INJURY-hit North Ribblesdale are back off the bottom of Yorkshire Division One.

Their 17-13 home win over Acklam took them level on league points with Yarnbury, but Ribb moved above the Leeds club on matches won, even though they have an inferior points difference.

"We are suffering a bit of an injury crisis at the moment, mainly in the backs, and had to chop and change, but we won," said coach Craig Eccleston.

"We played Andrew Thwaite at centre - he is usually a second row - and moved Mick Thwaite to 12 to give Alex Naylor a run at ten."

Eccleston added: "We started really well and managed to get parity in the set-piece, which was something we didn't manage at Acklam (when Ribb lost 21-17 in September).

"We led 17-0 at half-time on Saturday, and the team talk was to do the same again and keep our discipline, but we conceded a string of penalties, which meant that we had to do more defending than we would have liked.

"They kicked two penalties and scored a converted try to make it 17-13, and we had two players in the sin bin in the second half in Alex Naylor and prop Graham Newhouse.

"However, we won, although we were disappointed to let Acklam, who are not the whipping boys that people imagined they would be, gain a losing bonus point."

Such are Ribb's injury woes that Boxing Day's match against Wharfedale at The Avenue (2pm) will not be the usual contest between a first team and Wharfedale Foresters.

Eccleston explained: "We can't afford to risk any of our injured players, so we will have Andy Thwaite in the second row, and will also start Ian Close and Richard Lynn, with Michael Thwaite on the bench with Josh Long, plus John Thwaite as front-row cover."

Wharfedale will be fielding their development (third) team but it will still be an excuse to get out of the house, get some fresh air in your lungs and watch a game of rugby and therefore maintain a long-standing festive fixture.