On a cold but dry day Otley kicked off against Preston Grasshoppers at their ground, Scott Irvine able to catch the ball just outside the opposition 22 but a teammate knocked-on a few moments later. However, Otley were able to keep the pressure up and four minutes in Joe Rowntree kicked a penalty in front of the posts.

It didn’t take long for Hoppers to redress the balance. From a line-out on the Otley 22, they moved the ball to the other side of the pitch and then back again, scrum-half Rory Brand shaking off a tackle and then successfully diving over the line. The conversion attempt sailed just left of the post. Otley conceded a penalty in the Hoppers’ half, allowing the home side to launch another attack. Otley defended well but ended up taking the ball over the line giving Preston a five-metre scrum in the corner. The ball was then moved quickly across the pitch with Ben Haigh scoring, although this time the conversion attempt swirled under the upright.

After a Hoppers’ attack had broken down close to the Otley 22 with a penalty, the visitors got another penalty on the Preston 10 metre line. Having gone for the left-hand corner the ball never made it meaning that Fynlay Hobson had to restart the attack from within his own half. Eight moves later they were on the try-line, Hoppers having a conceded a penalty. Otley opted for the scrum and after that started going forward, No 8 Scott Irvine grabbed the ball taking it over the line. Now into the second quarter, the conversion attempt hit the upright.

Sam Freeman extended Preston’s lead with a 30-metre kick in front of the posts on 27 minutes, and four minutes later the scoreboard was again ticking over in their favour. From a scrum on the half-way line, Preston moved the ball across the pitch with a combination of Jacob Browne and Freeman getting to within five. Play moved back towards the posts, Josh Longson stumbling his way over with Freeman’s conversion taking the score to 20-8.

That seemed to perk Otley up and, from a line-out in the opposition 22 they battered the try line and although they weren’t successful, Will Parkinson went off for a ten minute break. With three minutes left, Otley again went for the scrum with Irvine peeling off the back heading for the corner to score. The half ended in the Otley 22, with them holding the player up.

In a frenetic opening to the second half, Otley began taking the game to their opponents. They pinched a line-out close to the grandstand but were met with a solid wall. It started to crumble getting them to within five and close to the posts, Rowntree’s long pass to Henry Acland giving him the space to score in the corner. Rowntree’s conversion levelling the scores. Three minutes of open play ended after Fynlay Hobson took a clearance kick in his own half, and then weaved his way to the touchline brushing off three tacklers along the way to score close to the posts. Rowntree added the conversion.

Preston reduced the deficit on the hour when Tom Ailes broke through from his half getting within five metres of the line. From there they had a line-out, from where Harry Holden pushed his way over the line with the conversion again going wide to keep the score at 25-27. Now both sides had everything to play for and for a while Otley kept Preston penned in their own 22 until Sammy Russell burst out with play remaining in the home side’s half. With ten minutes to go, Preston’s penalty took them onto the Otley 22 with Finn Warren-Lambert taking the line-out allowing Otley to clear their lines and Preston to drop the kick on the half-way line.

After another spell in the opposition 22, Tom Parnell took the ball on Hoppers’ 10-metre line, dummying his way past an oncoming player, shrugged off another tackler to within five metres of the line. Unfortunately his wingman had overrun slightly and was unable to take the pass cleanly resulting in a scrum to Preston.

Otley continued to pressurise, Hoppers kicking out on the full. Otley marched the Preston pack ten metres gaining a penalty along the way which went into the left-hand corner. Corey McCormack threw in to Ant McCormack and the pack drove forward with backs joining in. Over the line Corey touched down. Rowntree’s curved kick put the seal on the game, denying Preston a losing bonus point.

Story picture (Fynlay Hobson on this way to a try) courtesy of Mark Ashcroft; more photographs at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mickcraig/albums/72177720330333536/ courtesy of Mick Craig