Baildon 22 Skipton 29

SKIPTON secured their place in the final of the Yorkshire Silver Trophy with an explosive first-half performance.

The Reds stormed out of the blocks and scored three tries in the opening ten minutes.

A fourth on the stroke of half-time established a 29-5 lead as they blew their Yorkshire Three rivals away.

Playing down the slope, the visitors put an early penalty into the corner. Smooth ball from the line-out saw full back Matty Langstaff and centre Jon Currie put winger Josh Smith over for the opening try. Stand-off Carl Patterson added the extra points.

The re-start did not go ten yards giving Skipton the scrum. The ball was again fed to Langstaff who broke through the Baildon line with a fantastic turn of speed to put scrum-half Sam Brearley over for try number two. Patterson was again on target with the conversion.

A good take at the next line-out by second row Rick Willshire allowed Patterson to put Skipton back down field with a nice chip through.

The Baildon winger knocked on giving Skipton the scrum. An infringement at the set piece by the home side saw Skipton awarded a penalty and they opted for the scrum.

Quick hands from No 8 Harry McEneaney and Brearley put Langstaff over for Skipton's third try.

The conversion attempt drifted just wide of the posts and Skipton were 19-0 up after just ten minutes.

Baildon then settled into the game and worked their way up field putting pressure on Skipton's line.

They came close, crossing the line under the posts but the ball was adjudged to have been held up. From the five-metre scrum the home side spun the ball out to their winger Ricky Powell who went over in the corner.

The difficult touchline conversion attempt was not successful.

Skipton worked their way down the field from the re-start, stealing the ball at a line-out and gaining scrums for not straight and several Baildon knock-ons.

They were eventually awarded a penalty for Baildon not rolling away, which Patterson converted to extend the lead.

Currie made an excellent return from the re-start and chipped through for Smith to touch down but his feet were over the dead ball line and the try was not awarded.

Smith had another chance after the Baildon tight head prop received a yellow card for repeated infringements on the ground.

Skipton put the ball into the corner and won a scrum from the line-out following a great recovery at the ruck by flanker Charlie Brown.

The ball was well worked from the back of the scrum and Langstaff fed Smith for a morale boosting fourth try. Patterson converted on the stroke of half-time to make it 29-5.

The visitors then faced a hard second half, defending their lead up the slope.

A Baildon interception ten minutes into the half put the ball into the corner, where re-cycled ball across the back line saw winger Luke Strauss go over for a try.

Skipton coach Dave Duxbury, who was facing his old club, predicted: "This is going to be the hardest 30 minutes of the season."

A second yellow card for Baildon for a high tackle did not deter them and Strauss scored again following intense pressure on Skipton's line.

Duxbury made changes in the Skipton pack,sending Luke Daniels on for Charlie Brown and Jordan Wilson for young Tom Huxley.

Baildon knocked-on from the re-start which relieved the pressure, but they came back again and this time it was Skipton's turn to receive a yellow card, for prop Aaron Tattersall-Jarvis.

Skipton were forced to weather ten minutes of intense pressure on their own line.

A try by full back Mattie Robinson and conversion on the stroke of full time by JJ O'Connell, flattered Baildon on an afternoon which belonged to Skipton.