Billingham 39 Fylde RFC 17: Second-half surrender sees the hosts victorious

Fylde made the long trip for the second time this season after Storm Darragh forced the abandonment of the original fixture seven weeks previously.

Having endured a tough first 20 minutes, Fylde then fought back to lead before fading badly.

Billingham fielded a strong and muscular team, especially up front, as they dominated the first quarter and forced three early penalties.

The last of those saw veteran prop Dan Dixon tap and crash over for an unconverted try on four minutes.

Fylde’s first possession came to nothing and the home team were soon camped in the Fylde 22 again.

Dixon turned up again, this time wider out, to rampage over for his second try on 13 minutes with Peter Evans’ conversion seeing Fylde 12-0 down and under the cosh.

Fylde tackled hard to stem the flow, started to earn some yardage of their own and gradually fought their way into the game.

On the half-hour, with Fylde having a penalty advantage, Patrick Bishop slid through a grubber kick which Cam Smith gathered before swerving around the last man and outpacing the cover to run under the posts from halfway.

Bishop converted before knocking over a penalty five minutes later, leaving Fylde 12-10 down before they took the lead right on half-time.

Billingham had a scrum on Fylde’s line and moved the ball wide, only for winger Ben Turner to intercept and set off.

A hand-off to a chasing winger then completed a length-of-the-field score, which Bishop converted to put Fylde five points ahead at the break.

Half-time saw John Murray come on for his maiden first XV appearance, while Freddie Reader replaced Alex Clayton.

The second half started promisingly for Fylde as Billingham’s Ryan Kirkbride was yellow-carded for a high tackle.

However, they could not take advantage of the extra man before their day quickly started to go wrong.

Bishop took a knock and was subsequently replaced by Tom Forster, meaning a reshuffle in the backline.

Fylde were then reduced to 14 men when, after a series of high tackles of their own when under pressure, Oli Trippier was sent to the naughty step.

Billingham only needed one minute to make it count, as they launched a series of drives that culminated in winger Eldon Myers scoring before Evans’ conversion made it 19-17.

Things went from bad to worse as some porous defence then allowed Joe Scarborough to brush off two tackles and race in from deep, putting Billingham 24-17 ahead.

With Fylde struggling to secure their own lineout ball all day, another error gave Billingham the scrum 20 yards out.

That set piece was also under pressure and, with a penalty advantage being played, Dixon blasted through for his hat-trick try with Evans’ conversion making it 31-17.

Billingham then scored again on 69 minutes through Louie Groak before Evans landed a 77th-minute penalty to rub further salt in Fylde’s wounds.

Billingham: Hopley (Pickering), Scarborough (Lane), Groak, L Wilson, E Myers, Evans, Husband, J Wilson (White), N Myers, Campbell, Burns, Kirkbride, Dixon (Watson/Dixon), Graham, Brown. Unused: Lydiatt.

Fylde RFC: Atherton, Turner, Clayton (Reader), Stott, Smith, Bishop (Forster), Gould, Walton, Quinn (Altham), Ashcroft (Dorrington), Garrod, Morgan, Altham (Murray), Kincart, Trippier (Railton).