THERE was disappointment for Sure-sponsored Vagabonds in South Lancashire Cheshire Division Two on Saturday when they could only manage a losing bonus point away at Moore.
Skipper Mark Howarth had to relegate himself to the subs bench after pulling a hamstring in the warm-up, with Stephen Mercer stepping-in and centre Mark McGreal taking the captaincy.
It was a sluggish start for Vagabonds, and Moore were better adapted to their small home pitch, as despite having territory and possession, wide attacks ran out of space, kicks went too long and handling errors crept in.
Twenty minutes in, Vagas paid for a lapse in defensive concentration, when Moore no10 Lewis Johnson took advantage of a five-on-two to score and convert his own try.
Jonny Beckley added a penalty to keep a frustrated Vagas side in touch going into half-time, and the visitors resolved to cut the errors in the second period and start to pull away. But an early penalty from Johnson and a sin-binning for Mercer stalled the comeback.
McGreal knuckled down to lead the charge and powered over from a tap penalty with Beckley converting to even the scores.
Injuries, frustration and half a can of Deep Heat were enough to bring Howarth on for the final 20, and with a dominant scrum and Moore suffering their own yellow, the game was there for the taking.
But it was the home team that took the initiative when wing Michael Sweeney sneaked over in the corner, and centre Steven Taylor added a penalty to give Moore an 18-10 lead.
Vagabonds finally made the pressure in the scrum count with a five-metre drive over the try line, finished off by Howarth, and Beckley converted to bring the visitors to within a point, but Moore clung on until the final whistle.
Positives included fine scavenging performances from flankers Ross Pulman and Jamie Cooke, and winger Sam Liver adapting well to full back in both defence and attack to give team selectors new options in the back three before this week’s derby with Ramsey at Ballafletcher.