By Chris Randles

Sunlight Thirds travelled to Dogdirt Alley, Oldershaw and narrowly avoiding defeating a grizzled and wily Oldershaw Vets side. Indeed had the referee not borrowed Sir Alex Ferguson's stopwatch and played five minutes of injury time in the second half Sunlight may have held on for an improbable victory.

From kick off it was backs to the wall for Sunlight. An inexperienced pack was manhandled by the hoary Oldershaw forwards and Sunlights talented back line was forced to live on scraps when they weren't tackling everything that moved. Sunlight even found space for a North of England trialist at outside centre, tiddlywinks loss being our gain! Indeed the tackling from one to fifteen was excellent from Sunlight. The ever ebullient Pete McArdle again led by example, charging forward at every opportunity. Heartening to see, especially as he was playing out of position at prop forward. Andy, Rosie and Cosher also worked tirelessly in Sunlights cause, seeking to maximise what little ball the Sunlight pack did win.

Sunlight were very unlucky to go seven nil down on the stroke of half time. A deliberate knock on was missed by the inexperienced referee allowing Oldershaw to score under the posts.

The second half began in the same vein with'Shaw camped on the Sunlight goal line, but an opportunistic Graham Cooke interception and fine follow up work by Snowy, saw James Wooley touchdown, Cooky converting to tie the scores, then quickly adding a penalty to give Sunlight the lead.

For the rest of the second half Sunlight did better as the venerable 'Shaw forwards tired, Gary Marsden especially outstanding in the back row, whilst Kered Duncalfe may have found a new position as emergency scrum half.

Sunlight twice had difficult penalty chances to seal the game, but were left to rue the misses when in the fifth minute of injury time, in an injury free second half, one of the big Oldershaw forwards crashed over from a close range line out. This was especially disappointing considering the Sunlight pack had held two previous attacking and defensive scrums on the five yard line. To add insult to injury 'Shaw converted the try and the ref blew for time almost the moment the restart was taken.

So a loss that was hard to bear for Sunlight, but a stirring performance against a club much higher in the leagues, and against a very experienced set of players who were almost outmatched by the Sunlight youngsters

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By Chris Randles

Port Sunlight Thirds travelled over the water and conspired to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, eventually claiming an unlikely 12 points to 10 victory over a lively Mossley Hill second fifteen. (I scored so obviously a match report was a must).

Facing a side that looked mostly composed of whippet like students Sunlight responded with a fleet back line of its own. John Skarrett controlled the line from ten, with able assistance from the gazelle like trio of Marsden, Randles and Cook.

Mossley Hill started like dervishes and had Sunlight pegged back in their own half. It was, therefore, somewhat against the run of play when Sunlight broke from their own twenty-two through Fly Half Skarrett who threw at least three audacious dummies before flinging the ball out wide. Fortune favoured the brave and with Mossley Hill somehow knocking the ball over their own goal line Dave Wooley dived amongst the boots to claim Sunlights first try.

Two minutes later Sunlight scored for a second time. Again breaking from their own half, winger Snowy pouncing on some bad handling by the Mossley Hill backs to fly hack the ball the length of the pitch. From an attacking scrum John Skarrett again dummied outrageously before popping the ball to inside centre Chris Randles, who trundled over from five yards out, three skinny students hanging off his pie-ridden frame. John Skarrett converting.

Sadly that was it as an attacking force from Sunlight. The quagmire conditions and an unusually recalcitrant performance from the pack, man of the match Pete McArdle apart, saw Sunlight holding on for the next seventy minutes. Indeed for once it was the backs rather than the forwards who won the game. Apart from two brief sorties in to Mossley Hill territory the back line was mostly occupied with tackling wave after wave of Mossley Hill attack.

Mossley Hill finally broke the defence fifteen minutes into the second half crossing in the corner, and with ten minutes left they scored again. Their back row ambling through the Sunlight forwards from a penalty ten yards out. Luckily for Sunlight the Mossley Hill kicker was, as Bill MacLaren would say, shite and Sunlight clung on to achieve a largely undeserved victory.

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By Chris Randles

Saturday 23 September 2000
Old Parkonians IIXV 5 - 35 Port Sunlight IIXV

Sunlight gained revenge for an opening day defeat at the hands of Old Parks and finally achieved their first win of the season, at the fourth time of asking.

With Captain Steve Cropper absent through work commitments it was left to Jeff Ebbrell to ably deputise, and mobilise the team. Though fielding a much smaller pack than Parks, Sunlight could boast a useful set of backs with Taylor, Parry and Leech on the comeback trail, complementing the usual second team slackers Spence, Loyden and Randles.

From the whistle events followed an all too familiar scenario. A poor Sunlight kick off was punted back into their own twenty-two. Parks stole the resultant line out and slick handling allowed their inside centre to barge his way over following slack Sunlight tackling for an unconverted try.

Instead of crumbling at such an early set back as in previous games this merely galvanised the Sunlight pack into action. Led from the front by man of the match Graham Forrester they started to hold their own in the loose, though always up against it in the tight. The ball they did win was enough to allow fly half Parry to use the strong wind to move Sunlight into the Parks twenty-two. Following a period of sustained pressure a quick tap penalty saw Ebbrell dart in from close range, Leech converting.

Sunlight?s confidence grew and the pack started to dominate against their bigger rivals. This gave the backs more space to be creative and late in the second half a well worked scissors move involving Parry, Spence and Randles created the space for McManus to score under the posts, Leech again converting.

Parks tried to hit back but excellent tackling and then strong running from winger Dan Corfe, having his best game ever in a Sunlight jersey, snuffed out the danger.

Half-time came with Sunlight 14 points to 5 in the lead, then a miracle occurred. For the first time ever a strong wind dropped for the opposition. This heartened Sunlight and from the off they sought to run the ball. Their third try was the pick of the match, running from his own twenty-two fullback Leech beat three men before releasing winger Loyden to streak over for his first try in nine months, again converted.

Next another well executed centre move saw Randles gallop half the length of the pitch before sending in the supporting Parry for another converted try.

It was a measure of Sunlight?s dominance that they changed three players and still played with the same fluidity, Jamie, Paul and Dan Taylor coming on for Ged Small, Stewie Loyden and Terry McManus.

With Brian and Sooty outstanding in the pack Sunlight still had time for a final try. More pressure on Parks exerted in turn by Karl Taylor, Chris Randles and Ady Spence finally led to Jeff Ebbrell crashing over for his second, converted try.

The final twenty minutes just about belonged to Old Parks. With the return of the wind they camped in Sunlight?s twenty-two for much of the rest of the game but could find no way to break down the spirited Sunlight resistance.

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By Chris Randles

Saturday 2 September 2000
Port Sunlight 14 - 20 Old Parkonians

A scratch Sunlight 2nd/3rd side combined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the season's opener against Old Parkonians.

Fielding a mixture of youth and experience Sunlight could have been forgiven for approaching the game with a sense of dread, particularly when faced with an predominately veteran Parks side. However youthful enthusiasm more than held its own early on, and Parks went ahead rather against the run of play midway through the first half.

Sunlight took the lead as half time approached. Strong centre play allowed the pack to recycle good second phase ball in front of the Old Parks posts, enabling Ronnie Lee, on for the injured Chris Taylor, to dart over. Young fly half Lee ?? converted.

Sunlight had a lucky escape early in the second half with the Parks winger harshly adjudged to have stepped into touch following a blistering run down the sidelines. Sunlight capitalised on their good fortune when a slick handling across the backs, and a lucky bounce allowed Dan Corfe to retrieve a grubber kick in the Parks twenty-two. His pass freed Chris Randles to crash over in typical tubby fashion, young Lee again converting.

Sadly Sunlight seemed convinced the match was won at this point and sat back. Parks firmly disagreed and with the momentum shifting their way camped in the Sunlight half for most of the rest of the game, managing two unconverted tries and a penalty.

So an opening day defeat for new captain Steve Cropper, but optimism still remains, especially as more players become available and particularly if some of the young lads improve on the promise displayed in this game.