Wensleydale 12 Stocksbridge 25

Stocksbridge started 2013 top of the league and they set off with every intention of blowing Wensleydale apart. The ball was run and driven with purpose, but the last ball was thrown too ambitiously and instead of being in front early, Bridge found themselves entrenched on their own line. They survived and set about building a winning platform and the pack drove the opposition back in the scrums and Andy Beal and Ricky Rowett dominated the line outs. Peter Newton showed the rest of the back row how to tackle and how effective he is over the ball. Scot Bowskill opened the scoring with a penalty, before he had to be replaced, shaken up.
Bridge extended this, when a 5 metre attacking scrum was wheeled, but the ball was swung in the opposite direction, down the threequarter line for the bald headed assassin to scamper over. The conversion extended the lead to 10. Stocksbridge were definitely on top and then they won an opposition lineout at the back and the ball was spun again to the left, where Dave Potts made a dart and enough space to put Ben Senior in for his second, poetry in motion. The half had only a couple of minutes left, when stand off Ben Westby, sprinted round the outside to dive over wide out.
Three tries and 20 points surely the game was put to bed and the bonus point would be just a matter of time? Not the case, as possession was frittered and too many forwards hung out rather than grafted over the ball. The threequarters didn’t learn from the first half and the ball was driven through the middle rather than spun wide. In fact Wensleydale scored next through centre James Heskoth and then second row Sam Blackburn, picked up in a ruck on the line and made the hard final yard. This closed the gap to 8 points and Bridge whilst never in danger of defeat, began to look uncomfortable. They knew how important the bonus point would be and began to grind it out. They lost a man after a flare up in a maul, but what was worse it was on the opposition’s line so they also lost position. Time was running out when the ball was moved quickly from scrum half Adam Frith to captain Rhys Keenan who bulled through the blindside and rolled over to score in the corner. His first try of the season and a very timely one. They trooped off the field to the strains of the mystery bugler, with smiles on their faces and to the delight of the visiting bus load of fans.

MoM - Ben Senior

Happy 60th Birthday to 1st XV Team Manger Les Frith