Southport suffered defeat in the first round of the Brian Leigh Lancashire Trophy against a slick, organised and dangerous Didsbury side, whose powerful and electric backline caused problems throughout the afternoon.

The hosts raced into a 19–0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes, but Southport responded strongly. Tries in quick succession from Joe Topping and Nathaniel Barkowski Martins, both converted by Jake Mann, brought the score back to 19–14.

Southport had grown into the contest and were beginning to dominate through the forward pack, but a cruel blow came with the final play of the half as Didsbury collected a kick and broke through to score, giving the hosts a 24–14 advantage at the interval.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Southport continued to compete strongly up front, but Didsbury’s pace and quality in the backs proved decisive, with three further tries extending their advantage to 43–14.

Southport refused to go quietly, though, and Joe Topping grabbed his second of the afternoon with an interception try from around 30 metres out, again converted by Mann, to make it 43–21.

There was another sting in the tail on the final play. With Southport attacking just five metres from the Didsbury line, a wide pass was intercepted and returned the length of the field for the final score of the afternoon, sealing a 50–21 victory for Didsbury.

Despite the result, it was a valiant performance from Southport in what was both their first competitive fixture and first full game of the season, against a physical, well-drilled and pacey Didsbury side who enjoyed an excellent campaign last season.

Southport now turn their attention to the opening league game of the season, when they welcome Eccles to Waterloo Road on Saturday 26 September, with a 3:00pm kick-off.