Latchford Albion Giants fell short in their quest to ecure the NWML Division Two title in the Grabd Final at Victoria Park as they went doen 16-32 to Thatto Hedath Crusaders.
In a game which was in the balance until the closing stages it was Thatto who struck first with a converted try in the opening exchanges.
Albion soon hit back when Liam Walker span out of the tackle and managed to ground the ball despite the attention of three defenders.
Liam Sullivan converting and shortly after adding a penalty to nudge the hosts in font.
Thatto regained the lead when Latchford failed to deal with a kick but again the hosts immediately responded, this time Fin Crowe bulldozing over his opposite number to score in the corner.
With half time approaching it the visitors who took the advantage a the break with a late converted try.
Half time Latchford 12 Thatto 16
Albion came out firing in the second half and within three minutes had levelled the scores again. Liam Sullivan’s kick caused havoc in the Thatto defence allowing Ethan Gaffney to pounce.
With the hosts in the ascendancy and Logan Lagar outstanding, there was constant pressure on the Thatto line but crucially they could not get past a well organised defence.
On 55 minutes they were hit with a hammer blow when a high kick was regathered and passed on for Thatto to take the lead for the fourth time.
With the game in the balance both sides went head to head and the next score would be pivotal.
Unfortunately on 73 minutes this came to the visitors who scored out wide to ultimately secure the victory for Thatto.
A further score in the last minute proved harsh on Albion who had been competitive throughout.
After a bruising encounter both sides came together at the end of the game to form a guard of honour for Michael Lagar who was making his final appearance for the club.
