Pennine League Championship Division: Stainland Stags 8 Queensbury 26

SECOND-row forward Jack Evison posted two tries as Queensbury moved up to fifth.

Despite the game kicking off 15 minutes late due to the referee getting lost, Bury started the encounter with a series of solid sets.

Sustained pressure on the Stainland line led to a sweeping move that sent second-row forward Luke Cheney in at the corner, leaving wingman Scott Swann to slot over the extras from the touchline.

The Stags responded strongly, using the huge slope in their favour, but the miserly Bury defence, which is currently only conceding an average of eight points a game, held firm.

And, after they established good field position, Bury produced a well-rehearsed move to put wingman Danny Sykes sprinting over the whitewash for a 10-0 lead.

Stainland continued to be thwarted and tried every trick in the book to break the visitors' ranks, but it was to no avail and, just minutes before the half-time hooter, Evison powered his way to the chalk to allow his side to change ends at 14-0 up.

Bury, now with the benefit of the conditions, took their foot off the gas on the restart and allowed complacency and a lack of discipline into their play, which the Stags took full advantage of to notch their first points on the board with an unconverted touchdown after back-to-back penalties marched them up the field.

Against the run of play, the home side deployed their kick-and-chase tactics successfully, and once more breached the defence to add another four points.

However, this stung Bury into returning to the game-plan, and they knuckled down to quicken the tempo.

The Halifax outfit were reduced in numbers when prop forward Paul Davies was sent off for a blatant elbow on his opposite number Sam Cheney, who was forced to leave the fray, and Bury centre Ash Ryan took full advantage of the extra man to sprint over.

Evison claimed his brace when he smashed through the defence, and Swann added his third conversion.

Sam Cheney was rewarded with the man of the match award for his barnstorming display, and a contented Bury were left to reflect on a solid victory on a difficult surface that bodes well for their assault on the leading pack in the weeks to come.