The season's end looks like coming all too soon for Moseley. While the summer recess seemed set to bring welcome relief for director of rugby John Beale and his coaches

last month, they now look to have found the secret to unlocking stubborn defences.

Moseley swept aside visitors Launceston last week and produced another impressive display as freescoring Manchester were held at bay by some determined defence; the forwards, meanwhile, provided the perfect platform for a four-try haul, enough to secure the bonus point.

Beale said: "I would say that was our best away performance of the season. Manchester are possibly the best

attacking side in the league and we defended very well against them, creating some good chances of our own.

"We have done well to get a bonus point up here; the last time we came, two years ago, we were hammered by over 50 points with a lot of the same lads in the side.

"They are a very attackminded team with three excellent line-breakers and the league's leading try scorer in [Lucas] Onyango. Our game plan was to shut them down and they were always under pressure."

It was Manchester who drew first blood with a Matt Leyden penalty on 11 minutes but that was the only time the Cheshire club managed to trouble the scorer in a first half totally dominated by the visitors.

Andy Gray and Mark Evans had early chances before Ollie Thomas finally posted the first points with back-to-back penalties.

The sharp-shooting Thomas just missed out with a dropped-goal attempt but Moseley maintained their momentum with a Nathan

Bressington try and a Paul Coles score, the latter following a mighty 30-metre driving maul.

With a successful Thomas dropped goal giving his side a half-time 19-3 lead, there seemed no way back for Manchester.

The rain clouds finally abated at the start of the second period but the outlook remained bleak for the home side as Thomas dived over to score Moseley's third try, the fly-half capitalising on some dreadful handling from the hosts.

New Zealander Isaac Richmond gave Manchester a glimmer of hope with a breakaway try but it was the visitors who finished the game on a high thanks to a score from skipper Andy Binns.

The points were in the bag, the bonus added for good measure and Beale selected No 8 Evans for his matchwinning display.

"If I was to pick out a man of the match, it would have to be Mark Evans," the director of rugby said. "Not only did he get through a great amount of tackling, but he also had two

or three runs with the ball and absolutely dominated their throw, where we stole at least half-a-dozen balls."

Waterloo are their next opponents, at Bournbrook in two weeks' time, before Moseley bring the season to a close with a trip to Doncaster at the end of the month.

MANCHESTER: Wilson; Onyango, Dalton (Foley, 71), Richmond, Wood; Leyden, Bramhall; Latham (Wareham, 80), Armstrong (Hulme, 71), Flynn, Marsh, Rawlings, Newton (Corbett 80), Martin, Owen.

MOSELEY: Binns; N Bressington, Gray (A Bressington, 80), Holder, Aston; Thomas, Taylor; Coles, Caves, Buxton, Hallman, Stott, Daniell, McIntosh, Evans (Southern, 73). Replacements: Low, Samra.

Referee: T Miller.