Oswestry work out Marple to stay on top
On-song Oswestry preserved their three-point lead at the top of Cheshire South with a crucial 26-10 bonus-point success at Marple.
As well as maintaining pole position from the Manchester Medics, victory also saw the Eagles open up a 10-point advantage over Vagabonds in third.
The Eagles came under early pressure, but opened the scoring when Zac Baldwin and Ivor Hughes chased the ball down the wing, Baldwin picking up and offloading to Hughes who sped over for 5-0.
Marple cut the deficit with a penalty, but Oswestry – despite provocation from the home fans – began to hit their stride.
They scored a second try when giant full-back Luca Owen-Youens made initial ground, before Baldwin darted through.
A good home move brought a converted try to square the match at 10-10 by the interval.
But Owen-Youens caught the second-half kick-off, handed off three opponents and ran over the last to touch down after just 30 seconds' play.
That was 15-10 and Owen-Youens scored from a breakdown near the home line to add a bonus point. Two penalties from the boot of fly-half Fin Grogan wrapped it up.
Meanwhile, naive Newport crumbled in the final quarter to go down 29-11 at Bromsgrove in National League Three Midlands.
They led 11-10 just before the hour at a time when their hosts had a man in the sin bin.
But they then leaked 19 unanswered points to slip into the drop zone – and are now seven points from safety.
Indeed, their best chance of survival may now lie in a rumoured RFU restructuring of the leagues.
A fine score with the last play of the game even produced a bonus point for Bromsgrove, while Newport must now look to Saturday's visit of Hinckley.
In Midlands One West, Whitchurch drew 10-10 at home to Leek while Shrewsbury went down 26-21 at home to Stourbridge Lions in Midlands Two West North.
Ludlow's injury-hit side gave "the performance of our season" to thrash Midlands Three West North league leaders Tamworth 30-7 at home.
Sam Thomas and Jack Lines both crossed the whitewash but again it was Will Sparrow who topped the score-chart.
He ran in two tries and adding a brace of penalties and a couple of conversions to finish with a 20-point haul.
Despite the victory, Ludlow are third behind Tamworth and Newcastle. Three county teams are still in the running for promotion.
Hot on the heels of Ludlow are Cleobury Mortimer, who swamped Burntwood 57-10, while Clee Hill had a walkover against Cannock.
Market Drayton have done it – their first league victory of the season at the 14th attempt.
But it was a nail-biter as they clung on with a big defensive effort to beat Yardley & District 20-19 at home.
Drayton trailed 12-6 at half-time in a nip and tuck Midlands Four West North game which saw the visitors claim two first-half tries.
But it swung in the home side's favour in the second period, when scrum-half Barry Griffiths bagged a brace of tries and they led 20-12.
In the same division, Church Stretton leapfrogged second-bottom Aldridge with a 32-16 home win. The Samurai secured a bonus point in the first half and finished the job after the break.
They rattled in four tries in the first period, debutant centre Will Davies before making the initial break that eventually saw fly-half Ben Doyle over the whitewash.
A tap and go penalty by scrum-half Roan Kirkby caught Aldridge napping for the third and Kirkby added another before the break as Stretton led 20-16.
Davies grabbed his second try and flanker Joe Charles rounded off the scoring.
