Haydock 7 Waterhead 4 HAYDOCK were made to battle all the way for victory against last year's champions.
And super tackling was the key to victory. But Waterhead made the perfect start when a kick through led to them scoring in the corner.
Haydock found it hard to get into the game, but they didn't make it easy for themselves with a number of basic errors.
But it was from a Waterhead mistake that Haydock hit back. A big hit by Fearnley forced the ball out of a tackle and stand-off Anders swooped on it and raced 80 metres for a fine try.
Ireland added the extras.
Good passing by Haydock produced another scoring chance, but the final chance went astray, leaving it 6-4 at the break.
The only point of the second half came when Darren Anders kicked a 58th minute drop goal.
For the last 20 minutes Waterhead enjoyed the bulk of possession, but the Haydock defence stood firm, with full-back Tither a tower of strength under the bomb and Lowe and Dolan working tirelessly.
Best for Haydock were Dolan, Lowe, Anders, Fenney, Wade and O'Garra.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article