Sleightholme the hat-trick hero as Wanderers smash Sale

Matt Worley dotted down twice, adding to the treble he claimed in the victory against Worcester Cavaliers last Monday night.

James Fish and Will Davis were also on the scoresheet as Sale Jets were sunk 39-7 in the festive fixture two days before Christmas.

The bonus-point win propelled the Wanderers up to second place in the Premiership Rugby Shield Northern Conference.

The home side were quick to get on the scoresheet against Sale, using a driving maul to send hooker Fish over in just the second minute.

James Grayson missed the conversion but the Wanderers were immediately back on the attack, with Worley sliding over for his first score of the day.

Grayson missed again, but there was no escape in open play for Sale as prop Davis was pushed over for the home side's third try of the game.

Grayson got up and running by adding the extras before skipper Charlie Davies did some superb work to set Sleightholme free to score his first of three under the posts.

Sale finally responded and Cameron Redpath broke through the home defence, darting under the posts to score before converting his own try to score his side's only points.

But the Wanderers weren't done with the first half and after working their way back into Sale's 22, they sent the ball wide to a waiting Worley for his second of the afternoon.

After the break, Wanderers waited just four minutes before getting back on the scoreboard as Grayson flung the ball wide for the Sleightholme to finish in the corner.

And the 18-year-old went on to claim his hat-trick as a cross-field kick from Grayson sat perfectly for the wing to put the icing on the cake.

Wanderers: Furbank; Sleightholme (Betteridge 70), Dingwall (Strachan 40), Hutchinson, Worley; Grayson (Gilham 65), Davies (c) (Tupai 53); Davis (Trinder 56), Fish (Ma'asi 23), Painter (Ford-Robinson 50); Moon (Wallace 48), Coles; Onojaife, Ryan, Eadie.