Hull kicked off and as Otley came out of their 22 the home side conceded a penalty, Reece Dean slotting the ball between the Chevin uprights. Three minutes later they had conceded another penalty half way up their half, this time for taking a player out off the ball. Dean didn’t miss.

The visitors began to take hold of the game, dominating possession but Otley were just able to keep them away from the whitewash. Penalties by both sides were making the game slightly disjointed, although just after 15 minutes a Hull penalty gave Otley to get properly into the opposition’s half for the first time. Hull were able to repel them, but then gave away a penalty on their 10 metre line which Gavin Stead took advantage of.

In a ten minute spell, Hull made it into Otley’s 22 but lost the ball at the breakdown. They were soon back again and despite Otley grudgingly giving up territory, Hull got closer to Otley’s line. Eventually they found a way through, Joe Barratt going over to the left of the posts although their conversion went wide.

Otley were beginning to string some possession together, Dan Preston-Routledge’s run resulting in a penalty when Hull knocked the ball out of Rory Gaffney’s hands. The penalty attempt hit the upright. Hull made it into Otley’s half with a penalty, but lost possession with a failed maul. They quickly regained it when they pushed the home side off the ball at the scrum, losing it again at a subsequent breakdown.

Just as the half was coming to an end, Eddie Crossland attempted a 50-22 which was returned to Ben Dinsdale who gave it back to the fly-half. His second attempt bounced over the touch-line in Hull’s 22. From the line-out in the cemetery corner, they had a couple of goes at crossing the line as they moved left. They lost and regained possession three times in that frenetic phase, the referee brought them back for a penalty in the opposite corner for a no-wrap tackle by Hull’s No 4. Crossland’s quick tap-and-go saw him over the line which Stead converted bringing the half-time score to 10-11.

A high tackle by Hull on their 10 metre line saw Stead give Otley the lead for the first time in the game six minutes into the half. An Otley penalty kicked into the clubhouse corner was taken across the pitch after the line-out, Ryan Gibson shrugging off tackles from outside the 22 to score in the corner. Stead’s kick on the touchline just outside Hull’s 22 found its target.

Otley missed another penalty attempt after a period of promising play in Hull’s half. Hull came back into the game, making the most of their scrum dominance and after 60 minutes. From a scrum in front of Otley’s posts, Hull’s 9-10-11 combined with Peter Hudson-Kowalewicz bursting through to score with Dean adding the conversion.

Otley were made to fight for every inch of ground and, playing through three high tackles, got to the Hull line with Gibson coming close near to the posts. In the ruck, Adam Malthouse took possession taking the ball over the line giving Stead a simple conversion. Hull then redressed the balance in their next attack when Jack Baldry scored, Dean adding the two points to make the score 27-25.

With time ticking away, Otley were the first to launch an attack but it was Hull’s centre, David Halaifonua, speedy run to the line from his own half, that gave them their first win in over a year. A deliberate knock-on by Otley brought them a yellow card and Hull were awarded a penalty try in what was a gripping game.