North Ribblesdale 26 Old Brodleians 20

NORTH Ribblesdale hung on to secure a rare victory over long-time rivals Old Brodleians at Grove Park.

It was only their second Yorkshire One win of the season and few would have predicted such an outcome.

They did have a few slices of luck but made the most of them. The most crucial was Brods’ lack of a reliable goal kicker which saw them fail to convert any of their four tries while several penalty opportunities went begging.

Ribb were rewarded for their sheer application while their much lighter pack managed to move their heavier opponents around at times.

Once again, the line-out went well and the backs defended well and created space for Omari Kaup-Samuels to dive over in the corner for a fine try.

The three-quarters are increasingly fluent with Ryan Sumner complementing Steven Moon’s effervescence alongside distributor Jonny Moore. It has meant that the wingers see plenty of ball with Tom Frik looking extremely quick.

Ribb started brightly and went ahead when David Fox slotted over a fifth-minute penalty.

Brods hit back when their outside centre bumped off a tackle following a line-out and scored the first try.

The score didn’t dishearten Ribb who edged into a 6-5 lead when Fox kicked his second penalty when the visitors were caught offside after good work from Will Booth, Matt Close and Will Thwaite.

Brods exerted pressure from the kick off and it resulted in a try for their right winger.

The see-saw nature of the scoring continued as Ribb mauled their way over the line and Andrew Thwaite claimed the touchdown, before Brods came back with a try by their full back to take a 15-11 half-time lead.

Ribb had to weather early pressure in the second half with Moore, John Padley and Moon managing to clear to halfway. They won the ensuing line-out and created a fine try for Samuels after Sumner broke the defensive line.

Fox kicked a penalty to stretch the lead to 19-15 before Moon charged down a clearance and created the opportunity for man of the match Padley to pounce for a deserved try which Fox converted.

Brods weren’t finished and scored their fourth try to set up a tense finale. They threw everything at the home side as they sought the seven points they needed for the win.

Their lack of a goal kicker meant that on four occasions they ran the ball from penalties rather than kick to the corner and maul their way over wide out. They wanted to score near the posts but defiant Ribb stood firm.