Boardman & Eccles put up a good fight for a team that sits at the wrong end of the table, not only did they score the first 2 goals of the game but they would go on to tie the first quarter.
Boardman would take the lead with their first goal coming from man up play, Simpson-Pink had a great finish to tie it up before Boardman scored again on man up again before they scored again to see Wilmslow trail 1-3. Chatterton pulled one back on the crease and got leveled with a hit to the back of the head but shook it off, soon after Eastwood found the net to tie the first quarter 3-3. Although B & E came with a 12 man squad they showed a ton of energy the first period often inspired by the stopping power of Dan Grime in the Boardman goal who had an outstanding game.
Wilmslow started the 2nd quarter slowly but called a time out that light a fire under the squad but Aaron Eastwood put on a real show for his mother Wendy who had come to support. Eastwood scored the next 4 goals on the run, a fitting birthday gift his Mum. Sam Burgess got a nice man up goal on his first team return after injury. Brooks got on the scoresheet with great finish in close, assisted by Simpson-Pink, after a successful Wilmslow ride. A consolation for Boardman saw Wilmslow take the first half 9-4.
The third period was much like the second with Wilmslow furthering their lead with goals from Eastwood, Oscar Mellor scoring in close with a tidy finish while Wilmslow were a man down before bagging himself another then Simpson-Pink would add to his tally. With Wilmslow leading 13-5 going in to the last period it felt like the game was over but Boardman still had some fight in them.
A number of penalties and the B&E keeper eating up a few outside shots as well as a few great 1 on 1's gave the visiting team a late rally and see them tie the quarter 3-3. Goals from Burgess, Eastwood getting his 7th of the game and a second for Chatterton saw Wilmslow finish with a 16-8 win. Great performances by Henry Philips, Alex Robins and Calon Stevens who all received their first selection to 1st team action for the season.
With next Saturdays game being postponed vs Sheffield due to players on International training, Wilmslow will get a a rest week before taking on Cheadle A who last season proved to be one of the few teams to take points from Wilmslow. Over the past decades Cheadle A have proven to be a tough opponent no matter who they have faced and got the better of Wilmslow at last years Junior Flags Final. A tougher more mature Wilmslow team will need to perform at their best in order to take the win.
