Old Brodleians RUFC 31 v 15 Selby RUFC

Report by Ray Adamson

Having had the advantage of the considerable Brodleians slope in the first half, Selby went into the break with a slender 10 points to 7 lead, but they were given a lesson in how to use the conditions to their best advantage by the home side who scored a further four tries in the second period.

As would be expected, Selby soon gained territorial advantage but the home side quickly managed to get themselves onto the offensive, using their powerful forwards to drive up the slope and switching play from side to side to probe for openings in the Selby defence. After a couple of strong attacks and several phases of interplay between Backs and Forwards, Brodleians opened their account after just 10 minutes when their Open Side Flanker charged through the remnants of the Selby defence for a try which was easily converted and which established a 7 point lead. Selby responded positively and really took the play to the home side, creating their first chance of points when Brodleians were penalised for not releasing at the tackle after 17 minutes. Unfortunately for kicker Scott Hunt, the ball fell off the tee just a couple of strides before he would have struck the ball and a scrum was awarded to the home side for not playing the ball correctly. However the visitors maintained the pressure and after 23 minutes Hunt did manage to successfully convert his next chance at goal to reduce the gap to 4 points. As both teams tried to play expansive Rugby the game ebbed and flowed with a lack of precision often causing play to break down before any clear chances were created.

Selby were the next team to score when forcing a penalty at a scrum close to the Brodleians line after 35 minutes. With most people expecting another shot at goal, skipper Duncan Hardy's smart thinking and quickly taken tap penalty gave him the space he needed to crash over to the left of the sticks. Hunt's conversion was well struck and gave the visitors a 3 point advantage as the half drew to a close.

Any thoughts Selby had of mastering the slope and stealing a notable victory were soon dispelled as Brodleians started the second half at great pace, moving the ball about the pitch, supporting runners efficiently and dragging the defence from side to side. The half was barely underway before the Brodleians' American Prop Forward bagged himself a brace of tries, firstly bursting through the heart of the Selby defence after 42 minutes and then being in just the right place as Brodleians won a clean Line Out and spread the ball left and right before outnumbering the Selby defence after 48 minutes. With one of the scores successfully converted, the home side found themselves with a comfortable 9 point advantage just 8 minutes into the second half.

Facing an uphill struggle both literally and figuratively Selby made a number of changes from the Subs bench in an effort to stem the tide and to try to get some momentum themselves. However, Brodleians were able to contain everything thrown at them and extended their lead after 60 minutes when another Line Out catch and drive saw the Open Side peel off to register his second try of the afternoon, giving his side the try scoring bonus point into the bargain. The conversion put the result beyond any reasonable doubt at 26 points to 10, as the hosts began to force Selby onto the back foot by using the slope to kick deep into the Selby 22. Although Selby tried admirably to run their way out of defence, it was always going to be a difficult task against a fired up Brodleians defence. However the visitors did gain reward for their considerable efforts when they eventually forced their way up-field and a break through the middle by Charlie Cicero created the chance for youngster Harry Cruise to score his first try in Selby First XV colours. Almost inevitably, it was Brodleians who were to have the final word when their stand off firstly drilled a kick to the Selby 5 metre line and then showed excellent individual skills as he dummied and side stepped his way through an exhausted Selby defence for the final score of the afternoon.

With neither Ribblesdale nor Yarnbury managing to pick up any League points in their respective fixtures, the table remains very much as it was last week with Selby 3 points adrift of safety with just 2 games remaining. This week they entertain Heath who currently sit in 9th place in the table, knowing that anything less than a win will make holding onto their Yorkshire 1 status a very difficult ask, with only an away fixture at Scarborough on the 22nd April left to play.