Selby 45 – 14 Doncaster Phoenix
Match Report by David Everatt

With England playing their final Autumn International the following day, and interest in rugby running high, a large crowd made its way to Sandhill Lane for the visit of Doncaster Phoenix. Despite a week of poor weather, the pitch was in excellent condition—perfect for Selby’s fast, free-flowing style.

Selby struck early. Doncaster conceded a penalty forty metres out, and—as is the norm these days—the ball was kicked to the corner. From the resulting line-out, Jack Todd (sponsored by Pretty Little Holidays) found Sean Campbell (sponsored by Briarwood Holdings), the ball was moved quickly across the backs, and James Bramley glided through a gap to score after just five minutes. The conversion drifted wide.

Selby came straight back at Phoenix, and an audacious behind-the-back pass from Todd put winger Dan Evans clear, though he was dragged down and the chance lost. Moments later, Liam Hogan made one of his trademark carries to suck in defenders, the support players recycled well, and Bramley crossed for his second—this time out on the right. Another missed conversion, but Selby were firmly on top.

Stand-off Archie Bennett then brought the crowd to its feet with a weaving run that could only be stopped illegally. From the penalty line-out, a planned move saw Noah Athraby cut infield between the centres before offloading to Charlie Bramley, who strolled in from twenty metres.

Selby were now in full flow, and within a minute they had the bonus-point try. Backs and forwards combined superbly before Todd burst over the 22 and fed captain Webster, who released Finlay Wooton to finish in the corner. This time the conversion was successful, giving Selby a commanding 22–0 lead after just twenty minutes.

Laurence Taylor—outstanding for the 2nd XV in their unbeaten run—entered the fray for his first 1st XV appearance of the season. Doncaster then contributed one of the afternoon’s lighter moments when their stand-off hoofed a penalty dead, greeted enthusiastically by the Swans Nest, occupied by long-standing sponsors CS Auto Electrics. Selby were awarded a 22 dropout.

Phoenix responded with renewed energy. A series of penalties followed, and flanker Wotton saw yellow. Doncaster pressed hard inside the Selby 22 and looked certain to score when the ball was spun wide - only for Charlie Bramley to read the play superbly. He shot out of the defensive line, plucked the pass cleanly out of the air, and set off downfield with three Phoenix players, two Selby teammates, and referee Chris Sheryn all in hot pursuit - only for the dramatic break to be thwarted when the referee realised he had blown too early and brought play all the way back for the original Doncaster penalty five metres out.

From the resulting tap, prop Leggott used his muscular frame to crash over, and Campbell joined Wotton in the sin-bin, leaving Selby temporarily down to thirteen.

But Selby hit back immediately. Straight from the restart, Taylor bulldozed his way upfield and, after Doncaster were penalised, Bennett tapped quickly, sending second row James Hunt over from ten metres. Bramley added the extras for a 27–7 half-time lead.

The second half began with a scintillating counter-attack. Doncaster kicked long to Charlie Bramley, who linked with Webster to take Selby straight to the visitors’ line. Ryan Lamb was held up, but the pressure remained, and Hunt crashed over again from close range. Another conversion stretched the lead further.

Doncaster’s heavy pack held the edge at scrum time, but Selby were dominant everywhere else. Frequent whistles for high tackles and offside fragmented the game, though a neat chip from Dan Evans for Athraby provided one of the few moments of second-half sparkle.

Selby eventually earned a penalty close to the Phoenix line, and from the five-metre line-out a well-rehearsed move saw Jamie Dentith peel around the front and, supported by the pack, power over. Bramley converted from out wide.

In the final minutes, Doncaster’s scrum again asserted itself. Taylor was shown a yellow, and Phoenix earned a deserved push-over try to close the match. Final score: Selby 45 – 14 Doncaster Phoenix.

A win is a win—as the cliché goes—on an afternoon marked by six yellow cards. The match was effectively decided by Selby’s early blitz of four unanswered tries. A much tougher test awaits next weekend with a short trip to Pontefract, who sit just below Selby in the league and will provide a stern challenge for both sets of supporters to enjoy.

Elsewhere at the Club

• 3rd XV: Beat Harrogate Pythons 59–29 at Sandhill Lane. Captain Dan Elcock was named man of the match, with colt Ben Tosney impressing at scrum-half.
• 4th XV: Travelled to York RI 2nds and won 38–12.
• Women: Lost out 15–5 away at Pocklington on Sunday, narrowly missing a clean sweep of senior victories.