North Ribblesdale 22 Heath 17

NORTH Ribblesdale salvaged a much-needed Yorkshire One win after weathering an early storm and hitting back.

Heath went ahead after just two minutes when their new fly half James Robson created a try for Louis Barrett. Full back Jordan Bradbrook added the conversion.

The Heath pack were making life tough for North Ribblesdale and shunted them around in the scrum as the home side failed to take advantage of the wind to clear.

The pressure led to a second try from a line-out after David Fox had scrambled one attack clear. Fergus Marsden tapped the ball down for Dominic Walsh to score. Bradbrook missed the relatively easy conversion.

A mistake from the kick off saw Ribb force their way into the Heath half and gain a penalty for offside which Michael Thwaite kicked to open their account.

Ribb were roused by the score and Johnny Moore charged Bradbrook's attempted clearance kick and got away under the posts. Thwaite converted the try and despite being under the cosh for 20 minutes, Ribb were just two points adrift.

Their joy at hitting back was tempered almost immediately. Si Brown charged down a kick and Eddie Cartwright ran in his side's third try.

Heath were putting the home side under heavy pressure and shunting their scrum around, but Ribb's gritty defence and tough tackling kept them out.

The foraging of the Ribb back row, aided by Will Booth and James Dugdale, kept them in the game.

Half-time was a relief for Ribb and they received a further boost when the wind dropped in strength.

Ribb started to compete for the loose ball with John Padley securing possession, but Heath were still rampant in the scrum so Graham Newhouse was introduced.

This switch meant Ribb were able to secure useable possession and this allowed them to bring David Fox into the game. They were rewarded when Dugdale forced his way over for a try after three pick and drives. Thwaite's conversion levelled the scores.

Heath were rattled and Fox was causing serious problems for the defence and another slicing run almost brought a score. Heath cleared and the Ribb line-out functioned and Padley got a deserved side to give his side the lead.

Ribb squandered a great try-scoring opportunity as well as frittering away two penalties by kicking to the corner and then losing the subsequent line-outs.

Heath went back to their scrum and a couple of conceded penalties got them into the Ribb 22. When the visitors won a further penalty they opted for a scrum. The first rotated, the second collapsed and the third saw Ribb shunted back as Ian Close won it against the head.The ball squirted out and Peter Cook kicked it dead to finish the game.