NORTHWICH completed their first double of the season to ease their relegation worries, at Moss Farm on Sunday.

They now have 10 points and 16 should do. Director of rugby Don Phillips has earmarked South, Warrington and Sandbach as 'must win' games.

The ex-Northwich number eight thinks the team are just starting to play to their potential and considers a win against Vagabonds on the Isle of Man at the weekend far from impossible.

But the end of Saturday's game was soured by the sending off of Australian star Kolo Fifita for landing a retaliatory punch in front of South African referee Athol Sew.

Kolo will now have to await the referee's report before appearing before the Cheshire RFU Disciplinary Panel.

Chris James opened North-wich's account when he cheekily stole the ball from an advancing Wigan player and romped off to score in the left hand corner. Chris Dale failed with the conversion and was also off target with a couple of penalty attempts.

Wigan hit back through a Chris Brand penalty before Northwich stretched their lead when Dave Massey finished off a set of passes to dive over.

Dale missed and handed over the next penalty attempt to Dean Thompson who converted to give his team a deserved 13-3 interval lead.

Things got even better when, early in the second half, Australian prop Nick Blake crashed over to complete a period of pressure. Thompson converted to give Northwich a 20-3 lead.

Wigan scrum-half Danny Baker was inspirational and bossed his pack down to the Northwich try-line not once, but twice, to score nippy individual tries.

Chris Brand converted both to put Wigan right back in the game at 20-17 with five minutes to go. Northwich responded magnificently and bombarded the Wigan 22.

Thompson converted a penalty and Northwich were again pressing when Fifita was sent-off.

Northwich 3rds lost at Sale Amateurs 13-12 (Danny Rawling, Adam Bown tries; Brett Stanley con).

Junior scores: Northwich U14s beat Crewe & Nantwich 51-7 (Dodd 3, Garner 2, Ridgeway, McColm, Jones, Cunniffe tries; Barber and Clancey cons); U13s lost to Crewe 22-5 (Mike Baker try).