Dramatic finish at Moortown

The clubs were promoted last season and after two Yorkshire One encounters this season the total score is Moortown 42, Rishworthians 41 after a 20-20 draw at Copley in November.

The visitors might have won after a dramatic late try by right wing Sam Nunn, but Josh Kelly’s difficult touchline conversion attempt drifted agonisingly wide.

After a brilliant opening 10 minutes, Rishworthians looked set, but every time the home backs moved the ball wide the visitors looked vulnerable and in the second half were on the back foot most of the time until Nunn’s try in the corner.

The visitors opened strongly, winning a penalty for Kelly to put them ahead. Two more penalties moved the home side back, the last one earning Rishworthians a lineout on the home 22.

Fraser Swarbrooke won the ball and the rest of the pack took on a driving maul, going the full 22 metres to the line with prop Phil Kershaw touching down. Kelly added the conversion.

Moortown hit straight back with a penalty and then laid siege to the visitors’ line, continually moving play wide on each side before breaking through to level the scores with a converted try.

Almost straight from the restart Kelly regained the lead with a penalty. Some great work by Nunn took play near to the home line, but Rishworthians were unable to take advantage.

In defence left wing Anthony Shoesmith and centres Doug Heseltine and Sam Bake combined well before a relieving kick from Kelly.

The turning point in the game came with a yellow card for flanker Nick Faulkner for a deliberate knock on.

The penalty took Moortown near the Rishworthian line before they moved the ball wide to score an unconverted try in the corner.

They then added to their lead with a fine move from a scrum, the right wing coming inside between the centres for a converted try.

Rishworthians finished the half on the attack, but could not force their way over and went in trailing 22–13.

Almost straight from the restart Kelly reduced the arrears with a penalty, but from then on the visitors found themselves under pressure for most of the second period.

They defended doggedly however and prevented the home side adding to their score.

Several times they broke out, but every time they created a chance, they messed it up with basic errors.

Finally they gave themselves a chance to win the game with a brilliant move. It came from a scrum with Shoesmith coming inside and bursting through with a dazzling run before putting Nunn away to score a fine try in the corner.

Rishworthians Development team beat Moortown seconds 41-12 at Copley with two tries from Ben Sutcliffe and others from Liam Phillips, Kurt Sutcliffe, Olly Marshall, Lee Atkinson and Olly Scrimshaw.