Chorley blasted by the Heath

DAVE HADFIELD

Chorley 12 Thatto Heath 27

One side from St Helens tasted Cup glory this weekend as Thatto Heath became only the third amateur club to knock professional opposition out of the Silk Cut Challenge Cup.

The team from the part of town best known for producing Alex Murphy outplayed Chorley to ensure that they will be in the hat for this evening's draw, with the chance of a fourth-round tie against their mighty neighbours or any of the other big guns.

Their winger Ray Waring was the man who set them on their way. Although renowned for his long-distance tries, his first-half hat-trick came from close-range opportunism after Chorley had failed to cope with a variety of clever kicks.

All the home side could manage by way of response was a brace of goals from Mike Smith, and when the veteran ex professional, Norman Barrow, put Heath further ahead with a drop goal after the break, the amateurs were firmly in control.

Mark Pilkington went over and although Chorley briefly threatened to fight back with tries from Ian Marsh and Billy Danawe, Heath were in no mood to follow the St Helens fashion for honourable defeat.

Mark Cook, who was voted man of the match, added two late penalties to his three goals to complete a bitter-sweet afternoon for the Chorley captain, Chris Honey. Formerly a Thatto Heath stalwart, he remains heavily involved there to the extent that he surely became the first chairman ever to be knocked out of the Challenge Cup by his own club.

Chorley: Clayton (Bramwell, h-t); M Smith, Stewart, Holden (N Briscoe, 55), Marsh; Fell, Parker; C Briscoe, Ruane, Barr, Danawe, Honey, Bimson.

Thatto Heath: Donaghue; Pilkington, Gannon, Ford, Waring; Cook, Hughes; Ashurst, L Smith, (Waterworth, 80) Mitchell (Horton, 75), Moran, Barrow, Harris.

Referee: P Grimshaw (Manchester).