Yarnbury 18, Keighley 3 - Bottom placed Yarnbury's appetite and need for victory was the deciding factor in a dour game played in increasingly unpleasant conditions.

Keighley lapsed once more into the inconsistent form that had dogged their season, only rarely posing any real threat on the home line. On balance, their pack just about edged the forward tussle, but Yarnbury held the aces behind the scrum where the experienced Steve Galbraith orchestrated affairs from stand off and wingmen John Bramham and Simon Threlfall had too much pace for the flat footed Keighley defence.

A tally of three tries to nil would seem to tell its own story, but in truth for most of the game there was little to chose between the sides, all of the touchdowns stemming from Keighley mistakes deep in Yarnbury territory. These allowed the home side to break out through their speedy wingmen, and few other scoring chances came their way. A lethargic Keighley effort, however, seldom showed any sign of recovery on a day when handling was a lottery.

A penalty goal by Galbraith in the third minute opened the scoring, but it was not until the twentieth minute that the overall stalemate was broken, when fullback Ray Wong fielded a Keighley kick before feeding Bramham whose long touchline run, assisted by some flimsy Keighley tackling, allowed him to cross for the first try.

Before half time Threlfall touched down in similar circumstances on the opposite flank, outstripping the defence from fifty yards out. A penalty goal by Richard Cavender kept Keighley in the game, as their forwards at last began to make an impact, with Paul Sinfield setting the example, and the half time whistle was sweet music to the home side's ears as Keighley pressed at the line.

Keighley began the second half as they finished the first, with a prolonged forward assault which went unrewarded. The loss of No.8 Peter Schofield with an ankle injury was an added frustration at a time when a try from either side was always likely to be a decisive influence on the game, and once more it was Yarnbury who prevailed with Bramham racing in from half way after a Keighley attack had broken down through poor handling.

As the dreadful weather conditions intensified, so did Yarnbury's grip on the game. Driving sleet and snow stifled any attempts at creativity and Keighley did well to defend against a series of forward-based assaults on their line. Their ambitious attempts to run out of defence were doomed to failure and the home side had little difficulty in holding out to secure two precious points in their struggle to avoid relegation.

Keighley ring the changes for Saturday's home fixture against Selby, kick off 3pm. Richard Cavender moves to full back for the unavailable Matthew Cox with Johnny Harrison at stand off. Ex Bradford & Bingley man Richard Holdgate makes his debut in the second row alongside Leigh Sugden, with Morgan Bailey returning to the back row.