Fantastic start puts Ribb on victory trail (From Craven Herald)

Fantastic start puts Ribb on victory trail

9:00am Thursday 25th February 2010 in

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West Park Leeds 19 North Ribblesdale 34

North Ribblesdale made an excellent start at West Park Leeds scoring 14 points inside the opening ten minutes to leave their Bramhope hosts always chasing the game.

When Park’s outstanding full-back Jason Whitehead, who went on to perform heroically, fielded the kick off return and unloaded to Jack Bickerdike it looked as though the scrum half’s long pass would put winger Simon Towler into space.

Instead Ribblesdale winger Simon Spensley spotted the interception opportunity, clung on by his fingertips then shot away to the posts to give his side an instant lead.

This was doubled when mighty flanker Michael Carr broke through on the right.

He was well held but managed to slip the ball to allow No 8 Ryan Kirkbride to go over at the side of the posts.

Stephen Moon added both conversions and the home men were facing mission impossible.

The lead was extended when the excellent referee, the former Wakefield, Rotherham and Yorkshire star Terry Garnett, played a good advantage and fly-half Moon popped over a routine drop goal from the 22 to take the lead to 17 points.

Disaster beckoned but the home pack was competing well at the set piece and the two back lines looked well matched in what was developing into a fascinating contest, which ebbed and flowed throughout.

A good restart took play into Ribb territory and when the home forwards put the drive on the Ribb pack conceded the penalty. Conor Armstrong was on target from wide right on the 22 and followed up with a similar effort five minutes later.

Moon’s radar went awry when he went for goal but he added a penalty on the stroke of half-time, although the hosts felt that they were still in the game.

The home backs were trying all they knew and when fly-half Armstrong and centres Stewart McLure and Matt Stevens combined only a high tackle prevented Simon Towler from going over in the corner.

The Park pressure was maintained, Sam Booth’s initial charge down the right being half stopped.

The powerful winger kept on his feet, lock Dan Thompson stripping the ball then pirouetting over.

The Park forwards charged straight back from the restart and when the Ribb back row came in from the side Armstrong converted from 35 metres to narrow the gap to just six points.

Moon was unlucky when his attempt from similar range struck the crossbar, sat up then fell back into play.

However, the lead was stretched soon after when Kiwi centre John Moimoi escaped the shackles put on him by opposite number Matt Stevens for the one and only time to sneak through the back of a ruck for a well taken try.

West Park returned to the attack, trying to work the ball wide to their pace men but the Ribb cover was good and the break wouldn’t come.

The home forwards created the next score, taking advantage of Armstrong’s pin-point kick to the five metre line to drive over with comparative ease, skipper Bickerdike claiming the touchdown.

League leaders Ribb had the last word as scrum-half David Fox crossed in the closing stages as Ribb continued their seemingly inevitable march to the Yorkshire Two title.

However, the hosts had shown that they could compete with the best the league has to offer and given a better start the outcome could perhaps have been different.

p On Saturday North Ribblesdale are without a game but the following Saturday, March 6, the first and second teams travel to Old Leodiensians in Alwoodley, Leeds.

North Ribblesdale’s second string also visited Bramhope to take on West Park Warriors, who were in imperious form, scoring tries at will against a bewildered Ribb in a 66-5 rout.

Speed merchant Nazir Karim led the way with a hat-trick of tries while Carl Nutchey and the hugely impressive back row forward Kier Walker each grabbed two.

Other try scorers were centre Tom Crookall, flanker Graham Foxton, the versatile Leon Birtles, winger Liam Gray and scrum-half Jamie White.

Andy Cromack added three conversions to the massive home score tally.