WINNINGTON Park can thank their splendid first-half performance for an impressive 33-28 home win over second-placed Bowdon.

Park showed some great attacking rugby in the first period, with great performances across the whole team as they assembled a stunning 33-7 advantage.

But they lost their rhythm after the interval which allowed Bowdon to challenge them to the wire, scoring 21 unanswered points. Right winger James Weeks’ neat cross-field kick set up left winger Roan Cornwell for the opening Park try after two minutes.

Weeks’ ability at putting boot to ball accurately paid off again six minutes later.

His kick got Park into the Bowdon 22-metre area and when the full-back hesitated and let the ball bounce it allowed Benny Elliot to pounce for the second try.

The game was becoming one-sided and on 20 minutes a high tackle earned Park a penalty 10 metres out and brought a yellow card for the guilty Bowdon defender.

From the lineout win, a great maul was created and drove Bowdon over the line where captain Matt Treacy scored the third try on 31 minutes with Elliot adding the extras.

Park were quickly back on the attack and from a five-metre scrum Cameron Flanagan and Charlie Hyde got the ball to Lewis Pickering who cut through the defensive line to earn a try bonus point for 26-0 after 26 minutes.

Bowdon pulled a try back but Park mounted pressure which led to Hyde taking a short ball and crossing. Tries conceded by Park in the 43rd and 56th minutes sandwiched Tom King being shown a yellow card and cut the deficit to 33-21, with the mood beginning to become tense.

On 66 minutes after some sustained pressure from Bowdon in the Park 22 they got over the line from short range with their fourth bonus-point try, which was converted, but it completed the scoring.

The game became a little bit scrappy due to a number of stoppages for injury, with Jake Cornwell going off with a shoulder problem, but Park stood strong in the last minutes of the game.

Winnington: Chris Twigg, Roan Cornwell, Charlie Hyde, Lewis Pickering, James Weeks, Benny Elliot, Cameron Flanagan, Tom King, Jake Cornwell, Ross Morrin, Jarred Lange, Frank Gibbons, Evan Retief, Matt Treacy, Dan Williams, Sam Blears, Richard Hart, Ryan Gibson.