Selby completed their League programme with a terrific performance in front of a large crowd at Sandhill Lane in conditions which perfectly suited their exciting brand of free flowing Rugby. Having been well beaten on their visit to Dronfield just two weeks previous, Selby were determined to exact revenge and did so in emphatic fashion, running in six tries and preventing Dronfield from gaining any bonus points into the bargain.

The home side made an absolute dream start, registering their opening score with just 20 seconds having been played. A break by Alex Webster direct from the kick off was carried on by Jamie Ibbetson who broke through the middle of the visitors’ defence before cleverly offloading to scrum half Archie Bennett to run in unopposed under the sticks. Henry Wright added the simple conversion for a 7 point lead and the shell-shocked Dronfield players barely had time to draw breath before Selby increased their advantage as Bennett again scored under the posts with only 5 minutes on the clock following another Webster break and excellent support play. At 14 points to nil following Wright’s second conversion, Dronfield knew that they were in for a tougher afternoon than when the sides last met and reverted to their very successful ploy of repeatedly diving through the forwards to force Selby onto the back foot. However it was Selby who struck again when, just after the half way mark, Selby capitalised on turnover ball in midfield and speed of thought and action released young speedster Dan Reid who easily outpaced the Dronfield defence on his run to the corner for another excellent try which Wright was unable to convert, but which stretched the Selby lead to 19 points.

Determined not to let Selby have everything their own way, the Dronfield juggernaut controlled the rest of the first half as they kept the ball close and went though the phases to try to force the Selby defence into errors which would gain them penalties. By half time things were much more even with Dronfield having reduced the deficit to 19-14 in a very effective but nevertheless predictable fashion. Forcing penalty kicks at the breakdown allowed the visitors to kick down into the Selby 22 and well executed line out drills created the platform from which firstly Isham and the Cooke were able to finally breach the Selby line. Full back Stead successfully converted both tries and unease began to spread among the home supporters as the sides went into the break at 19-14.

Things looked likely to become even more difficult for Selby at the start of the second half when, with Skipper Ashley Parkinson forced from the field on 38 minutes, within the blink of an eye they were reduced to just 13 men as Alex Webster’s yellow card (given because of the number of penalties being conceded) was quickly followed by a harsh sin binning for Jamie Ibbetson who appeared to be doing everything he could to allow Dronfield to play the ball but nevertheless found himself penalised for not rolling away. With a 2 man disadvantage in the forwards, it would have been easy for the Selby pack to capitulate but the adversity seemed to galvanise the side who firstly did a great job of holding the Dronfield pack at the scrum and then, to the delight of the home spectators, forced an error in the visitors’ handling which Selby quickly turned to their advantage as smart hands and clinical play saw Reid sprint clear of the Dronfield defence to cross wide out for his second try of the afternoon. An excellent conversion from Wright stretched the lead to 26-14 and increased the crowd volume by a good few decibels.

Before Selby were returned to their full complement, Dronfield again brought the deficit to within one score at 26-21 when Tucher crossed for a try on 49 minutes with Dowdeswell adding the extras. Within a minute of Selby being back to 15 they again extended their lead when another fine example of crisp handling and intelligent support play enabled them to create the chance for James Bramley to cross for another excellent team try and a 10 point advantage at 31-21 with 55 minutes played.

Despite enjoying the majority of possession and territory following Selby’s latest score, the visitors found the home defence a much tougher proposition than they had for the home fixture as time after time all 15 Selby players committed fully to disrupting any forward movement by the visitors, repeatedly putting their bodies on the line in a courageous defensive effort which frustrated any number of attacks by the Dronfield forwards. Such was the tenacity of the home defence that, with just a few minutes left to play and still trailing by 10 points, Dronfield elected to kick at goal to reduce the deficit to 7 with the aim of possibly achieving a draw if they could quickly score a further converted try which would give them 2 bonus points or at least rescuing a losing bonus point for a defeat of 7 points.

Seeing this as almost an act of submission, Selby drove straight back onto the attack from the kick off, forcing Dronfield to concede a penalty outside their own 22. A kick to the corner set the position for one last attempt on the visitors try line. A clean catch then saw the Selby forwards take on the Dronfield pack at their own game, repeatedly driving around the edge of the breakdown and inching towards the try line until a clear overlap on the right hand side created the space for James Bramley to add to his earlier try. Wright’s hurriedly taken conversion came back off the upright but was of little consequence as Selby players and supporters began thoroughly well deserved celebrations which continued well after the final whistle brought this season’s League fixtures to a dramatic and successful conclusion.