High-flying Whitchurch set their sights on finishing the first half of the season unbeaten when they head to Staffordshire on Saturday to take on Newcastle.

The Reds have swept all before them so far this term, winning all nine outings in the Midlands Two West (North) to open up a seven-point lead at the top.

With the team also winning five cup outings to progress to the regional semi-finals of the RFU Intermediate Cup, the first half of the campaign could hardly have gone much better.

Like the rest of the division, the Reds were left kicking their heels last weekend as their encounter against Walsall was postponed with the Edgeley Park pitch under a thick blanket of snow and frost.

Although no action on the pitch, the club still held their vice presidents day which was well attended by supporters and players.

After a weekend off, Whitchurch now focus on the last game of the year away to third bottom Newcastle on Saturday as they look to finish 2017 in style.

“If we can get to the end of the year unbeaten with 10 league wins it will be a fantastic achievement,” said coach Scott Sturdy.

“We’ve also won five in the cup and were unbeaten in pre-season, so you can’t ask for a lot more.

“But we’ve got another tough game on Saturday, like they all are.

“When you are top of the table, everyone wants to beat you. It’s their cup final, they raise their game, and it will be the same at Newcastle.

“So far, we have found ways to win in tight situations, and we’ll be looking to do that again.”

He added: “There’s still a long way to go, and we’ve got a difficult January coming up,

“We were very keen to play last Saturday, but there was no chance with the snow we had on the Friday and then the frost overnight.

“With us being in two cup competitions, it means that we we will have a lot of fixtures to play later in the season, but it is what it is.”

The Reds will be hoping the cold weather will relent to allow training on the pitch this week as they prepare for their trip to Staffordshire.

Although they still have some long term injuries, the Edgeley Park side can go into the encounter with a strong squad as they look to maintain their winning ways,

After their Christmas break, Whitchurch start the New Year with a tricky trip to Old Saltleians on Saturday, January 6.

The following week, they welcome old rivals Crewe and Nantwich before hosting Nottinghamshire side Newark in the Midlands semi-final of the RFU Intermediate Cup on January 20

Whitchurch Seconds, who had no action in the Sale Sharks North West League division two (south), will hope to end a losing streak when they visit Winnington Park Seconds on Saturday.

As they battle to escape the basement places of the North West division four (south), Whitchurch Thirds host second placed Lymm Fourths on Saturday.

Last weekend’s trip to Knutsford was postponed because of the snow.