u15 Succeed in Round 1 of Yorkshire Cup

Round One of the Yorkshire Cup had drawn Selby at home to Hornsea and despite the torrential storms throughout the rest of the country Sandhill Lane was dry, still and sunny!

The fixture was a tussle from start to finish with the result in the balance until the final play.

The match started very evenly with territory and possession at a premium as neither side took a backward step.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 10th minute then Josh F was the first player to make a decisive break, driving through a very tight defence to touch down for the first try of the game and Selby led 5-0.

Hornsea answered back 7 minutes later passing the ball out wide and after a strong arcing run and a couple of hand offs equalised with a try in the corner (5-5)

Just as the game went back to a war of attrition in the forwards the ball made it out wide to Selby’s flying winger Dan J who after a couple of neat side steps broke through the Hornsea high defensive line and then ran 50 metres to touch down under the posts and Sam A converted to give Selby a 12-5 lead.

Things got even better for Selby on the stroke of half time, after a number of phases on the Hornsea try line, good patience shown by the forwards probing for a gap saw Jack B crash over and score and with Sam A converting again the score at half time was 19-5.

The second half started in a similar vein to the first with neither side gaining a sustained advantage and it took until the 43rd minute for the next score. Phased possession by Selby brought them into the Hornsea final third and when a strong break by Ryan created an opportunity out wide and an offload to Zack saw him score Selby’s fourth try and build up a lead of 24-5.
Those thinking the game was over were mistaken, the sides were very even throughout and when Selby lost Alex H to a yellow card soon after Hornsea took advantage with the extra player and replied with two quick tries on 47 and 49 minutes, the second of which was converted, making it a 1 score game.

With their tails up Hornsea ploughed forward and after 52 minutes scored another converted try to level the scores at 24-24 and on 56 minutes took the lead with their fourth try of the half to lead 29-24. Selby then realised they had to perform and with leadership from captain Lawrence chased down the kick off and Alex H made up for his earlier indiscretion with a line breaking run to touch down with 2 minutes to go, Josh F converted the try and Selby had the lead back again 31-29.

As the clock went red, Selby had possession and it was in the hands of Joseph who saw an opportunity to make sure of the win and a strong run down the touchline that saw him dive over and score in front of some very relieved coached and parents.

The squad dug deep in this fixture leaving nothing out on the pitch at the final whistle and learned the importance of concentration and intensity for the full 60 minutes. The positive approach to the last five minutes showed how they have come together as a group and support each other. Bring on round 2!

Selby Try Scorers:
Josh F, Dan J, Jack B, Zack, Joseph, Alex Joseph
Conversions:
Sam A (2), Josh F