Crossley Heath dig deep

Daily Mail Under 18 Vase

There's an old saying that defence, more often than not, wins cup ties and that was never more true than in Crossley Heath's 34-20 defeat of Winstanley College that put them into the quarter-finals of the Vase.

Winstanley boasted 70 per cent of the possession but ran up against some determined tackling from the Halifax team, who then took their chances well.

They opened the scoring when slick handling by captain Stewart Hill put Andrew Banham in at the corner. Further tries from Craig Myers and man-of-the-match Navneet Sembi, resulting from a rare period of forward domination, gave the home side a 19-0 half time lead.

Winstanley's powerful pack continued to apply the majority of the pressure and the visitors got back in the game with a try. But Crossleys responded with tries from Jonny Granton and Oliver Gilford to put the game beyond the visitors.