West Park Leeds RUFC 8 v 12 Selby RUFC

Report by Ray Adamson

Selby travelled to Bramhope without an away win all season but knowing that a victory against the League's bottom Club could prove crucial in their battle to retain their Yorkshire 1 status. The game itself was never going to be a classic with so much at stake for both sides but the tension and atmosphere created a memorable occasion and brought Selby a vital and thoroughly deserved win, which opened up a 5 point gap between themselves and Old Crossleyans with just 3 matches left in the season.

Understandably, Selby's inexperienced youngsters made a nervy start and incurred the wrath of referee Mike Dickinson, conceding no fewer than 6 penalties in the opening quarter of an hour and giving West Park's kicker Eddie Crossland the chance to open his side's account after just 14 minutes with a straightforward penalty awarded for not rolling away at the tackle. A great steal at the line-out and a terrific break downfield by Selby's outstanding player on the day, Matthew Wood, really lifted the visitors and finally gave the considerable Selby following something to shout about midway through the half. Unfortunately the kick that followed rolled harmlessly into the West Park in-goal area and allowed the home side to clear from the resulting 22 metre drop out. With a lot of the play taking place between the 22’s clear cut chances were few and far between but Crossland did have a second kick at goal after just about half an hour only to see the kick from near half way drift harmlessly wide of the target. Just 3 minutes later Selby again made big inroads into the West Park defence when full back Sam Pocklington made a clever half break and fed winger James “Bobby” Robinson who showed great pace and power in his run down the left flank but again the kick ahead was easily dealt with and cleared by the home defence.

As the first half drew to a close Robinson again caused problems for his opposite number who was rightly penalised for a high tackle, giving stand off Will Edwards the chance to kick to the corner. Matthew Wood yet again claimed the ball at the line out and the surge from the Selby forwards drove the West Park pack back over their own line at a rate of knots with prop forward Duncan Hardy claiming the score. Will Edwards was off target with the conversion but the referee's whistle brought the half to a conclusion with Selby holding the slimmest of advantages at 5-3.

That advantage was short lived as Selby went behind again in the first minute of the second half. A penalty for entering the maul from the side presented West Park with a similar opportunity to kick to the corner. From the resulting line out the home side's flanker Leon Blakely broke free before handing the ball on to his Captain and number 8 John Fletcher who, despite a courageous tackle from centre Iain Adamson close to the line, ensured that the home side regained their advantage. Crossland miss-hit his conversion attempt much to the relief of the Selby supporters and the deficit remained at 3. From the kick off Selby found themselves with some defending to do as the home side battered away in midfield, repeatedly regaining possession but not making a massive amount of headway in the face of some stubborn resistance from Selby's backs and forwards alike. When Selby eventually managed to turn the ball over after 47 minutes of the game, great awareness and smart handling created what turned out to be the match winning score. The ball was swept out to the left wing where Robinson again beat his man easily and broke into the West Park 22. Facing the final defender he chose to chip and chase and when his run was halted by a trip, the referee had no hesitation in awarding Selby a penalty try, presenting Edwards with the simplest of conversions from in front of the sticks and giving the visitors a 12 points to 8 lead.

As pressure and nerves began to affect the way that players reacted there were heart- stopping moments at both ends of the field. West Park opted to kick a relatively easy penalty to touch instead of taking the three points on offer but then chose to go for goal from much further away, with the kick missing the right hand post by the smallest of margins. Selby then had the chance to nail down the victory when skipper Sam Weller picked a perfect line from a scrum on the 5 metre line but was unable to hold on to the pass which would have created a 2 on 1 and almost certainly resulted in a try for winger Ashton Dallimore. In between all of these there were frantic attempts by both sides to wrestle control and as the game entered its closing moments Selby appeared to have finally gained control as the forwards kept the ball tight and denied West Park any opportunity to break out. The twist in the tail came when Selby were penalised for not releasing in the tackle and the referee indicated that there was still enough time for one last line out. The kick to touch took play to the Selby 22 and a good take at the line out enabled the home side forwards to drive into midfield. The Selby defence however showed themselves up to the challenge, maintaining both their shape and discipline, eventually forcing the handling error that brought the game to its conclusion and enabling the Selby support to draw a huge collective sigh of relief.

11 points from their last 3 games have certainly helped the Selby cause but there are still testing fixtures ahead before their safety is assured. This week sees Bridlington make the trip over from the East Coast, then another crucial fixture away at Yarnbury who are now just 2 points ahead of Selby follows, before the League season is brought to a conclusion by the visit of the other East Coast side from Scarborough. It is to be hoped that the spirit and determination shown by Selby's young side and the confidence of winning important fixtures can help guarantee their place in Yorkshire 1 as the season approaches its tense but thrilling finale.