AN outbreak of Yellow Fever in the second-half eclipsed a hard fought game between joint second placed Skipton and Knottingley.

Six yellow cards, including one for Knottingley before the break, disrupted the game for both sides but gave Knottingley a second-half advantage with Skipton down to 13 men for ten minutes and 14 men for much of the half.

Knottingley had started well with the wind behind them, with an early breakaway unconverted try giving them a 5-0 lead. A Knottingley penalty for a Skipton high tackle put the home side into the corner but back-row Jordan Wilson stole the ball at the line-out and Skipton cleared.

A Knottingley high tackle in the next phase of play resulted in a yellow card, the first of many to come. Great forward pressure by Skipton gave winger Callum Jeffrey a break but a promising game from him was curtailed by a shoulder injury, as he was tackled into touch. He had to leave the field and was replaced by Adam Hardwick.

Skipton gained a penalty for a Knottingley off-side and opted for the scrum. A great forward drive took them down field but a forward pass gave the visitors the scrum and they punted back down field. Skipton were playing some good rugby and opted for the scrum for three more successive penalties, but the Knottingley defence held firm. A fourth penalty was put into the corner and Skipton came very close from the line-out but time ran out, as the referee blew for half-time.

At just 5-nil down with the wind behind them and forward dominance in the scrum, things looked promising for the home side, but it was not to be.

Skipton won the first scrum against the head and scrum-half Jake Emmison cleared down field. The home side were caught off-side and skipper Hamish Munro found himself on the receiving end of a yellow card for an alleged deliberate knock-on. Knottingley slotted the penalty to stretch their lead to 8-0.

Skipton forward Harry Maltby then received a yellow card and, with the home side down to 13 men, Knottingley ran in a breakaway second try which was converted to put them 15-0 ahead.

Scrum-half Emmison sustained a knee injury and was replaced by Kieran Taylor. A great forward drive by the home side from a tap penalty saw Munro and hooker Charlie Brown over but adjudged held-up. No. 8 Anthony Chapman returned the goal line drop-out with interest but a knock-on ended the move. It was then the visitors turn to receive a yellow card, for not rolling away. Skipton received the next for an infringement at the ruck and Knottingley were awarded the sixth for a similar infringement on the ground.

The disruption, with players off the field, left gaps in the Skipton defence as the clock ticked down. Knottingley ran in a third unconverted try with the last move of the game to come away winners by 20-0.