With the Sandhill Lane pitch looking pristine thanks to the hard work of Richard Nicholson over the summer, Selby welcomed Moortown in search of their first league win of the season. Both sides had suffered opening-day defeats, and with local cricket also drawing crowds - Burn in a local derby v Drax, Carlton Towers’ gaining promotion at home, and Selby in action on pitch 3 - the attendance was still healthy on an afternoon that suited either sport.

There were a few changes to the Selby line-up, with Alex Bissell making his debut in the front row and Charlie Cicero captaining the side in the absence of Alex Webster.

The home side struck first, a booming touch-finder from stand-off Poskitt pinning Moortown deep. Sustained pressure from Cicero (sponsored by his family) and Sean Campbell paved the way for James Bramley to slip through a gap and score by the posts, with brother Charlie adding the extras for an early 7–0 lead after six minutes.

Moortown responded quickly, their forwards held up over the line before a penalty for offside gave them a scrum platform. A strong drive and a sharp dummy from scrum-half Meek saw them score, though surprisingly the conversion from close range drifted wide.
Selby regained momentum with Dan Reid impressing on the restart, his kick-and-chase nearly producing a score. Instead, a long-range penalty from Charlie Bramley stretched the lead. Soon after, the Swans’ pressure told again - line-out ball secured by Cicero, the ball spun wide, and after a loose passage Noah Athraby (sponsored by Peter “Gateman” Foster) reacted fastest to dance over near the posts. Bramley’s boot made it 17–5.

Selby continued to turn the screw. A pinpoint up-and-under from Poskitt was brilliantly taken by C Bramley before a knock-on ended the move, but soon after a Moortown mistake gifted Joe Scholefield the chance to pounce and score under the posts. Bramley converted for 24–5. Moments later, slick handling and a break from James Bramley released Fin Wotton, who dotted down for the bonus-point try, again converted, to make it 31–5.

There was still time for Moortown to show there would be no roll over in the second half. Playing with advantage of a penalty they touched down for their second try again unconverted.

With the wind at their backs, Moortown looked to rally, but Selby’s defence held firm. Reid again threatened with another kick-and-chase, held up just short, before Moortown’s centre Glynn broke from deep, only to be denied by the combined efforts of Scholefield and C Bramley. From the restart, however, flanker Rice powered through weak tackles to score, reducing the gap to 31–17.

Hunt replaced Carr, and Bissell returned for Case as Moortown's pack continued to have the upper hand at scrum time. Selby hit back when Joey Reid (sponsored by the Adamson family) peeled off a maul and fed Antun Wilson, who crashed over for a try. The conversion was missed, but the lead extended to 36–17.

The closing stages saw Moortown apply real pressure, aided by Selby losing James Bramley and Cicero to knocks before returning. The reshuffle did see the welcome return of James “Bob” Robinson to first-team action. With ten minutes left, Moortown crossed again, this time converted, to close the gap to 36–24.

Selby were stretched but showed character, Cicero leading by example as he returned to help his pack repel late surges and deny the visitors a losing bonus point.

Final Score: Selby 36 – Moortown 24
A much-needed first league win of the season and plenty of smiles at the whistle after a hard-fought contest. Next up: an away trip to Morley, who also sit with one win and one loss.