Yarnbury 1st XV v Bridlington 1st XV

Bridlington 67 – 0 Yarnbury – Yorks 1 League

Yarnbury have had their us and downs in the last seven games winning impressively against three against mid table teams in York,North Ribblesdale and Bradford Salem but loosing to teams in trouble at the bottom of the league when senior players were either unavailable through other committments or injuries.Not a good start to the second half of the season after the holiday and got turned over by a rampant Bridlington team prepared and equipped for promotion with their smattering of foreign imports.Certainly as they played an expansive game in the East Coast mud always had the extra man as the ball was on the move constantly.

It could be argued that Yarnbury have more players than many other Yorkshire sides and are competing well at second and third team level but the lack of regular experienced players at first team level is impeding their progress this season.No critisism of the squad that travelled all the way to the coast for this league fixture who tackled their hearts out but just were overun by a more experienced team.

The game was in doubt on Saturday morning and was switched to their adjacent pitch which was soft and cut up but did not impede the game.Yarnbury found themselves under pressure immediatel;y in their own half and looked assured as a team defending well and keeping the Bridlington onslaught at bay for the first quarter looking assured and confident but underneath somewhat brittle as was to show in the latter stages.The home side got on the score sheet through their big rampaging prop Paddy Waines who went over at the second attempt cutting through on the five metre line a big unit difficult to touch down full back Jack Arthur touching down and making amends for an earlier break and throwing the ball carelessly over his shoulder when it would have been easier to score.

Bridlington scored three further tries in the second quarter as they moved the ball in impressive style looking for the gaps in the Yarnbury defence but working the defenders until the overlap came and scored through No8 John Thompson and centres Ryan Girking and Jack Martin. Jack Arthur converting.

The second half was a similar procession of tries when Bridlington had the ball but Yarnbury scrums and line outs worked well with prop Louis Atha having his best game of the season for the away side and and Number 8 Jimmy Cryan getting through his usual stint of go forward action but so many times Bridlington had more numbers at the breakdown and turnover ball in their favour.Stephen Riley was tackling everything and leading by example but experience was everything to the home side who were unstoppable and showed that experience at this level is unbeatable.

Yarnbury look to have a difficult January with the weather and the fixtures and may be reduced to swimming at Bradford and Bingley but either way they need back their influential stand off Carl Paterson and backs Jason Avison and leading try scorer Elis Gomersall away on paternal duty and missing from this defeat.