Percy Park have rightful claims to be strong match-finishers, and with Stockport’s recent form showing the opposite, it was surely time for Stockport to start well and finish better.

The set-piece power of the Stockport pack was evident from the first scrum, as the entire pack surged forward as one on the Percy Park put-in, driving them backwards ensuring clean scrum pick-up was virtually impossible. The pack displayed their driving maul skills, occasionally causing Percy Park to react desperately, rewarded by penalties converted to either points or field-position. Defensively, Stockport repulsed all Percy Park forays into their 22.

It was the welcome return of scrum half Will Batterbury from injury which was instrumental in what turned out to be a display of winger talent not seen at Stockport for some time, with Batterbury acting as the link forging the connection between forwards and backs, either at the base of the scrum or when under pressure at the lineout. This link resulted in four fine tries, enabling the wingers Cantwell and Hall each to be credited with a brace of impressive tries.

The finest of these tries came late in the second half, as Cantwell flew off his right wing, to create the overlap on the left, for Hall to jink infield and thunder through to score a well-earned try between the posts. Heartbreaking though this may have been for Percy Park, Stockport had not yet finished - when a breakaway burst on Stockport’s 5 metre line by second row Chris Roddy, ably supported with a powerful run by hooker Paul Milea, brought winger Joe Cantwell steaming through to score a try created by the forwards and finished by the backs - a fine team performance as any seen at Headlands Road .

Kicker Mark Edwards added to Stockport’s strong points tally by consistently topping up the points difference with 2 successful penalty kicks and 4 try conversions, with only one kick falling wide of the post.

The referee, Dave Charlton, had a fine game and executed sufficient control of the players, requiring not a single coloured card to be brandished. This game represented a solid step for Stockport, in their determined effort to answer any perception that may exist in their attitude to authority. They should be commended for a fine display of rugby, where their skills and talent clearly demonstrated they have the ability to win – and win well.