A much needed and deserved rest weekend for most teams gave North’s men’s second XV the opportunity to headline at the Lodge in a fixture against local side Darlington Mowden Park RFC Elizabethans. The ladies’ team were afforded a bye to the next round of their cup competition fixture against Acklam Hurricanes was cancelled.

The game at the Lodge had both teams arrive early and it was apparent that there would be a clash of playing styles as the visitors brought a team brimming with youth in contrast to the vast experience fielded by the home side. From the beginning of the match Mowden were quick to strike and rocked North onto the back foot. The home side had gained possession from the kick off and looked to be putting some good phases together before an ambitious pass offered too much to the defence and was intercepted then run the length of the field to score the opening try inside the first few minutes. Mowden had shown early the benefit of youth and energy, it was North’s turn to show the benefits of experience. Not panicked by the early set back the hosts fought back and worked their way up the field. A combination of tactical kicking and hard carrying took them to the visitor’s 22-metre area where veteran fly-half Dan Luck created a gap for himself and charged over the line to score North’s reply. The momentum continued for the home side who regathered the ball from the restart and set about repeating the feat. This time some variation of a rolling maul saw Harry Huyser guide the mass of bodies over the try line and extend North’s lead with another unconverted try. The remainder of the first half was an exhibition of contrasting styles of rugby. Both sides managed to showcase their strengths, much to the enjoyment of the watching crowd however, it was the away side that took a lead into the break with a late try from a break in the wider channels that, with the conversion added, left the score line at 10-14 in Mowden’s favour with the game very much still in the balance.
The match resumed for the second act with no let up in the intensity or style of play from either side. The majority of the play seemed to take place in the middle of the pitch apart from the odd break from Mowden requiring some scrambling from North to prevent a try. This period of play in the centre of the park suited the home side’s set piece dominance and it seemed that the longer the game went on, the more likely North were to get the upper hand. This culminated in the home side retaking the lead through tries scored from Ryan Thompson and another from Huyser, both scored on the back of numerous forward carries creating small spaces for them to crash through. With the crowd cheering them on and the prospect of a home victory looming, the result looked set to go in North’s favour if they could hold on to their slender lead.
Alas, rugby is an eighty-minute game and the youth of Mowden’s team paid dividends closer to the end of the match as their numerical advantage on the bench allowed the introduction of fresh legs just when they needed it most. The visitors were able to change the pace of the game and take the momentum away from North in the last quarter of the match, scoring several times to overhaul the home side’s lead and establish a healthy cushion that would secure the win. The final act of the match though went to North’s captain for the day, Doug Mulholland who threw a trademark dummy and sent defenders searching for the ball long enough to sneak over the line in the last play to narrow the gap.

The match ended with a final score of Northallerton 25 – Mowden Park Elizabethans 38. Man of the match for North was awarded to Dan Luck. An entertaining spectacle of rugby with both teams showing plenty of promise for the season ahead. A big thank you to the referee for
officiating the match, to Mowden for travelling in good numbers and to the many supporters and volunteers at the club who helped to make the game happen. If any readers would like to be involved in rugby in Northallerton, please contact the club on social media for more information, all ages and abilities welcome.