Ellesmere Port 12 Manchester Medics 10

ELLESMERE Port produced their ‘best performance of the season’ to win a enthralling top-of-the-table clash at home to previously unbeaten Manchester Medics.

The free-scoring Medics went into Saturday’s showdown on the back of an 117-5 annihilation of Congleton which extended their 100% winning start to the campaign.

But they were unable to topple the second-placed Oilers, whose seventh straight victory moved them within two points of their title rivals at the summit.

Port chairman Paul Watkinson said: “Following a great win at Liverpool University last week, it was our best performance of the season so far.

“It proved that we have the capability to beat any team in this league and the flexibility to change our game plan accordingly.

“The players now can’t wait for our next challenge away at Parkonians on November 17.”

Saturday’s match between the South Lancs/Cheshire Division Three top two nearly did not take place as Manchester’s players were not happy with the condition of the pitch on their arrival at the ground.

The game was eventually switched to another – equally wet and soft, yet slightly less muddy – pitch.

Once the action got under way, it proved to be a thriller from start to finish.

The Medics looked to use their technically excellent backs at every opportunity while the Oilers – who boast the best defensive record in the league – dominated the forward exchanges.

The sides probed for weaknesses in the first 10 minutes and it was the visitors who found the first one to go 7-0 in front with a converted try.

The home team’s game plan then started functioning perfectly as their pack set about demolishing the Manchester forwards and dominating possession.

Several promising Port drives were cut short by infringements and this led to Chris Carbutt kicking his side into a deserved 9-7 half-time lead with a trio of penalties.

The Oilers continued to pound away at the Medics defence in a nail-biting second half.

But the match swung back the way of the championship favourites when, with just five minutes to play, Craig Jones was sin-binned for a technical offence in the ruck.

Down to 14 men, Port fell one point behind in the 77th minute when a penalty sailed through their posts.

But they were not dead yet and in the final minute the ice-cool Carbutt kicked a difficult, high-pressure penalty to settle an absorbing contest.

Scrum-half Paul Edwards was named the Rees Developments man of the match for the Oilers.

Ellesmere Port 2nds suffered a harsh 33-17 defeat at Birchfield 2nds on Saturday.