Sandal 32 Selby 10
Sandal kept their Twickenham dreams alive with a victory over fellow Yorkshire One promotion rivals Selby as they moved into Round 4 North of the EDF Senior Vase. The Milnthorpe Green men had the game wrapped up by half time when they had scored 27 points without reply. Sandal took control from the start moving their opponents around the pitch and opened the scoring on ten minutes when winger Simon Frewin used pace and power to cross with fly half Tom Smith converting. Continued pressure in the Selby twenty two saw the visitors infringe on two occasions and Smith converted both opportunities to extend his side’s lead to thirteen points before Frewin again left the opposition cover for dead to scorch over from 60 metres with Smith obliging with the additional points. Selby continued to put up a robust resistance without really threatening to break through in the first period and Sandal put the game safe on forty minutes when following a break out from their own half by winger Dave Ell with his forwards taking over and driving their opponents over the line resulting in scrum half Max Whittingham touching down and fly half Smith converting superbly from the touchline to increase the lead to twenty seven points.
The second half saw Selby come out and present a totally different proposition. Playing down the slope and with the increasing wind the visitors had most of the play in the second period but committed home defence kept them out and Sandal extended their lead somewhat against the run of play when from loose ball in his own half winger Simon Frewin handed off his opposite number and outpaced the cover to cross in the corner to complete his third hat trick of the season. From the re-start, though, Selby immediately took possession and good hands saw centre Weller dive over in the corner and he repeated this shortly after when running clear from thirty metres out. With captain Matt Hemingway leading from the front with some massive hits in defence and prop Ashley Norbury coming on to replace his brother Rob for a superb debut Sandal held firm to win by 32 points to 10 and find themselves five games away from that coveted place in the final at Twickenham.
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