FOR the third season in a row, Edgeley Park proved to be a happy hunting ground for Worcester Warriors as the men from Sixways battled their way to a Guinness Premiership victory over high-flying Sale Sharks.

The Warriors pack laid the foundations for the impressive success with a dominant performance and the scoreline could have been a lot more flattering for the visitors had fly-half Matthew Jones not had an off-night with the boot.

The stand-off missed four shots at goal, while full-back Chris Pennell was also off target once, but Netani Talei's 52nd-minute score meant Worcester’s kickers did not get punished for their profligacy.

With just two minutes on the clock, Jones put Worcester ahead with a simple penalty, but Sale levelled the scores after 12 minutes through the boot of England outcast Charlie Hodgson.

Full-back Matthew Tait’s booming kick ran through the Warriors’ in-goal area to give the away team a scrum right back on the Sale 22, from which Worcester won a penalty. However, Jones’ kick went wide of the target.

Tongan tighthead Tevita Taumoepeau was hit for collapsing a scrum on the half-hour mark and Hodgson impressively slotted the penalty from just inside his own half to give the hosts the lead for the first time.

But after 37 minutes, a solid Worcester scrum had the Sale pack back-tracking and the visitors were awarded a penalty when the home front row stood up. Fly-half Jones this time made no mistake.

With 52 minutes on the clock, Worcester took the lead with a fine try from Talei. Replacement scrum-half Matt Powell, on for namesake Ryan who was helped off with a leg injury, fed the ball down the line to Sam Tuitupou, whose long pass released the Fijian flanker to gallop over. Jones missed the conversion.

Sale immediately hit back with three points from Hodgson after Worcester infringed at a ruck, but Jones was taken out by a late elbow charge from Cockbain, who was immediately replaced by James Gaskell, and the Warriors stand-off punished his countryman with three points.

It was becoming a familiar tale as the Warriors packed bullied another penalty out of their opponents, but the out-of-sorts Jones missed once more. The former Moseley number 10 made amends straight after though with a successful 40-metre kick.

Ruddock’s men, who defended manfully throughout the match, held firm to see out their second league victory of the season.

Warriors: Latham 9; Pennell 7, Rasmussen 7, Tuitupou 7 (Crichton, 77 mins, 6), Benjamin 6; M Jones 5, R Powell 7 (M Powell, 49 mins, 7); Mullan 9, Fortey 8, Taumoepeau 7, Rawlinson 8, Gillies 7, Talei 8, Sanderson 8, Horstmann 8.

Attendance 7,602.