In a week where English rugby appeared to have pressed the self destruct button the rank and file went about their business the length and breadth of the country while the dirty washing festooned the clothes lines at HQ.

Of course it is all very disturbing, and highly amusing to some, but the ramifications were not exactly high on the agenda when the second teams of the Vale of Lune and Sandbach faced each other in vile conditions at Powder House Lane in the Raging Bull Cup.

The kick off time was brought forward because even at two o’clock daylight was fading rapidly and there were concerns that the game might have to be abandoned. Long before the final whistle the outside lights on the changing rooms were casting a large apron of illumination onto the pitch.

But it was not just the lack of radiance that had the senses twitching. The howling wind caused a significant drop in temperature and the wind chill factor began to affect prop Josh O’Donnell problems. Now Josh, normally a wing forward, is reinventing himself as a prop, and he is slowly becoming more familiar with the warm and affection that is to be found in the underworld of the front five.

As the replacements came and went during the second half Josh pleaded to be subbed. “I am cold!” he confided to Farny, “Can you sub me?” Now Farny is a considerate guy who looks after his fellow man and unfortunately on this occasion he had to turn down this request in the spirit it was given, but his pleas had not gone unnoticed!

Both teams cocked a snook at the elements to produce a game that oozed passion and endeavour. The hardy, huddled band of bedraggled supporters, including the stout hearted Mrs Antcliffe who stood throughout on the East Terrace, at the final whistle did not rush to the warming embrace of the bar but stood and applauded both sets of players in equal measure, including referee Damian Hamilton who had controlled the game with due diligence, nothing heavy handed, just down to earth common sense.

Driving rain, near gale force gusts of wind and low grey cloud were the ideal conditions for a rumbling forward oriented game, plenty of kicking from the half backs to induce errors and endless rolling mauls and churning scrums.

This was far from the case; the ball was moved wide when the opportunities appeared, but there was nothing suicidal about the passing, as play was moved from side to side. Not exactly a day for threequarters but winger James Curran collected a hat trick, fair enough, because once up to top speed he had an advantage over the defenders who had little time to adjust, on the cloying surface, to his swaying hips.

The forwards were always going to be in with a shout and the front row whirlybird, hooker Alex Morrison scored two tries, and there was one from man of the match, wing forward, Ben Charnley to add to his twenty first birthday celebrations.

Vale shot away to a dramatic start when Curran set off a fifty metre solo slalom, cutting back inside from off his left wing to touch down between the posts, Gareth Price adding the conversion after five minutes.

Sandbach accepted the challenge thrown down by the home side and after a free flowing attack they were rewarded with a successful penalty in the twelfth minute. The Vale came back immediately, pressing the visitors deep in their own twenty two. Sustained forward surges eventually broke through the ramparts in the seventeenth minute with Morrison being awarded a try converted by Price.

Playing into the wind Sandbach had few opportunities to lift the siege and in the twenty seventh minute Charnley went over in the right hand corner for an unconverted try.

On an ever increasing darkening afternoon Curran completed a memorable hat trick that could never have been in the script. After his centres had juggled with the ball he again had speed in abundance to arc round behind the posts, Price converting with eight minutes remaining.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time Curran again obliged after a passage of sublime passing in the middle, Price again converted from in front.

Sandbach trapped the Vale deep in their own territory and with the Cheshire forwards driving hard they registered a converted try in the fifty second minute. Battling into the wind the Vale went further ahead in the fifty eighth minute after their forwards stoked the boilers. “Magic” Morrison led the initial assault which was halted but when a second wave hit Sandbach Morrison could not be dislodged from his surf board and rode the big one from close range, Price converting.

As the game moved into its closing ten minutes the pace dropped, play was disrupted as tired limbs started to seize up, but the commitment remained. Sandbach ended with a flourish, piercing the November gloom with an unconverted try.

But the last word belonged to the Vale with a try in the closing minute. Rhodri Bowen drilled the ball into the dead ball area, replacement Wayne Blyth set off in hot pursuit. These two snapping terriers had only one thing on their minds but it was Blyth, with a sniff of a score beckoning, who nosed in front to ground the ball to collar the try.

In a heart warming team performance the Vale’s half back combination of scrum half Liam Power and stand off Price efficiently controlled the game, and in the pack Morrison worked tirelessly as did all his fellow forwards under the experienced guidance of Lee Farnworth and Matthew Speight who both ensured the pressure gauge did not drop too low at any stage.

In the clubhouse James Curran filled the customary jug and Ben Charnley supped long and hard on a fiendish birthday concoction prepared by his colleagues, although sensibly a door was left ajar in case of a sudden evacuation, which occurred shortly after the first mouthful, but someone had sensibly provided a mop and bucket for such an eventuality.

Ben was in action again in a man of the match face off against Neil Stevens who was nominated B team m-o-t-m. Neil downed his pint the first but by then Ben was pacing himself for a cultural night out in Blackpool, excellent training for the infamous “Barbary Coast” run on Saturday.