SELBY RUFC 25 v 19 RIPON RUFC

YORKSHIRE SHIELD SECOND ROUND

Report by Ray Adamson

Having dominated the first half, during which they built a commanding 20 point lead, Selby were made to sweat in the second 40 minutes as visitors Ripon staged a strong comeback before the home side secured victory and booked a place in the Quarter Final of this year's Yorkshire Shield Competition.

In near perfect conditions Selby kicked off with the advantage of a slight breeze and took just 3 minutes to open their account when the ball was comfortably won at a Scrum and quickly handled through the backs to Winger George Stoker on the left flank. His burst of pace and deft chip over the Ripon Full Back saw him race over for another excellent individual try and an early 5 point advantage as Josh Cruise was unable to find the target from close to touch. With the Selby Forwards soon gaining the upper hand it wasn't too long before the home side increased their lead. A penalty conceded by the visitors at the tackle was kicked to the 5 metre line and an expertly orchestrated catch and drive saw Ripon shunted back over their line, creating the chance for skipper Duncan Hardy to crash over for the first of his brace of tries. An excellent conversion from wide out by Cruise saw the home side 12 points to the good with 14 minutes gone. Just 8 minutes later Hardy was on the score sheet again in a carbon copy of his first try; a kick to the corner was followed by a catch and drive that Ripon were unable to defend and Hardy was once again left in the clear. Cruise was unable to hit the target with his conversion and Hardy might well have had his hat trick when, after 27 minutes, an outrageous dummy by Hooker Millar McCoy saw him clean through the Ripon defence and with the line begging the pass to Hardy was sent just out of reach and the chance was lost. As half time approached Selby extended their lead to 20 points when Ripon were again penalised for not releasing at the tackle and this time Cruise made no mistake from the tee.

Any thoughts Selby may have had of racking up a big victory were quickly dispelled as the visitors opened their account with barely 2 minutes of the second period played. Despite being shunted back at the Scrum, Ripon somehow managed to spread the ball wide to winger Joe Duffield who showed the sort of skill exhibited by Stoker at the outset of the game when he chipped and chased, comfortably winning the race to the touchdown out by the corner flag. Although Fly Half Richard Scull was unable to convert, it was just the boost that the visitors needed and within 10 minutes they had reduced the deficit further. A seemingly innocuous position in midfield somehow resulted in a try for Hooker George Bentley as the Ripon Number 8 Euan Findlay spotted a gap round the side of a Ruck and showed the Selby defence a clean pair of heels before drawing the Selby Full Back and making the try scoring pass to allow Bentley to canter in under the posts, presenting Scull with an easy conversion to bring the score back to 20-12. At this point Selby were rueing the intervention of Touch Judge Bob Adamson who received considerable heckling from the partisan crowd for preventing a second try for George Stoker when adjudging him to have stepped into touch during a mazy run to the try line.

Things got worse for the home side after 66 minutes as the visitors reduced the gap to a single point when Number 8 Findlay crashed over for a try from close range, with Scull's conversion really setting the nerves on edge. It is to Selby's great credit that they were able to turn things around during the last 14 or so minutes, showing a level of composure that might be expected from a much more experienced side and scoring the try which was to prove the match winner. However it did take a number of attacks before the score finally came as first Hardy seemed to have made the decisive break through but his pass to the impressive Jack Hebden failed to go to hand and then a promising Scrum position was given up as the Forwards were penalised for an early push. Eventually the Forwards were able to make amends for their errors when another text book catch at a line out saw James Hunt driven over for a well deserved try. Cruise's conversion would have ensured a 2 score cushion but the fact that he was unable to make the kick kept things on a knife edge until the final whistle, though it must be said that Selby rarely looked in any danger after their final score, spending most of the last 10 minutes deep in the Ripon half before Scrum Half Andy McLoughlin was able to close things out with a kick to touch when Ripon were again penalised at a Scrum deep in their 22.

Selby's reward for their victory is a Quarter Final tie away at Wath-on Dearne in February next year when they will have real hopes of making it through to the last 4 of the competition.