North Ribblesdale 34 Hullensians 5

NORTH Ribblesdale secured their biggest win of the season and put seven points between themselves and the bottom two in the Yorkshire One table.

Despite conceding an early score and absorbing some heavy pressure they won by a comfortable margin.

The icing on the cake came in the final minute when Matt Speres blasted over for the bonus-point try.

Ribb have been improving week on week and they are reducing their tactical errors which have lost them games and points.

They have a very young back three and a light back five in the scrum which gives them good mobility.

This allied to a solid scrum anchored by Matt Close and a hardworking second row pairing of Andy Thwaite and Will Booth, means they can win the tight ball and are quick in the loose.

One of their strongest assets is a tough midfield which means only the best can break through.

It was a credit to the hard-working groundstaff that the game was able to take place. The pleasant sunshine at kick-off soon gave way to less pleasant conditions but the pitch held up.

Hullensians made the early running and went ahead with a try by Rob Harding after their pack had battered the home line.

Ribb didn’t let the early setback trouble them and after Ryan Sumner had gone close, Mick Thwaite opened their account from a penalty.

Ribb went ahead soon after when Richard Lynn plunged over for a try after Speres had been held up. Thwaite’s conversion made it 10-5 at half-time.

Ribb started the second half with a good take and kept the ball for a long period before forcing Hullensians back.

The visitors were becoming rattled and gave away several penalties which eventually led to the referee handing out a yellow card.

Ribb took advantage and engineered a midfield scrum from which Sumner burst over for a try which Thwaite converted.

The home side were firmly on top and controlled the ball well for Speres to burst over from a scrum pick up, something he does not do often enough.

Hullensians were back to full strength when Ribb’s John Padley was banished for a team offence.

The visitors couldn’t turn numerical superiority into points and Thwaite extended Ribb’s lead with another penalty.

Ribb had their eyes on a bonus point and claimed it in the final minute. A searing break and kick by David Fox put them on the front foot.

Ian Close won a strike against the head in the 22 and that gave Speres space to dive over for a converted try to seal a good afternoon for Ribb.