York maintained their winning run and increased the gap in the league between themselves in third and the chasing pack. Bridlington visited Clifton Park after a good win last week against Yarnbury and having beaten their hosts in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

In a stiff breeze but dry conditions, York started the brighter and from the kick off were able to string phases of play together and control possession. Following a good kick through from fly half Britland, York were able to launch their first significant attack in to the Brid 22, a strong run by fully back Davis resulted in a penalty to York which Davis himself converted. 3 – 0 York.

A number of penalties were then traded by both sides. Bridlington however were unable to convert their first attempt at 3 points. York still looked more able to launch meaningful attacks, linking phases together. The York defence was also performing well and Bridlington looked unlikely to break into the York half with any real intent. A second strong counter attack by Davis allowed York to attack with real menace, the ball recycled to Fox and then Cakaunitabua before Marcus Britland took the final charge, bouncing off the last defender and crossing for the first try. Davis converted, extending the lead to 10 – 0.

The penalty count continued to rack up for both sides with the referee penalising both the attacking and defending sides for infringements at the breakdown; first allowing Davis to add to York’s tally again and then allowing Brid to get on the score board. A second successful Brid penalty closed the gap to 13 – 6. The first half drew to a close with York generally having the upper hand and looking the more composed of the two sides.

After the break, York, playing downhill, upped the tempo and the inclusion of Andy Kay and James Rawlings in the pack added fresh enthusiasm. From the kick off York pushed hard and forcing a knock-on, used the scrum to launch the first attack of the half. After 5 phases Brid managed to hold York out and clear their lines but the resulting York lineout allowed York to catch and drive towards the line. With the drive moving play into the Brid 22, the ball was released to the backs and full back Davis cut another decisive running line to score. The score now a more comfortable 18 – 6.

York continued to press hard and a charging run by the influential Bates should have resulted in a third try only for his pass to just miss the hands of the supporting Kay. Shortly after York added another three from an excellent strike by Davis; 21 – 6. Motivated by the possibility of a bonus point, York attacked in waves and the third and most impressive try came from this period of positive play. Breaking out of his own half, the strong running centre Bradshaw made good ground in midfield before releasing winger Nicholson who confidently used the touchline before scything back in field and scoring. Davis hit the post with the conversion attempt, missing out on adding to his impressive points haul; York 26 – Bridlington 6.

Whilst aware that Bridlington would be unlikely to roll over and concede the game, York were unable to close out the game completely. Brid came back fighting, forcing three quick penalties and ultimately a converted try to close the gap to 26 – 13. York stirred back into action and the prospect of a fourth try managed to wrestle control of the game back off Brid and for the last 15 minutes were in the driving seat. Davis added his fourth penalty to the tally to move the score to 29 – 13 but this was as much as York were able to do. Despite being camped deep in Brid’s 22 for much of the final minutes, York were unable to cross the line again. Numerous catch and drives from the York lineout were either defended by Brid or wasted by the York pack. Bridlington had the final play of the match with an excellent break by their backs that saw their winger going incredibly close in the corner.

York should be pleased with the win, especially against a team as competitive as Bridlington. What will be frustrating however are the lost chances to score the fourth try and the lack of concentration and composure in the final phases of some moves. Next week sees York travel away to league leaders Doncaster Phoenix and whilst the momentum built from the last two weekends wins will serve York well, they will need to be more clinical in converting chances. Pleasingly for a second week in a row the whole team played well and it is difficult to single out individuals. That said, Bates and Meredith again showed their importance to the team and Davis had an excellent day from the tee and with his try, hauled 19 points.