YMCA let lead slip after a strong start

Rishworthians setback

PROMOTED Old Rishworthians suffered a setback in Yorkshire One as they were beaten 42-25 at home by Beverley.

Rishworthians started the game like an express train, but in the second half were shunted into the sidings by the slick Beverley backs.

The home side dominated the first 20 minutes to lead 10–0, but it should have been more as two chances for tries went begging because of poor final passes.

Stand-off Josh Kelly gave them the lead with a penalty, then, with the referee playing penalty advantage, teenage winger Kian Stewart left everyone for dead to sprint over and Kelly converted.

Beverley came back with two penalties against another from Kelly.

With 10 minutes to the break the game changed with Rishworthians No8 Nick Faulkner was yellow carded.

While he was off the field Beverley ran in two converted tries to lead 20-13 at half-time.

Restored to full strength in the second half, the home side started well and a series of scrums brought the inevitable penalty try to level the scores.

However, Beverley began to take charge and Rishworthians seemed unable to cope with their slick running backs and conceded two tries out wide – one of them converted.

The home men came back and Faulkner broke from a scrum to send the ball out with Stewart sprinting over.

However, they could not hold the reply and Beverley finished with two more tries. paved the way for James Bell to force his way over in the corner.

Stead added the conversion but YMCA took their foot off the gas and Malton prop Rob Featherstone to force his way over from close range and full back Zweli Sodladla added the extras to cut the home side’s lead to 17-7 at the break.

Right from the start of the second half Malton went on the attack.

YMCA’s James Tindall was injured and replaced by Ben Emsley, and after a scuffle broke out YMCA’s Tom Clough and Malton’s Nick Rangiuira were singled out and yellow-carded for their part in the incident.

The visitors continued to dominate and Featherstone was once again on hand to go over the line and Sodladla’s conversion cut the home side’s lead to three points.

YMCA had lost their shape with nobody taking responsibility for controlling the game and Malton were happy to take advantage of the situation.

Second row Ali Fothergill was on hand to score out wide and Sodladla was on target with the conversion to give his side the lead or the first time.

Poor YMCA handling was to lead to another Malton try after the ball had been lost in midfield.

The visitors pack set up the chance for hooker Vasconcelos to score and Sodladla added the extra points to put the final nail in the YM coffin.

YMCA decided to wake up and started to string a few moves together, resulting in them putting Malton onto the defensive.

A nice break in the backs saw the ball find its way out to Stead on the wing, effectively it was his first pass of the day, and the winger outpaced his opposite number and had the power to hold off the cover tacklers before forcing his way over the line in the corner, but his conversion attempt fell short.

Throwing away a 17-0 lead after they had played so well in the first half left the YM home support totally frustrated.