Selby 13 Sandal 27
This Yorkshire One top of the table clash saw Sandal maintain their 100% winning start to the season with a hard fought but ultimately well deserved victory at Selby.
Selby showed their intentions early when, after choosing to play with the wind behind them, fly half Dan Porter attempted to pen Sandal back in their own 22 metre area with a succession of long kicks to touch. It was Porter who gave Selby an early 3 – 0 lead when he converted a well struck penalty from wide out following a Sandal infringement. Sandal quickly hit back with one of the best constructed tries they have scored in recent seasons. From five metres from their line the Milnthorpe Green men went through several phases of play before releasing the ball wide from inside their own 22 and quick hands saw wing Simon Frewin beat two men before kicking ahead. The kick was followed up by centre Danny Mitchell who picked up at pace drew the cover and offloaded to the supporting Frewin who touched down wide out to give his side a two point lead on the quarter hour.
Shortly after Sandal were again penalised for holding on in the tackle and home fly half Porter kicked another long range penalty from wide out to re-establish Selby’s lead. This lead was further extended when Porter followed up his own speculative kick to the Sandal line, charged down the attempted clearance and touched down to score. He was successful with the conversion and Selby now had a 13 – 5 lead.
The game continued in the same pattern with Selby kicking for position and Sandal moving the ball through hands with it being impossible to gain ground through kicking into the wind. Sandal were forced to make a change on the 30 minute mark when young full back Chris Reakes sustained an achilles injury and was replaced by Andy Hall with Dan McCormack switching to full back. On the stroke of half time Sandal attacked from deep again and the pressure caused the home side to commit an offence in front of their posts allowing the league leaders to move to within one score at 13 points to 8 when fly half Tom Smith kicked a penalty as the referee blew for the break.
Sandal now had the wind in their favour and following a few words of advice by coaches Jim Kilfoyle and David Heron, the Sandal pack began to gain the ascendancy. Five minutes into the half Selby were penalised for holding on at a ruck and Tom Smith kicked his second penalty. From the kick off Sandal were soon on the attack again. The forwards, with Sean Maguire prominent following his return from Morley, set up a position from which fly half Smith was able to fall back into the pocket and had the time to drop a goal and put Sandal 14 – 13 in front with twenty minutes to play.
The home side were now forced to chase the game and received a boost when Sandal flanker Alastair Burgess was sin binned for 10 minutes. From this position Selby kicked to the corner and pressured the Sandal line for fully five minutes. They drove over the Sandal line twice but were held up superbly on both occasions and from the resulting scrum Sandal, with seven forwards against eight, managed to win the ball against the put in and clear their line. Then from a loose line out ball on halfway Sandal no.8 Sean Maguire pounced and fed replacement back row Ben Brindley who in turn passed to scrum half Max Whittingham who was himself was held up over the line. From the ensuing five metre scrum the Sandal forwards drove second row man James Riley over for his first try in recent memory and with fly half Tom Smith converting Selby were now required to score twice.
Sandal continued to move the ball and full back Dan McCormack was ruled to have come into contact first with the corner flag after a superb run from half way and the scoring was completed by Smith who kicked his third penalty and second drop goal following constant pressure. The final five minutes saw Selby continue to battle and run the ball from deep but it was to no avail as captain Matt Hemingway led his Sandal team from the front to maintain their unbeaten record and stay top of the Yorkshire One table.
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