SELBY RUFC 6 v 3 MIDDLESBROUGH RUFC

Report by Ray Adamson

A nerveless penalty kick by Josh Cruise deep into injury time secured Selby a vital and deserved win against a robust and resolute Middlesbrough side and finally exacted revenge for what many Selby supporters consider one of the greatest travesties in the Club’s history. In the 2001 season, on their only previous visit to Sandhill Lane, the two teams met in the semi-final of the County's premier Cup competition at a time when Middlesbrough were playing in the National League Competition. Selby were leading by 15 points to 13 at the end of normal time and were robbed of a place in the final when, in the 8th minute of time added on, the Middlesbrough fly-half dropped a goal with the final move of the match to snatch the victory and deny Selby their moment of glory.

On this occasion Selby were the dominant side from the first whistle to the last in terms of possession and territory but again they found it difficult to penetrate a stubborn Middlesbrough defence. Things looked promising from the outset as Selby stole the ball at the kick off through Dominic Bosher and took the game to their opponents. With only 2 minutes gone the home side were rewarded with a penalty for offside and Cruise opened his account with a well struck kick. Unfortunately for the players and spectators alike that was to be the highlight of an otherwise frustrating first half as both sides struggled to find any cohesion, not helped by the frequency of interventions from referee Ben Raynor. Selby had a couple of further scoring opportunities in the 17th and 24th minute but Cruise was unable to give Selby the sort of lead that their play deserved. Indeed it was Middlesbrough who ended the half brighter and who levelled things up going in to the break when Selby were penalised for holding on after 38 minutes and visiting full-back Jack Bircham hit the target with his kick.

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, with Selby on top, Middlesbrough conceding penalties and the home side unable to find a way of extending their lead. The one try scoring opportunity of the second half fell to scrum-half Neil Francis who made a lightning quick break into the Middlesbrough 22 with 68 minutes gone. Had he chosen to back himself on the sprint to the line he would have been rewarded with a fine individual score, but instead he chose to look inside and pass to his support. The ball was spilled, the chance was gone and as the game wore on the tension mounted. Four further penalty kicks at goal were spurned as Cruise and then Cody Whittaker were unable to find the necessary accuracy to seal the win and nerves were visibly frayed when Middlesbrough drove their way into the Selby 22 and forced a series of scrums close to the Selby line with just 5 minutes remaining. The home defence was severely tested, but remained resolute until a penalty awarded against Middlesbrough enabled Selby to clear their lines and avert the immediate danger.

As the clock ticked over into time added on Selby threw everything into one final assault on the Middlesbrough defence and, having retained the ball on numerous occasions, forced the visitors to concede yet another penalty. Despite an otherwise disappointing afternoon with the boot, youngster Josh Cruise proved himself up to the challenge, striking the ball perfectly to nail the match-winning kick and secure a crucial victory in what is turning out to be a very competitive League where just a dozen points separate Middlesbrough in third place and Hullensians who sit just one spot above the relegation zone in twelfth place.