RUGBY
UNION –
GOOLE 27 – 7
SKIPTON
After
occupying a promotion place since the start of the season, it is so
disappointing to see the Reds now performing so badly against low placed teams and
thus putting their prospects for promotion in jeopardy. Losing to second from bottom Dinnington two
weeks ago could be excused as a blip but being totally outplayed on Saturday by
third from bottom Goole was a total humiliation.
The reality in
both these disappointing games is that opposition fighting to stave off
relegation has worked harder to gain the points than Skipton has. The other factor seems to be that Skipton very
much pre-plan strategy and when external factors such as a howling gale off the
sea greets them or when injuries occur they have difficulty adapting.
Saturday’s
performance really was dire and worse was to come when the game had to be
abandoned just before the end due to serious injury to the Red’s full-back Lee
Battle. It was a dejected Skipton team
which left the field heavily defeated with their colleague still on the field
waiting to be taken to hospital.
The first
twenty minutes of the game had seen both teams equally matched albeit Goole had
the benefit of the wind behind them. It
was also clear that they intended to use their renowned heavyweight pack to
advantage and indeed it was unusual to see the usually infallible Red’s
forwards not being able to control the game. When Skipton did get the ball the link between
the forwards through the half-backs to the backs was poor all day. By now Goole were 5-0 up. Then an appalling grub kick forward by Skipton
straight into Goole’s hands gave them a further easy try which a conversion and
then a successful penalty kick enabled them to build up a 15-0 lead by half
time.
There was some
hope in the opening few minutes of the second half when flanker Iain Sneddon,
active and alert as always, darted in for a try. Brydon Maiava beat the gale to get the
conversion and Skipton seemed back in the game.
But Goole,
sensing victory, kept grinding away making Skipton look second best. All their
scores came from hard work by their forwards. They added two more tries before the game was
sadly abandoned after seventy minutes because of the leg/knee injury to Lee
Battle. Goole’s win at 27-7 was a major boost to their survival but a major
blow to Skipton.
The only good
news was that Skipton’s biggest threat, Yarnbury, also lost heavily and so
promotion to Division 1 is still within Skipton’s grasp but the final four
games are going to be nail biting!