Roundhegians 8 – 30 Yarnbury

Roundhegians 8 – 30 Yarnbury – Yorkshire 2 League

Pictures of Josh Bateson try courtesy Noel Doyle.

Yarnbury showed eight changes from the previous week and this is becoming a fact of life for the Horsforth Club nowadays as injuries take their toll.For the trip across North Leeds to Roundhegians however, influential lock Ian Maycock was a late absentee and versatile back rows James Barrett and Tom Goldthorpe would cover the position alternating in the scrums.Danny Pound was back at the pivot at stand off and Alex Crowther started at scrum half with regular number 9 back on the bench along with back row Alex Bennett and hooker Tom Whitfield.

Yarnbury started with a breeze in their favour and played an expansive game which threatened to blow the home side away.The first quarter was an impressive display of the fifteen man game against plucky opponents who were caught in the blocks.Firstly Yarnbury attacked down the left the outside backs James Endersby and Josh Bell making ground in the opponents half of the field for Captain James White backing up went over in the corner early on but full back Joe Pinnick just missed the conversion. The pressure was constant and the same pattern Roundhegians stand off James Dobson putting the kick off into the 22 area and Number 8 James Barrett collecting and running into the middle of the park and the Yarnbury forwards making ground and on the third or fourth phase moving good ball out to the backs going forward to keep the pressure on the home side.Two penalties followed converted by Pinnick who then gathered a clearance kick in his own half and circled wide right through the centres using his pace to make the gap and right winger Josh Bateson did the rest running in for a second try converted smartly by full back Pinnick.

Wing forward Tom Goldthorpe looked menacing with ball in hand on a couple of occasions before breaking the cover in impressive style only being brought down sort of the line and the defence scrambled to cover.The second quarter saw Roundhegians back in the game and slowed down the Yarnbury offensive play due to repeated penalties given against the Horsforth side .A Dobson penalty was all they had to show for these efforts at the break.

The second half was more of the same with the Yarnbury momentum stifled by technical infringements some what.Roundhegians were pressing the Yarnbury line for their first try but a loose ball gave the Yarnbury backs a chance to clear their lines but decided to run the ball well down the right and got winger Josh Bateson away in a race for the line which he did effectively holding off the covering full back Jonny Dobson.Pinnick could not convert.Yarnbury then took off influential scrum half Alex Crowther and wing forward Tom Goldthorpe ,both impressive in their respective positions and replaced them with Nathan Benton and Tom Whitfield respectively.

Roundhegians then had a good spell of pressure as Yarnbury again infringed and centre Elliott Jackson got over after successive forward drives.This was all they got for their efforts but inevitably on the day Yarnbury were not going to be deprived of their bonus point that their performance merited.Full back Pinnick was again in the action creating an attacking platform running back a James Dobson defensive kick out as the home side tried to relieve the pressure.The ball was slipped to wing forward Calum Fawcett who outstripped the defence like a three-quarter with an impressive turn of speed.Pinnick converting to seal the victory.Impressive rugby prior to the inaugural League game next week on the all weather Yarnbury pitch and selection problems for Coaches Bob Hood,Gary Walker and Tom Gilcrist.