Trentham recorded their first league win of the season with a dramatic 11-10 victory over Ashton-on-Mersey at New Inn Lane on Saturday. The win was as much needed as a reward for the effort and morale of the team as it was for points on the league table that still reads Trentham bottom on minus one point.

Penalties from Sam Bedworth and an unconverted try from Jay Turnock saw Trent over the line. Though great work up front and a typically gritty team performance were the fundamentals of this win

The home side started tidily, receiving the kick off and working up the pitch to earn relatively straightforward penalty for Bedworth to knock over in the opening exchange.

Ashton showed early on their intention to keep the ball tight and build up the pitch. Trentham however stayed disciplined and made the visitors work for their territory. These spells often ended with a penalty for Green and Trentham clearing their lines. Unfortunately a misfiring line out and the back line struggling to find gear meant Trentham were unable to reward their good defence with attacking spells to match.

The home scrum was on song however, and Trent had probably their best chance of the half when they won against the head on their half way and Reece Groom broke at 8 to release the ever dangerous Alex Tremble who burst into the 22. Ashton swarmed to stop the centre who managed to pass out of the tackle meters from the line. The away side desperately held off the Trentham support that eventually lost their momentum with the score begging.

Whilst the general phase play would be pleasing for Trentham, the crucial pass or carry let them down in the first half and prevented them from reaping the rewards their dynamic forwards deserved.

Ashton stuck to their guns and eventually made Trent’s inaccuracy pay. Once again the visitors slowly building up the pitch to bundle over in the corner after a well worked line out. The kick proved too difficult meaning the scores were 3-5 at halftime, and probably a fair reflection.

The second half began with Trentham trying to move the ball around and the forwards once again asked questions of Ashton. John Street was a disappointing casualty with a re-occurrence of his long term knee injury so we wish him a speedy recovery. His exit though meant the return of Phil Stringer completing a remarkable comeback to the first team after a horrific injury, and for the time he was on the pitch you would have never realised he’d been away.

A difficult penalty was missed by Bedworth but soon after the break through Trent needed came.

Ashton’s rush defence, responsible for keeping Trent’s back line quiet in the first half irritated the referee one to many times, and they paid for it with a yellow for constant infringement. Bedworth duly took the 3 points to move Trentham a point up on the score board and a man up on the pitch.

With the wind in their sails Trentham quickly made their advantage count. The forwards sucking the scrambling defenders one way then the overlap appeared the other. The back line finally clicked and the ball moved clinically through hands for Tremble to fix the last man and release Turnock to walk over the line. Ashton didn’t surrender the try under their posts however and Bedworth couldn’t take the extras meaning it was still only a six point game.

Trent continued to probe but Ashton’s ill-discipline once again cost them when Stringer was hit by leading elbow from the ball carrier meaning the visitor saw red with ten minutes to go.

Trentham didn’t quite shut the game out as they would have liked, having difficulty finding the right balance between striking a decisive blow and protecting their winning position. James Cunningham thought he had secured the win after a delightful chip and chase into the 22 but was pulled back to the dismay of the crowd. The visitors threw caution to the wind and were rewarded with two penalties. The first with a few minutes left on the clock twisted in the wind an only just faded away from the target at the last moment. The second, right on the whistle but further from striking distance, was no less dramatic and reflected the Ashton players as it just didn't have enough left in the tank to get them over the line in the end. The game finished 11-10 to Trentham.

Trentham verdict: Result more important than performance, the platform is there to build from.

MOM: Alex Tremble. Involved in all of Trentham’s dangerous attacks including taking a big hit to set up the try.