Yarnbury U18 Colts v Harrogate U18 Colts

Colts League game 3 was Harrogate at home who arrived following a convincing 48-12 win against Roundhegians. Harrogate did not have a full front row so it had to be uncontested scrums.

Harrogate started the better and scored a smart unconverted try in the corner. Yarnbury huffed and puffed and had several opportunities in the Harrogate 22. The lineout was causing Harrogate lots of problems, but speed of thought and action was about 50% of what it needed to be and Harrogate constantly arrived at breakdowns faster than Yarnbury, mainly led by their 7 and 8 who both had excellent games. Yarnbury did eventually score when a Josh Dunn made a good break from fullback, he threw out a speculative pass as he was tackled and it hit Jame McDonnell on the right wing who raced in to score. Finn Bower carried very well in the first half and Charlie Webb looked sharp at 9, making several breaks, but it was Harrogate who scored next under the posts from a neat kick through by 10 which was gathered by the Harrogate centre to score, it was converted for a 5-12 half time lead to Harrogate.

The second half was a different game after coach Lee had given the boys the "hairdryer" treatment and fresh legs arrived from the bench. Carter Proctor, James Longhawn and Saman Azari, the new front row, aided by Tom Cotterill returning from a rest, changed the flow of the game as they suddenly started arriving at breakdowns far quicker and dominating collisions. The first 15 minutes of the second half won the game as Yarnbury scored 2 tries from Joe Pilling and Tom Cotterill as Yarnbury controlled possession. The tide had now turned and this allowed Yarnbury to generate quicker ball with big carries from Ed Green, George, Petrou and Dan Sellers getting Yarnbury going forward and getting in behind a tough Harrogate defence. Josh Dunn added the next try, who was the Yarnbury standout back on the day, followed by 2 more tries from Tom Cotterill and Dan Sellers.

Harrogate had the last score with their first entry into the Yarnbury 22 in the second half. Good switch play and quick hands put the winger in the left corner despite last ditch defence, with an excellent touchline conversion bringing the game to an end. F/T 34-19.

MOM went to Saman Azari or Mini Ibby as he is now known.

Next week Yarnbury Colts are away at Ilkley.

2 for 1 - Match Report - No.2 from our expert touchline reporters the Mitchell's.

Harrogate do not have an experienced front row so scrums are uncontested. After 5 minutes a Yarnbury lineout in their 22 is overthrown and Harrogate recover the ball. The ball is moved wide and a missed tackle allows a simple try to be scored in the corner. The difficult conversion is missed but Harrogate lead by 5. Following this Yarnbury have a fair amount of territory and possession but their speed to the breakdown and occasional lack of numbers provides opportunities for Harrogate to contest and win turnover ball. In addition, there is little pace in attack from Yarnburywith players not running from deep, making Harrogate’s defensive duties easier.

It takes Yarnbury until the 25th minute to get on the scoreboard. Harrogate are penalised in midfield and are then taken back a further 10m by the referee for backchat. An accurate kick to touch results in a 5m lineout but the ball is knocked on. Harrogate kick clear from the subsequent 5m scrum but fullback Josh Dunn runs it back into the 22, breaking the first tackle and able to offload in the next to wing Jamie McDonnell to score. The conversion is missed butYarnbury draw level. With fresh legs coming on from the bench and possession increasing, Yarnbury are unlucky to go into half time behind. With the 1st half coming to a close two Yarnbury players are down injured when Harrogate are awarded a scrum in the Yarnbury 22. A simple grubber kick between the posts sees the Harrogate centre run through to score their 2nd try. Half time:Yarnbury5-12Harrogate.

Whether it was some choice words from the coaches at half time, the strength in depth of the Yarnbury replacements or Harrogate fatigue, the 2nd half saw an impetus in Yarnbury’s play that was missing in the 1st. Pick and drives whether through brute force (Carter Proctor) or speed and change of direction (James Longhawn) and the speed and intensity of the support to the breakdown to protect the ball (Saman Azari) were consistently gaining territory. Harrogate were on the backfoot.

6 minutes in and Yarnbury kick into the Harrogate 22 and a good chase forces a knock on. From the scrum more territory is gained by a break in centre field before numerous pick and drives are completed with a try from Joe Pilling. In the 14th minute Harrogate are forced to kick the ball long from their 22. Josh Dunn gathers and runs the ball back in. Pick and drives takes play back up to the Harrogate 22 where Rob Winterburn carries the ball over the gain line and when the tackle is not held gains a few more metres. A good clear out provides quick ball for Tom Cotterill to score. Maxwell Lee completes the conversion. A few minutes later Yarnbury are awarded a penalty for a high tackle. They kick to touch for a lineout in the Harrogate 22. The ball is secured and Edward Green breaks the defensive line and quick ball releases Josh Dunn to crash over near the corner. After 19 minutes the score is Yarnbury 22-12 Harrogate.

In the 25th minute Yarnbury are attacking and a fantastic pass out of the back of the hand by George Petrou sees Yarnbury run into the Harrogate 22 and the scrambling defence is eventually penalised at the breakdown. Yarnbury kick and take a 5m lineout and Tom Cotterill scores his second try following the initial drive. Maxwell Lee completes the conversion. With time running out, Yarnbury again have possession in the Harrogate 22. A simple pass and good running line sees Dan Sellers score Yarnbury’s 6th and final try. However, there is still time for Harrogate to mount an attack with their first foray up to the Yarnbury try line. The final play sees them score in the corner and complete the difficult conversion.

Full time: Yarnbury 34-19 Harrogate.