YORKSHIRE MERIT

Sheffield Tigers 5

Wharfedale Foresters 21

WHARFEDALE Foresters beat Sheffield Tigers 21-5 in a tight defensive battle of two teams at the top of the Yorkshire Merit League.

Foresters and their hardy supporters travelled down the M1 to take on the second placed Tigers at their Dore Moor ground on the windswept fells above the steel city.

With a quartet of returning injured first team squad players, the Foresters were hoping for a tough encounter and this is what ensued over the following 80 minutes.

From the outset it was a nip and tuck affair with both sides testing each other’s defences out and it was not until Will Lawn broke from a midfield ruck 25yds out that the scoreboard was troubled, as he went in under the sticks. The try was converted by his half back partner Rory MacNab.

A similar break from the side of a ruck following good work by the forward pack resulted in a second try for Lawn and conversion by MacNab.

Following a brief stalemate, winger Josh Prell made a line break and fed centre Ben Parkinson who ran in unopposed under the sticks, again converted by MacNab.

The Tigers roared back following some strong words by the coach and pressure told as they scored out wide to the left. The missed conversion cut the score to 21-5.

The defences tightened and nullified any scoring opportunities in the final 15 minutes of the half.

Changes were made at half-time to help bring the game to life, but both side's defences shined with scoring chances few and far between.

Foresters thought they scored their bonus point try in the last few minutes when Joe Metcalfe crossed the whitewash, but he was deemed to have knocked on in the act of scoring, so the score remained 21-5 at the final whistle.

All credit was given to both squads for playing a full blooded fixture where defences were to the fore and to the travelling Greens' supporters who braved the South Yorkshire weather.

Lawn was Forester's man of the match with his brace of tries.