Derby not able to halt unbeaten leaders in home loss

DERBY gave unbeaten Regional 1 North West leaders Anselmians plenty to think about before bowing to a 38-15 home defeat.

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They were back on the artificial pitch, repaired after recent flooding, at Haslams Lane and at one stage the hosts closed the gap to four points as they gunned for an upset.

But Anselmians ultimately showed why they are where they are at the top as they wrapped up an away win after the break.

"I think the boys fronted up physically," said Derby head coach Liam Slatem.

"We had some really good defensive sets and really stuck at it.

"But we probably weren't able to build enough pressure defensively that can force teams into errors.

"We managed to stay in the battle for long periods and that was really pleasing because this season we have probably been less consistent in defending like that for long periods or long phases."