Baildon closing in on Goole

Baildon were in no mood to give up their unbeaten run in a rugged and very physical examination of their character at Jenny Lane on Saturday. In the end it was Baildon's forward dominance that proved the difference between the two teams with 2nd row Tom Crane crashing over on15 minutes after a powerful surge by his pack and No.8 Alistair Beaumont scoring a similar try deep into 2nd half injury time that sealed a 7th consecutive win to keep them in third place in Yorkshire 3, just one point behind 2nd placed Goole.

Having experimented with their pack several times this season Baildon appear to have got the formula right with a young and powerful front row- man-of-the-match hooker Tom Craven putting in a vintage display, ably assisted by his front row colleagues Pete Lowth who has returned to the club after a short absence and ever-improving ex-colt powerhouse Guy Price who has also returned to the club after a short spell at Otley. It was their pack's mixture of youth and experience with evergreen lock Andy Pollard and ex-Captain Phil Wilson providing control and stability in the middle which demonstrated that Baildon not only have good backs but also posses the armoury to "tough it out" in the forwards when necessary.

The win however did come at a cost, with stand-off Steve Wilson (knee) being replaced early on and try-scorer Tom Crane being stretchered off late in the game with a suspected broken leg.

Baildon play Aireborough at Jenny Lane next week (2:15 KO) in what promises to be a very interesting local derby.