Chester 43 Morley 31
MORLEY were close to staging an upset at Hare Lane on Saturday, when only a stirring second-half fightback saved Chester from defeat.
The two sides are from different ends of the Division Three North table, but rock bottom Morley gave their third-placed hosts a scare.
Injury-hit Chester – with the likes of Josh Leach, Liam McGovern, Noam Devey and skipper Andy Moore all missing – conceded a converted try with barely two minutes on the clock.
A penalty extended the visitors’ lead but Chester hit back with a Sion Rowlands try, converted by Lloyd Hayes.
Morley, however, refused to lie down and went 24-7 up courtesy of a further two tries.
Some individual magic by Hayes saw him ghost under the posts for a converted score before the break, but Chester still went in trailing 24-14 and needing a major improvement for the second half.
They wasted little time in getting back into the game.
Young flanker Lewis Griffiths scampered 30 metres to score in the corner, although Hayes was unable to add the conversion.
Chester’s forwards, led by star man Will Bown, were now in the ascendency and they earned a penalty try just before the hour mark when Morley were penalised for standing up at a scrum.
Hayes’ conversion levelled the scores.
Chester never looked back.
Pat Coy went under the posts, Hayes converting, before Griffith scored his second of the afternoon.
Chester completed their seven-try haul four minutes later when hooker Liam Gill scored, before Morley grabbed a consolation try.
Chester’s next league match is at Lymm a week on Saturday.
