Old Yardleians R.F.C. 15 Old Saltleians 7
A new year - another match - and a sense of deja vu. Old Yardleians had drawn Old Saltleians out of the pool having beaten them in their previous game before Christmas by 52 - 19. That game was not as easy as the score suggested and neither was this one!
Following Rob's success at fly half in the previous game, he retained the position and a fit again Andy W was played on the wing. Old Yardleians started well and Dan appeared on the wing and must have scored if only Darren had passed to him! The pressure was maintained and a penalty to Old Yardleians saw Steff kicking for the corner. The ball was well caught and the referee awarded a "mark" to the defending player. Another good attacking move finally saw Adam going over for the first try.
Will caught an awkward bobbling ball from the restart and a trade mark Old Yardleians maul was formed. Dan broke away - as he so often does - and made good progress upfield. Old Saltleians seemed to move up a gear at this stage though and started to get more of the ball and began to put pressure on Old Yardleians. Strong tackling kept them at bay until Adam suffered a shoulder injury and had to leave the field. This prompted a major reshuffle with Dan replacing Adam at prop, Jaime moving to flanker to relace Dan, Andy W moving to centre to replace Jaimie and Ben coming on to replace Andy W on the wing. Ben had played for Old Yardleians a few years ago but this was his first game back - and he got in a good tackle straight away. Maybe the reshuffle upset the Old Yardleians concentration but Old Saltleians scored a try after a fine passing move. The conversion put them in to the lead 7-5.
Old Saltleians kept up the pressure on the Old Yardleians try line. Will then came off for a bacon sandwich and a drink treatment but luckily Adam had recovered sufficiently to take his place. A good clearance kick from Joe gave some respite and led to a brief period of Old Yardleians possession and a good break in particular from Chris. The injury curse continued to the Old Yardleians props however, with Dan now coming off after taking a nasty kick in the ribs (apparently not spotted by the referee). A rejuvenated Will came back on to replace him.
Half time: Old Yardleians 5 Old Saltleians 7
The second half started with an Old Saltleians player being sent off for ten minutes following a punch. Old Yardleians took full advantage and Adam scored his second try of the match (and his fourth try in two matches - not bad for a prop forward!) Dan was itching to get back on but his return was delayed by a couple of penalties awarded in quick succession to Old Saltleians who were camped out on the Old Yardleians line despite being a player short. Eventually Dan got back on prompting another reshuffle which resulted in Old Yardleians reverting to the formation and the players they had started the match with!
Old Saltleians' miscreant returned with his team under pressure again. Nick and Will both tried to burst through a resolute defensive line. A penalty was awarded to Old Yardleians and Matt was driven forward but knocked on with the try line in sight. Another sustained attacking move led to Joe scoring the try of the match in the right hand corner.
Dan had to leave the field after being punched and was replaced by Lee. Old Saltleians put in one final burst of energy and looked like scoring a try. Two short penalties were awarded but Old Yardleians defended them well. Dan returned again for the last few minutes replacing Jaimie in the centre but almost immediately Darren was sent off for throwing a punch. The final whistle came just a few minutes later before anything else had time to develop.
Full time: Old Yardleians 15 Old Saltleians 7
Team: Steff, Chris, Darren, Jaimie, Andy W, Rob, Joe, Adam, James, Will, Tom J, Matt, Andy R, Dan, Nick. Replacements: Ben (for Adam) Lee (for Dan)
Scorers: Tries - Adam (2) and Joe