Yorkshire One: North Ribblesdale 10 Moortown 50

THIS was literally men against boys as Ribb slipped to their sixth straight defeat in the league.

The Dalesmen fielded five players under 20 and one 17-year-old. Although the youngsters played well, the weight and experience of Moortown told in the end with the visitors running in four second-half tries to go with their three first-half ones.

Ribb staged a late rally at the end of the first period, with Liam Wallbank and John Thwaite going over to keep them in touch at 19-10 down but Moortown's superior weight and strength in depth meant the latter stages were going to be difficult and so it proved when the Leeds side scored three tries in the last ten minutes.

Ribb's John Paddley goes from strength to strength. It is difficult to play number seven when you are going back but his tackling and ball-winning must have saved several tries.

Richard Wood alongside him in the back row had a good game and Stephen Moon at ten battled hard, making a few breaks. It was a run from Moon that put Thwaite in for a try on the stroke of half-time, although he had to go hard for 20 metres to get over.

Ribb were under pressure from the start. The big Moortown pack put pressure on the scrum with a break by Smith creating an overlap for Robinson to go over wide on the right.

Moortown scored two more first-half tries from Robinson and Tohova. Ribb were under pressure for most of the first period but their late rally put the visitors under pressure, Wallbank's try also following a Moon break.

The second period saw Moortown tighten their game up and put Ribb under pressure in the centre. Johnny Moore and Richard Long held the first phase but were always going backwards, allowing Moortown's half-backs to run the game as tries came at regular intervals.

The Dalesmen still kept their shape and did cause some problems with the driven maul. However, until they overcome their player unavailability crisis they are going to struggle.

At 17, Amari Kaup-Samuels is a good player with pace and skill, John Long in the centre put in some big tackles and Rory Bellis at hooker also did well.

Ribb badly need to string some results together as they head to Old Rishworthians in the Yorkshire Shield on Saturday.