Stocksbridge Rugby travelled to Otley to take on Ensians at the weekend, & were left to count the cost of their ill discipline, returning with nothing following a 19pts to 6 pts reversal.
Missing 8 first XV regulars, Stocksbridge Rugby still have the depth of squad to send a strong side, with high expectations, & welcomed back lanky 2nd Rower Liam Roebuck after a short spell with neighbours Barnsley RUFC.
Playing with the elements in the first half the Stocksbridge defence held firm after failing to collect the kick off cleanly, & gradually worked their way down the field, gaining territory with some accurate kicking from Bowskill & Frith.
Recalled winger Callum Green chased a kick & harried the home side's full back into making an error, & Bowskill was on target with his first effort from 35 metres to nudge the visitors in front.
Ensians responded with some good periods of possession however, the Stocksbridge Rugby line speed was up to the task with loose forwards Spencer & Aspin foraging well, & centres Westby & Liam O'Leary proving strong in the contact areas.
Slammin Sam Whitaker returning from an ankle injury collecting a nicely timed off load from skipper Keenan, to send Westby away. A try scoring pass to the whippet Green was harshly adjudged to be forward, & the chance was lost.
Some confident running rugby threatened to cause trouble for the home side, but a stray pass, dropped ball or needless penalty kept the home side in the game. In contrast Stocksbridge forced error upon error to thwart the Ensians attack with more good defending.
Bowskill knocked his second penalty over from close range, after good scrum pressure forced the home pack to concede however the half ended with slammin Sam Whitaker, on his return from ankle injury, sent to the sin bin for illegal entry at the breakdown.
Stocksbridge Rugby were down to 14 men, but had a 6 point advantage going into the break.
Playing into the wind in the 2nd stanza, the plucky visitors kept hold of the ball & kept the home side at bay. Tempers began to fray as the home side struggled to gain a foot hold in the game. Another yellow card, this time for Roebuck for a professional foul, further reduced Stocksbridge to 13 men for a short period. The scrum even managed to win their ball with a 2 man disadvantage ! This may well have provoked the incident that saw prop Joe Smith red carded for stamping & co prop Mike Folliard had to leave the field with a facial injury after a brawl, which sadly included a couple of the home spectators.
The weight of numbers began to take it's toll on an overworked Stocksbridge defence, & it was not until the 68th minute that Ensians finally managed to score a try, with the conversion missed Stocksbridge Rugby were in front by a point with just 6 minutes left.
Ensians sensed blood, quite literally as Hirst was also forced from the field with a head injury, & they finally made their superior numbers count with a close range try & conversion to take the lead, still leaving Stocksbridge Rugby in a losing bonus point position.
The home side sealed victory late in the game with the final try, leaving the plucky visitors with nothing to show for their efforts, except bumps & bruises. This defeat sees Stocksbridge Rugby slip to 6th in the league, with any lingering hopes of promotion now gone.
Centre Ben Westby won the Bradfield Brewery man of the match aware for a courageous display in mid field, with Tom Spencer & James 'chopsey' Lambert also showing up well. Scrum half Adam Frith is now finding some form after his return from a rib injury.
Afterwards Head Coach Andy Tyers said 'the effort & enthusiasm was there, & we were in control for long periods, we're just killing ourselves with the amount of card we 're picking up. Whether they're harsh or not, the numbers will tell, & we have to learn'
There is no let up for Stocksbridge Rugby as they must brush themselves down for a must win trip to Harrogate Pythons at the weekend for a re-arranged fixture. There is a supporters bus, so please contact the club to reserve your seat.

A bit frustrating........