Sat 17 Sep 2022, 15:00
Following on from a comfortable win over the Vale of Lune last week Bowdon had a short trip over to Pownall Park where they faced a Wilmslow side looking to kick start their season.
Wilmslow kicked off and attempted to establish their ascendancy, carrying the ball into the heart of the Bowdon defensive lines without making any significant impression or territorial gain. On three minutes the home side found themselves under the posts following a combination of tidy groundwork, fast distribution and the pace and vision of Longworth from fullback as he cut a swathe through the Wilmslow backline. His offload gave Matt Kilcourse the opening try which he duly converted. { 0-7} With Bowdon showing early strong forward domination, man of the match scrum half Lever directed the play with a deft hand. Wilmslow were struggling to contain the rampant Bowdon backline and with the backrow snaffling anything loose the game was only 10 minutes in when young right wing Luke Rink flew in to score in the corner. The excellent Kilcourse conversion making the score 0-14. A number of injuries broke the flow of the game but at 15 minutes number 8 Sam Hayley powered over the line to increase the pressure as Bowdon moved into a 21-point lead. A combination of stoppages, errors and personnel changes through the squad disrupted the visitors flow and Wilmslow took full advantage as they ran in two tries in repost, 10-21. This only served to give Bowdon the nudge they required. With captain Connolly back on the field of play to marshal his troops Bowdon began to impose pressure forcing several penalties which were unfortunately spurned. Swetmans presence was a constant thorn in the side of the Wilmslow backline as he probed and pushed at their defence creating opportunities galore for the expansive backs of Bowdon to test their skills. A further 3 converted tries through Haley, Connolly and the impressive Longworth gave Bowdon a commanding lead at half time. [10-42]
Despite their best efforts at the start of the second half Wilmslow found themselves even further behind despite a score splitting a brace of early tries from Bowdon wings Kilcourse and Harris. The Claymen continuing their onslaught bringing the score to 15- 52 with 15 minutes played. At this point the plucky Wilmslow side rallied admirably as the Bowdon squad eased their foot off the pedal and, in truth, perhaps began to tire, scoring a further three converted tries to bring the final score to 36 – 52 and a comprehensive Bowdon victory.
Bowdon entertain Altrincham Kersal at the Clay this coming Saturday. The kick off for this eagerly anticipated local derby is 3pm.
It promises to be a big one and we all know A.K. will be more than up for this game! 
