Wetherby 25 – 22 Yarnbury RFC

match report by John Rawson

Wetherby 25 – 22 Yarnbury RFC

Yarnbury managed 4 tries to three and two bonus points but lost in the eightieth minute to a penalty in a see saw game the lead changing hands as both teams fought for prominence but never quite dominated.

The game started so well for the Horsforth side after 5 mins with an early try for right wing speedy Josh Bateson.Quick hands from the halfway line started on the front foot by Captain Centre James White got Bateson on the ball at 22 metres and the winger squeezed in at the corner after 7 minutes. Stand Off Danny Pound converted smartly from the touch line to open the scoring only for Wetherby to score unopposed from a scrum.No8 Argentinian Fran Ortelli picking up and having a clear run to the try linesuprising the Yarnbury back row.Archie Youlden converting to draw the scores level.

Wetherby did not learn from the counter attacks from Yarnbury who then repeated the dose twice more finding space out wide right for winger Josh Bateson to score two more tries in sixteenth and 21st minutes spreading the play quickly to the right side of the park.Unfortunately stand off Danny Pound could not convert either try but left the away side with a ten point cushion.

Yarnbury also did not learn from the strong running of the Wetherby Full Back Myles Oates who managed to get clear from the covering defence on 36st minute to score on the left Youlden converting and then leveling the scores with a penalty on t39th minute with a penalty for a collapsed scrum.

17-17 at half time

Yarnury had a determined spell of pressure in the third quarter in the opponents half when the home side could not break out of defence.However,the Horsforth side could not add to the score and typically Wetherby had the next score when the full back Oates was fed out blind and made it up the left for an opportunist unconverted try.Yarnbury pressed in the final quarter but were well marshalled in the middle of the park by the Wetherby tacklers but managed to break out ten minutes from time for scrum half Cameron newby to finish of a slick passing move for Yarnbury’s fourth score and a bonus point levelling at 22-22 but Pound could not take advantage missing the conversion.

Yarnbury lost second row Ian Maycock for the final quarter and after an excellent determined stint in defence the pack were penalised at the last play for a collapsed scrum Youlden converting the penalty to win the game.Leaving Yarnbury contemplating what might have been but with two points instead of five to start their campaign.