A thoroughly entertaining game in the North West saw Mowden clinch a bonus point victory in Round 21. Garry Law’s side ran in 4 tries on a blustery day at Park Lane, with Johnson’s late penalty securing maximum points despite DMP being reduced to 12 men in the closing stages.

Playing with the wind in the first half, the pressure was on Mowden to start strongly. It was the hosts who opened the scoring though, with number 8 Tom Ailes galloping over after an offload in the Mowden 22. Mowden hit straight back, with Yaree Fantini dotting down and Johnson’s conversion edging his side in front. It was a somewhat chaotic first half with errors from both sides, and Sedgley regained the lead after Mowden failed to exit their 22 with Will Bradley powering over from a driving maul. Former DMP fly half Warren Seals then intercepted in midfield and ran the length to extend the hosts’ lead to 12 after just 20 minutes. Just as the game looked like it might be getting away from Mowden, they hit back within minutes of the restart. A 50-22 from Josh Ree set the platform, with Ollie Fletcher crashing over a few phases later. A long range penalty from Johnson reduced the gap to 2, before a decisive score on the eve of half time. With time up in the first 40, a Sedgley lineout was stolen by Oscar Usher before a jinking run and chip ahead from Callum Pascoe was finished by Adam Scott. The conversion saw Mowden take a 19-24 lead into the break.

That lead was soon wiped out, with Andy Riley managing to squeeze over in the corner for the hosts to level the scores. Playing against the wind, Mowden managed the game well and regained the lead just before the hour mark when Johnson broke clear and found Charlie Smith, before Ben Frankland burrowed over 2 phases later. Sedgley piled on the pressure, but key lineout steals from Craggs, Usher and Scott denied a series of 5m lineouts to frustrate the hosts. The pressure eventually led to Mowden being reduced to 14 men on 68 minutes when Charlie Smith was shown yellow for a maul infringement. DMP’s task got tougher seconds later when Fantini was sin binned for not retreating 10, and Sedgley eventually took advantage when Austin Downham crashed over between the posts. Warren Seals’ conversion levelled the scores heading into the final 5 minutes. A chip and chase from Johnson almost put Mowden ahead, but again they were reduced in numbers when Alfie Barron was shown yellow at the resulting scrum. With 2 minutes left on the clock Sedgley were awarded a penalty 35m out, with Seals’ attempt drifting wide. Just as it looked like Mowden had seen out a hard fought draw and with time in the red, there was another twist as DMP ran it from deep with a flowing move ending in Sedgley being penalised for not rolling away on the touchline. Up stepped Johnson with the final kick of the game, sending the penalty straight through the posts into a howling wind to seal an unlikely late victory.

Johnson was given Man of the Match honours after a brilliant individual display, but credit must go to the entire team for a remarkable defensive performance late on with 3 men in the bin.

Sedgley Park now face Sale FC in a local derby in Round 22, while Mowden return to the Arena to face Rosslyn Park. Tickets for Saturday’s game are available to buy online by clicking here.