North’s men’s first XV began their season back in the Yorkshire 2 league by hosting Bradford and Bingley RUFC at the Lodge on a mild September afternoon.
In front of a hearty crowd the players took to the field and kicked off the match with a high level of energy from both sets of players. Last week’s encounter with Baildon RUFC in the cup had left North with several parts of their game to work on and it certainly looked from the outset as though these lessons had been taken to heart. A more expansive approach to attacking, using the width of the pitch on frequent occasions saw multiple breaks down the flanks whilst the forwards kept the engine of the team ticking over in the middle of the park.
Undeterred by the ferocity of the home side, the visitors looked to use their large carriers in the forwards to punch holes in the defence, eventually overpowering the tenacious defenders to break the line before moving the ball into wider channels and scoring out wide on several occasions. Adding a conversion to their tries, the visitors had a healthy lead however, North continued to press this combination of hard carries in the forwards and then moving the ball quickly into the space created out wide to make their way down the pitch on a day when the typically reliable lineout didn’t go to plan. Whilst in the Braford and Bingley half, a quickly taken tap penalty from scrum half Jack Tart put the ball through the hands of the backs and found winger Reece Brammah who scored North’s opening try of the match, converted from the touchline by Jedd Bainbridge. It seemed apparent from here that this was an erstwhile endeavour for North as the feat was repeated again not long after, this time fullback Tom Peacock was the finisher in the corner. Another sublime conversion from Bainbridge added the extras. To round off his excellent kicking display from the tee for the day, Bainbridge knocked over a penalty from distance to reduce the deficit to a five point game.
With the clock ticking down, North knew the task at hand and set about working their way into the visitor’s ascendency. In the last throw of the dice whilst attacking near the posts, a clever inside pass around the ruck sent a North forward over the try line but unfortunately without the ball which was dislodged by a moment of quality in the tackle from the away side. The referee blew for the final whistle and the score stood Northallerton 17 – Bradford and Bingley 22. A close fought and evenly matched tussle between the sides that saw the hosts come up just short but with plenty of positives to take away from the game.
Many thanks to the referee for officiating the match, to the supporters of both Bradford and Bingley and Northallerton for turning out in such good numbers to create an engaging atmosphere and thanks also to the many volunteers in the club who helped make the day happen.
The ladies’ first XV enjoyed a novel, mid-week fixture away at Stockton Rockets RFC to help their preparations for the coming season. With a strong turnout allowing plenty of players to gain some game-time it was a very useful match that was enjoyed by players and spectators alike. Northallerton ran out ahead on the scoreboard with a final score of Stockton Rockets 24 – Northallerton Ladies 34. Many thanks to Stockton for hosting the match, to the referee for officiating and to the many supporters of both teams who turned out to cheers the players on.
The Ladies will begin their new season in the NC3 league on Sunday 15th September against Yarm Ladies at home. There was no fixture for the men’s second XV this week as the match against Redcar RUFC was postponed however they will be back in action on Saturday the 14th September against Middlesbrough RUFC’s third XV at home. Next week the men’s first XV are away to fellow newly promoted Halifax Vandals RUFC.
If any readers would like to get involved in rugby in Northallerton then the men train Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10am. All ages and abilities welcome.