left it too late to level the game.