Halifax Vandals 2nd XV 24 Skipton 2nd XV 19

Vandals stage late raid to condemn Skipton Seconds to defeat

A last-gasp try by Halifax Vandals condemned Skipton's second team to a narrow away defeat on Saturday. Skipton had recovered from a half-time deficit to take the lead and were seconds away from a hard-fought victory.
The away side were playing uphill in the first half yet, despite this apparent disadvantage, they started on the front foot. Two Jamie Barker penalties, one from 35 metres out, gave them a 6-0 lead.
However the Vandals turned the game on its head with two quick tries from their captain, who was playing at full-back rather than in his usual fly-half role.
Skipton continued to stay in the game thanks to the boot of Barker. Halifax gifted them yet another penalty, this time for offside, and the subsequent three points meant that they were only 14-9 behind at the break.
The away side started the second half on the front foot and strong carries from Mark Davison, Carl Nicholson and Frank Trueman forced Halifax back towards their own posts.
Eventually, a clever play from the ruck by Jordan Wilson saw the ball fed to Gareth Atkinson. He powered over the line, before Barker added the extras. The converted try gave Skipton a 16-14 lead.
The two sides traded penalties to give Skipton a 19-17 advantage heading into the final minute. The Vandals kept up the pressure though, and created a neat overlap to score the crucial try.
Skipton will look to bounce back on Saturday and preserve their unbeaten home record in the league this season. They take on Old Crossleyans 2nd XV at 3pm.