Selby RUFC 18 v 22 Old Brodleians RUFC

Report by Ray Adamson

A tremendous second half performance saw Selby reduce a 10 point half time deficit and get themselves into a match winning position only to see victory snatched away with barely a couple of minutes remaining as Old Brodleians ran out 22-18 winners in one of the most entertaining matches of the season at Sandhill Lane.

Selby kicked off towards the railway end but soon found themselves in arrears when penalised for offside with just 4 minutes gone and Brodleians Second Row Forward Ollie Ackroyd converted the straight forward kick from 30 metres. The visitors then dominated proceedings for the majority of the half and it was only Selby's heroic efforts in defence that prevented further scores for Brodleians. Even the loss of debutant Eddie Brown to the sin bin after 24minutes did nothing to affect the Selby effort and Brown returned after his ten minute spell with no addition to the score. It appeared that, having soaked up pressure for such a long time, the defence would surely be breached at some point and so it was to prove as Brodleians opened their try scoring account on the stroke of half time, Flanker Jonny Cole's effort presenting Ackroyd with a second straightforward kick and a deserved 10 points to nil half time lead for the Halifax outfit.

With Selby Skipper Rob Taylor unable to continue after the break, things looked somewhat ominous for the home side but a performance full of determination and no little skill brought about a transformation that saw Selby play some of their best Rugby of the season and compete on even terms against a side in the League's top four. Pressure at the start of the second half forced Brodleians onto the defensive and within 4 minutes of the re-start they were themselves reduced to 14 men with Scrum Half Tom Breakwell yellow carded. Within 2 minutes Selby had opened their account through Josh Cruise, making his first appearance of the season at Fly Half, who converted the penalty awarded against the visitors for not rolling away at the tackle. Boosted by their positive start to the second period, Selby immediately returned to the attack and they appeared certain to score when Brown made a searing break from the back of a scrum on the 10 metre line only to be hauled down agonisingly short of the line. However the respite for Brodleians was short lived and a second penalty by Cruise from a difficult angle reduced the deficit to 4 points at 10-6. Sam Pocklington replaced the hard working Andy McLoughlin at Scrum Half and his impact was almost immediate. Within 2 minutes of coming onto the field Pocklington launched an attack down the Selby left and when Bob Robinson kicked through the Brodleians defence the replacement Scrum Half easily outpaced the Brodleians defence to gather the ball and cross for a super try in the corner. Unfortunately Cruise was unable to top it off as his kick drifted wide of the uprights but at 11-10 Selby had their noses in front for the first time in the match.

With Breakwell restored to Scrum Half Brodleians took little time in once again asserting their authority. A penalty awarded for offside at the breakdown on the 10 metre line was kicked to the Selby 5 metre line and a text book catch and drive at the line out saw Reece Ward driven over for the try. An excellent conversion from Ackroyd gave his side a 6 point advantage with just short of 25 minutes of the game to go. Undeterred, the young Selby side tore into their opponents once again and as the clock ticked past the hour mark Eddie Brown gained reward for an all action display on debut when, following numerous phases of play the Brodleians defence was stretched to breaking point. Cruise hit another excellent conversion from close to the touchline and Selby held the slenderest of advantages at 18-17. It was now Brodleians turn to show their defensive quality as Selby piled on the pressure, forcing further mistakes and gaining a couple of penalty chances. Agonisingly for the home support Cruise was unable to find his range as kicks in the 65th and 67th minutes failed to find the target and Brodleians slowly made their way into the Selby half. A penalty awarded on the 10 metre line for a high tackle gave the visitors the chance to kick to the Selby 5 metre line and there was a sense of inevitability as a secure line out take saw Ward driven over for his second try of the match. Ackroyd was unable to hit the conversion but little time remained and it seemed Brodleians needed only to secure the kick off to ensure the victory. However they somehow managed to concede a penalty following a knock on at the re-start and Selby were given one last throw of the dice. Cruise's kick to the corner was judged to perfection and the ball was secured at the line out. As the home forwards inched their way towards the line Brodleians showed great composure and experience in first of all stopping the drive and then holding the maul up, thus gaining the feed at the scrum and gleefully clearing the ball into the middle of the cricket square to take the spoils from another hard fought encounter.

Selby next face an away trip to Heath and then travel to Hullensians and after this showing they will be confident of coming away with more to show for their efforts than a couple of losing bonus points. The pre Christmas entertainment then concludes on December 17th with a home fixture against local rivals York.