TRAFFORD MV lost 46-26 at Littleborough in the MJ Worsley & Sons Cup.

In very windy conditions, Littleborough won the toss and elected to play up the hill in the first half.

From kick off Trafford set out their intentions and aimed to build pressure inside the opposition 22.

However, missed one-on-one tackles and unforced errors allowed Littleborough to get the ball out wide and score first.

After the restart, Trafford again aimed to build some pressure and after a series of phases and some quick hands, Jamie Kingdon was able to cross over in the corner for his first try of the afternoon.

Trafford were not able to build on this score and, despite having their fair share of possession, looked vulnerable when defending.

Littleborough offloaded the ball well in the tackle and broke the gain line time and again when attacking.

The home team scored the next two tries, leaving MV frustrated at the missed opportunities.

Trafford carried well from the restart and Danny Burke was able to find the gap after a neat pass by Dom West.

With two players still on his back he crashed over to bring Trafford back into the game.

In the second half Trafford had it all to do and knew they would have to take the game to the home side.

But from kick off Littleborough were able to gather their own kick easily and brush off the attempted tackles to score an easy try after 30 seconds.

Trafford responded positively and were able to mount an attack that forced Littleborough into their own half.

Despite some good defence on the Littleborough line, Kingdon was able to force his way over from the base of a ruck.

Trafford again failed to gather from the restart and from the breakdown gave a penalty to Littleborough for coming in at the side.

This was duly kicked with ease, undoing the hard work that had been put in to close the gap.

Trafford again showed promise in attack, but simple mistakes often released the pressure on the opposition.

Eventually, Kingdon was able to cross over for his hat-trick in the left corner.

After taking on his opposite number on the outside, a characteristic fend-off gave him the chance to accelerate into the space and cross the line unopposed.

Littleborough were not yet finished, though, and from a scrum in the Trafford half a simple cut-back inside from the centre was not picked up by the back row and he was able to score to wrap up victory.

Overall, it was a less-than-satisfactory performance from Trafford MV, who at times showed glimpses of what they are capable of but did not show the composure needed finish their chances.

This week will be a big week of training in preparation for the resumption of league rugby at Oldham on Saturday.