Mowden turn on the style against Beverley

MOWDEN will be hoping that the weather doesn't change in tandem with the clocks because as long as they can play running rugby they will remain leaders of the pack in National Three North.

They went five points clear as Chester suffered their second successive defeat, losing 32-18 at home to Rossendale.

It was exhibition stuff from Mowden midway through the second half, when they ran in three tries in quick succession with the whole team running and handling with panache.

Skipper Junior Fagalilo, the elder statesman of a young side, limped off ten minutes from time and Mowden will want him to stay fit for any muddy battles which might lie ahead.

By reverting to the back row, Fagalilo allowed Andrew Tonkin to start at hooker and the blond battler formed part of a very mobile front row, backed by an athletic second row pairing in Andy Wilson and Tom Schofield.

After falling behind to an early penalty, Beverley competed well for 30 minutes, showing plenty of enterprise of their own. But they only once breached a solid defence, leading to a penalty which reduced the gap to 8-3.

Mowden's one try at that point had been handed to them by a reckless pass when the visitors tried to run out of their 22, resulting in a frantic clearance attempt, which Cameron Mitchell charged down to score.

Mitchell twice hung on when he should have passed, otherwise he and the man inside him, Chris Peace, formed a potent centre pairing.

Ten minutes before half-time Mowden ran a kickable penalty and set up a ruck in the left corner, where scrum half Max Connon sent the unmarked Fagalilo over on the blind side.

Grant Connon added his second penalty for a 16-3 interval lead and any chance of Beverley fighting back with the wind behind them ended ten minutes after the break.

Mowden's right winger, Chris McTurk, launched a counter-attack from his own 22, racing across field to send Mitchell and Matt Lister away up the left wing. Lister was stopped just short, but the ball was quickly recycled for prop Danny Dixon to stroll under the posts.

Ten minutes later came the glut of tries. First good handling up the right, with Wilson and Tonkin prominent, ended with No 8 James Knox scoring from close range.

Then prop Ralph Appleby launched another charge up the right, with Schofield trying to dummy his way over before Tonkin took the scoring pass.

From the restart the ball was moved left, where Mitchell stepped inside and burst 50 metres down the middle before sending Peace over.

A chip by lively flanker Luke Wishnowsky set up the seventh try for Grant Connon, who added his fourth conversion.