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Ashton
Bears crashed out of the Challenge Cup in the third round when they
went down 9-12 to a very strong and determined Roose side. It was
evident from the first skirmishes that it was going to be a tough cup
tie to call with both defences well on top. Ashton seemed to get
stronger as the first half progressed with strong runs from Kevin
Howells and after a period of sustained pressure they were awarded a
penalty wide on the left. The always busy Dave Picton took a quick tap
and the ball was passed along the line to winger Steven Naylor who
still had plenty to do, however he spun through a tackle to score. Even
though there were signs of things to come, Roose making one or two
breaks, it was Ashton who went further ahead when Ben Smith with a
great piece of handling skill plucked the ball out of the air, dummied
inside and sent a pass to winger Paul Murphy who squeezed in at the
corner.
Within fifteen minutes of the restart Roose had drawn level with a
break away try and a penalty. This seemed to lift Ashton and they
started to create a lot of pressure and when man of the match, Stuart
Millett, who had been all over the park, tackling and marshalling the
pack and backs, landed a drop goal, it looked like Ashton had overcome
a tricky tie. However it was Roose who scored right on the final
whistle.
Ashton tries - Steven Naylor, Paul Murphy
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