RUGBY
UNION –
SKIPTON 7 – 19
OLD BRODLEIANS
This was real
top of the table stuff in front of the largest crowd of the season.
In the
first-half Brods were certainly the better team and built up a half-time lead
of 19-0. In the second half Skipton
fought back and looked capable of clinching a win but resolute defence work by
the visitors restricted the Reds to seven points and Brods deservedly took the
honours.
Brods now look
invincible as league leaders whilst Skipton remain in second place. However, the chasing pack are beginning to
gain ground on the Reds who need to return to winning ways if they are to
maintain their promotion challenge.
The game
started well for Skipton with the Reds forwards dominant as ever. Indeed, in the first ten minutes a pushover
try by the Reds seemed likely and that might well have altered the whole
outcome of the game. In reality neither
team scored in the first twenty five minutes and the game was pulsating from
end to end without either team looking favourites to win.
Then Brods
started to dominate for the rest of the first-half and soon their winger Adam
Standeven, who was a threat to the Reds all afternoon, zipped past a lapse in
defence and scored a try which he duly converted.
This seemed to
sap the energy of the Reds and soon Brods had scored a pushover try. Then Standeven again saw an opening to score
a further try which again he converted.
Suddenly, from looking like evenly matched teams, the visitors had
scored 19 points in fifteen minutes.
After the
re-start the Reds forward domination returned and for the rest of the game
Skipton had 70% of the play without Brods looking like scoring again.
The front row
of Phil Crossman, Chris Sheehan and John Firth battered away at Brods defence
and in the line ball after ball was being won with the jumping of Matthew
Boatwright outstanding. The half backs
of Adam Oldfield and Brydon Maiava were constantly on the ball and feeding out
but, despite endless breaks by the backs, they couldn’t get through the Brods
defence.
Sensibly,
Skipton then changed tactics by keeping the ball tight in the pack and this
soon paid off when Oldfield crashed over for a try, which, despite a bad angle,
Alex Naylor safely converted – score now 7-19.
With rain setting in and a slippery ball this was the tactic that was
needed.
Brods were now
looking worried and, in the last fifteen minutes, Skipton constantly battered
their line and several times surges came within inches of further tries. However, whilst the Reds had upped their
game, Brods defence had upped their resistance.
The clock dictated that the Reds come back was too late for victory and
Brods deservedly took the points back to