STOCKPORT SHOW "GUTS" TO BE CROWNED REFEREE'S TROPHY CHAMPIONS
COMEBACK kings Stockport celebrated sweet success on Sunday with victory over Wilmslow in this season's Referee's Trophy final.
The ambitious Beech Road club clinched a dramatic 12-11 win after this year's closely-fought contest was decided in sudden-death.
Behind for three quarters, Stockport bravely battled back from 9-7 down to level the match by full time.
And then Charlie Cox proved their match-winner with a clinical strike just two minutes into the sudden-death period.
"We didn't play that well against Wilmslow when we played them in the Premier Division the other week, but it was a much better performance this time," Simon Rowlinson, the Stockport coach, said.
"It was a great match, a great advert for lacrosse. We were behind for most of the game, but the players showed a lot of guts to win."
Indeed, behind 3-1 after the first quarter, 5-3 at half-time and then 9-7, it was Wilmslow who were in the driving seat as Stockport struggled to get on top.
But a brilliant fightback in the final quarter, which they won 4-2, deservedly forced a sudden-death play-off in this year's meeting at Styal Road, moved from Wilmslow Road because of a water-logged pitch.
"We were missing six regular players, but the young kids we brought in did a great job," added Rowlinson, who had no objections to the match being playing on Wilmslow's astroturf.
Stockport left out the experienced Paul Fullerton, Chris Bland and Owen Jones, while first-choice keeper Matt Ashton was unavailable due to work commitments.
But Stockport's youngsters, some of whom played in their winning Ted Donnet Trophy Under-19 side recently, kept level heads to triumph.
Joe Singleton and Cox both scored hat-tricks, while Simon McGuigan bagged a brace. Tom Gosnay, Tom Patterson, Greg Rowlinson and first team debutant Tom Kannenberg were also on the scoresheet.
John Mountney top-scored for Wilmslow with a hat-trick, with James Perrin, Mike Jordan and Mark Reynolds on target with two goals each.
Chris Mountney and Dan Green also scored for Wilmslow, this season's European Lacrosse Federation Men's Champions Cup winners, but the visitors clung on for their third piece of silverware of the season. As well as the Ted Donnet Trophy and now the Referee's Trophy, Stockport have also won the Cheshire Sixes title this term.
Result, Sunday 26th October
Men's Northern Referee's Trophy final (game moved from Wacs to Wilmslow): Wilmslow 11 Stockport 12 (in sudden death). Quarter-scores: 3-1, 2-2, 4-4, 2-4. Sudden death: 0-1
