Wisbech Wildcats ran out 67-24 winners over March Bears in the first leg of the resurrected Jack Arch Cup.

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

The Bear opened the scoring with a well-worked try, but Wisbech hit back through Will Lankfer’s try under the posts.

The teams continued to trade points for the rest of the first half, with Wildcats just about holding the edge as 17-year-olds Zac Lakey and Rhys Dyer combiend well to make incisive breaks.

The difference between the two sides came down to the strength of Wisbech’s bench in the second half, as the physical nature of the match led to injuries on both sides.

But a depleted March were unable to bring substitutes on and Wisbech applied pressure, scoring a number of tries through Sam Anderson, Joe England, Nattachit Hunt, Raimondas Vinksna, Jamie Parsons, Lakey and Wisbech Round Table man of the match Dyer.

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

*Wisbech under-11s showed dogged determination and physical presence to earn four wins and a draw at the Cambridgeshire County Tournament.

A close game against Huntingdon set them on their way, while Thorney proved a stronger team than normal and made the Wisbech youngsters push themselves more than they would have normally.

Peterborough provided the next test but Wisbech kept the play simple, using quick hands and continually moving the defensive line forward to put them under pressure and force mistakes.

A large Ely squad gave Wisbech, who had only one replacement, their biggest challenge of the day but they came from behind to win after showing lots of courage.

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

Having camped in Ely’s half for long spells, without breaking through, they saw Jemima Mitchell show a clean set of heels and Rose Smith score in the last minute.

Royston were the final opponents of the day and Wisbech produced one last effort to maintain their unbeaten record as both teams played exceptionally well with hard tackles and good skill levels evident in a draw.

Coach Markus Hall said: “The performance was long overdue. The coaches knew the potential was there, as did the mums and dads.

“The team showed strength, teamwork, support and above all their friendships came to the front as they didn’t want to let each other down. Now let’s keep it going.”

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)

Cambs Times: Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter)Action from the match between Wisbech Wildcats and March (pic Ian Carter) (Image: Archant)