DUDLEY Kingswinford produced a monumental defensive display when they restricted title chasing Macclesfield to a 26-3 reverse at Heathbrook this week.

The DKs rearguard action was all the more commendable as they spent over half the game with 14 men after flanker Danny Hawkins was dismissed before half-time following a dangerous tackle.

Despite this huge handicap, the DKs continually kept Macclesfield at bay to the point where the Cheshire challengers could only manage a solitary second-half score.

Delighted DKs team manager Mark Holloway claimed: “Macclesfield arrived with the attitude that they were going to put a huge score on the board and they threw everything at us. But our defence was second to none.”

Holloway praised the contribution of joint head coach Pete Knight and added: “Our performance was down to him. He helped the side regroup at half-time and the commitment of the players was there for all to see. They played with heart, enthusiasm and passion. It was easily our best defensive display.”

The DK’s fell behind when Macclesfield No.8 Ryan Parkinson scored out wide following a counter-attack.

Further Macc pressure resulted in a penalty try after the DKs were judged to have brought down a driving maul and fly-half Tom Eaton converted.

Gareth Bown then landed a penalty for DKs before they suffered the blow of losing Hawkins, but his departure only served to galvanise the remaining players.

They were unlucky to fall further behind when Macc’s prolific winger Ed Stobart scored a controversial try which looked to have come from a forward pass, with Eaton converting.

The signs looked ominous at half-time, especially as Macc had the wind at their backs for the second-half.

But it was DKs who came closest to scoring, Bown being hauled down just yards short of the line.

Macc responded with wave upon wave of attacks, but DKs solid blue line stood firm until finally the extra man told when Stobart breached a stretched defence to score his second try which Eaton converted.

The DKs have no fixture this Saturday but then entertain Birmingham and Solihull on March 1st with kick-off time reverting back to 3pm.

The Heathbrook side will be without the services of 18-year-old fullback Ben Brown, who now embarks on a worldwide adventure, ruling him out of the last seven games.