North Ribblesdale 12 Middlesbrough 17

THERE were three critical incidents which decided the outcome of this close-fought Yorkshire One match.

Ribb might have sensed that it wasn’t going to be their day when winger Patrick Muller, who had been struggling with a hamstring injury, limped off in the first minute and is likely to remain on the sidelines for a couple of weeks.

But Ribb roared back and took a 12-3 lead before two more key events gave Middlesbrough the edge.

A single sloppy second-half scrum after a free kick gave the visitors the possession which produced a try.

And a sharply-taken try by quicksilver scrum half Connor Foley after a defensive lapse took saw Middlesbrough take a lead they never surrendered.

Ribb had enjoyed a good first half with their scrum proving solid against much bigger opponents.

They did give away a penalty kicked by former Wharfedale stand-off Andrew Baggett, but gradually took control.

Their first try was a cracker. Matt Speres picked up from an advancing scrum and burst through several tackles.

The move was taken on by Ryan Sumner who was brought down by the full back but still managed to find Tom Frik who scored wide on the left. Mick Thwaite's conversion went just wide.

The Ribb pack were dominant in the scrums and quicker to the loose ball, but the line-out stuttered all day.

Ribb's second try came after Will Booth won a line-out. Andrew Thwaite drove the ball on and Sumner ran a good line to score near the posts. Mick Thwaite’s conversion gave Ribb a 12-3 half-time lead.

The second half was going to be tougher with a strong breeze down the pitch favouring Baggett's astute tactical kicking.

Middlesbrough's first try came from a rolling maul which saw Gary Rock crash over near the posts for a try which Baggett converted.

Ribb were handicapped by a yellow card to Peter Cook. Mick Thwaite switched to scrum half and Speres moved into the centre.

This blunted Ribb's attacking potential as they were repeatedly pushed back by Baggett’s penetrative kicking.

The turning point in the game came when Ribb had battled their way into the Middlesbrough half and were awarded a free kick.

They had the ball but put it at risk by opting for a scrum. Ribb's worst scrum of the match saw them heaved off the ball which was put deep by Baggett.

Ribb had to scramble back to clear but Middlesbrough won the line-out and Foley saw the space and accelerated over for a try which was converted by Baggett.

Ribb were not done and did force their way into the Middlesbrough, but after a series of repulsed drives they lost ground when they attempted to spin the ball wide.

The losing bonus point was a consolation, but this was a game that improving Ribb could have won.