Northwich 36 Glossop 3

‘GET in their faces,’ urged a Glossop voice at kick-off.

Except to do that, you must first be close enough.

The visitors rarely were, and this contest was over before the break thanks to a brilliant first-half showing by Blacks.

They have now won five successive matches, and increasingly look like the only side capable of catching front-running duo West Park and Liverpool St Helens.

Northwich’s latest display yielded six tries, and they were as expansive as the worsening conditions allowed them to be.

Still Glossop, hoping attrition would usurp artistry, had no answer to the slick handling and fleet of foot shown by Sam Naylor, Richard Dale and Joel Barber in particular.

And to think director of rugby Martin Poste was a worried man when he looked at the sodden surface before kick off.

He will have breathed easier when Chris James bolted through an opening in the away team’s defence to score between the posts inside six minutes.

Dale’s task to convert was simple.

Glossop kicked a penalty – their only score of the afternoon – to make it 7-3.

A three-point attempt from Blacks’ fly-half drifted wide shortly afterwards, but he was on the mark when converting his side’s second try after quarter of an hour.

Barber, after gathering a clearance on halfway, scorched into Glossop’s 22 before offloading for Andy Outram to touch down in the corner.

Northwch’s third try was similarly worked, this time Naylor speeding into space after selling a dummy before sending in Barber who had trailed his run.

The full back doubled his personal tally after half an hour, resisting the challenge of two defenders close to the line after collecting Robin Houghton’s pass.

Bonus-point banked, Liam Gavin appeared certain to add a fifth score only for Richard Dale’s assist to escape his grasp.

With a sizeable lead and energy sapped from legs by mud, Northwich were not as rampant after the interval.

Glossop improved too, but nowhere near enough to overturn the deficit.

Instead it was widened by a pair of tries from Blacks’ captain Chris Dale.

He made his way over from Chris Bradshaw’s assist on the hour, ending a move started by Houghton moving the ball back inside.

Five minutes later Dale did the same, this time creeping over close to the left touchline after the hosts recycled the ball during a period of sustained pressure.

Northwich stay third in the standings, eight points adrift of a promotion play-off place.

But they have won six of their past seven matches and have played each of their rivals in the top five.

Northwich Maddocks, James, Grabski, Farley, Bradshaw, Gavin, Heywood, Chris Dale, Poste, Richard Dale, Outram, Houghton, Sam Naylor, Jones, Barber Replacements Cartman, Thompson, Eddie Naylor Tries James, Outram, Barber (2), Chris Dale (2) Cons Richard Dale (3)