SELBY 15 BARNSLEY 19
NORTHERN DIVISION YORKSHIRE LEAGUE DIVISION 2.

In this pulsating game played in front of a big, vociferous crowd, including a fair contingent from the deeper regions of Dickie Bird country, the Swans truly showed that they can compete with any of the teams in Yorkshire 2 as they stretched their high flying visitors to the limit, and with just a little steadier finishing could easily have taken the spoils.
Barnsley, though are not top of the league for nothing, as they achieved the first shut out of the season for Selby, with all of the home points coming from the increasingly educated boot of young off half Josh Cruise and crucially they scored the only try of the game with a breakaway by flying winger Scorah.
Selby started the half in the confident mood in which they played throughout the game, but an early Cruise penalty was cancelled almost immediately by a similar effort from his opposite number Jensen then with both sides leaking penalties & the visitors seemingly nervous, with one eye on the finishing line, Cruise put his team in front with his second successful score.
The Sandhill Lane men were looking good, but a seemingly easy run in for winger Lunt was spoiled by a pass a metre behind him, then with the visitors being tested & stretched by the free running Selby backs, Barnsley stole possession & winger Scorah found enough room down the touchline to demonstrate the art of finishing to the shell shocked opposition.
Jensen made no mistake with the conversion to increase the slender lead, and this seemed to energise his troops with his forwards starting to put the Selby eight under pressure with hooker Casson claiming two successive strikes against the head.
The Swans, though, refused to buckle and a further Cruise penalty kept them in the game, and the talking point in the crowd was what could have been, in a first half of missed opportunities had a couple of passes just gone to hand.

The second half started with the home side immediately pressing, but good defence & over eagerness was forcing mistakes and then the visitors upped their game & Selby were forced into determined defence as the red machine ground inexorably forward and another Jensen penalty stretched their lead.
Selby then bounced straight back & a further Cruise penalty put them to within a point, but once again the Shaw Lane men upped the pressure and it was the Swans who were forced into a period of superb and furious defence and as they fought their way into the opposition half, the cool Cruise calmly converted his fifth penalty and for Selby to claim the lead.
Then virtually from the kick off Barnsley forced a mistake and in attempting to rescue the situation Selby gave away a penalty which was gratefully accepted by the jubilant Jensen.
Then as the game approached it’s climax, simple mistakes by the home side erased any advantage then a final Jensen penalty pushed the difference so that Selby needed a try to win the game and in a dramatic finale as they threw everything bar the kitchen sink at the opposition, somehow the defence held and the roar from the South Yorkshire support that greeted the final whistle was one of elation laced with relief.
Selby for all their enterprise and effort will only gain a solitary league point, and this was a case of “ could have, should have”, but with such a young side still developing the future is indeed looking bright.

The Swans will once again need to raise their game next week as they hit the road once more & travel to Horsforth to meet a Yarnbury side running into form & featuring ex Selby No 10 Karl Patterson. The game was mistakenly billed as a “ double header “ in the club programme with the winners claiming both the league points and the entry to the semi-final of the Yorkshire Shield , however the home side declined the opportunity and now require Selby to make the journey twice.

SELBY LINE-UP:

15 Full Back Porter D
14 Wing Saunders O
13 Centre Webster A
12 Centre Arthur A
11 Wing Lunt B
10 Stand Off Cruise J
9 Scrum Half Butcher J
1 Prop Pocklington A
2 Hooker Greenfield J
3 Prop Bell T
4 Lock Lanaghan B
5 Lock Hirst J
6 Flanker Brown K
7 Flanker Weller S
8 No 8 Booth B

Substitutes

Randell P (For Brown K – 62 Minutes)
Protheroe M (For Booth B – 64 Minutes)
Adamson I (For Saunders O – 72 Minutes

NORTHERN DIVISION YORKSHIRE LEAGUE DIVISION 2
SEASON 2011-2012.

TEAM P W D L FOR AGAINST DIFF B.P.'s POINTS DED

Barnsley 23 18 2 3 752 374 378 15 91
Bradford Salem 23 16 3 4 686 321 365 14 84
West Park Leeds 23 13 5 5 590 332 258 14 76
Wath Upon Dearne 21 16 0 5 637 323 314 11 75
SELBY 23 14 0 9 523 425 98 14 70
Hullensians 23 15 1 7 534 536 -2 12 69 5
Leodiensian 23 13 1 9 530 376 154 12 66
Yarnbury 22 12 1 9 504 459 45 12 62
Doncaster Phoenix 23 8 2 13 417 549 -132 10 46
West Leeds 21 8 1 12 435 546 -111 7 41
Skipton 23 6 1 16 334 616 -282 7 33
Ripon 22 5 1 16 324 533 -209 5 27
Moortown 23 3 0 20 326 788 -462 6 13 5
Goole 23 2 0 21 304 717 -413 5 13