NW Intermediate League Three
Macclesfield 3rds 35
Bury 2nds 15
MACCLESFIELD'S third team took centre stage on Saturday and thrilled the Priory Park faithful with a first half haul of five tries.
Bury arrived at Macc with a strong line-up, boosted by a few top grade players in the absence of a first team fixture.
The home side came out of the blocks at a rapid rate and scored two early tries through the evergreen Rob Oliver, and young Ollie Wilcox the flying winger returning from injury.
Dave Phillips added two more tries before half time, and it looked like yet another rout would be on the cards.
Sustained forward pressure gave the Macc backs plenty ball in the latter stages of the half, allowing the home flyers to run hard at the weakening Bury defence. Despite losing Oliver, Cooper and Walker to injury, Macc brought on Rob Davis, Andy 'Fozzie' Foster and Cammy Thomson and continued to dominate the game, leading 25-0 at the break.
But for the opening stages of the second half, Macc went to sleep, allowing a determined Bury side two soft, and one very well-taken try to pull themselves back into the game.
Macc rallied, and the influential Ian Roberts and Giles Cheshire were on hand to extend Macc's lead and keep them flying high at the top of the table.
Tom Masshader was voted man of the match for an all-action display, but Macc know they will have a tougher test on their hands when sixth-placed Waterloo visit Priory Park in a re-arranged fixture this weekend.
