SINCE Gordon Throup dusted off his boots, North Ribblesdale have been a changed side and their recent run of improved form was extended with their 32-5 Powergen Vase Round Four victory over St Benedict's at Grove Park.
Ribb's early season matches tended to be a contest between Ribblesdale's pack power and the skills of an opposition back line.
It is strange that a gnarled veteran in the front row should be a catalyst for transforming a forward-dominated team into one with real presence in the backs. The form of the Evans brothers, the acquisition of Pat Illingworth and the presence of Archie Gemmell at scrum-half may also be a factor.
St Benedict's from Whitebaven, who were undefeated for 20 games, brought a big, muscular pack to Settle, with two very tall lineout operators.
On a wet pitch and with a strong end-to-end wind, the home spectators reckoned that their team would need a 16-point lead to buttress themselves against the elements in the second-half.
The match initially followed the script, with the Ribblesdale scrum under some pressure, but securing enough possession to allow Gemmell and fly-half Adam Whaites to kick for position and keep St Benedicts in their own half.
The visitors' lineout, however, was an efficient operation and they were dominant on their own ball and caused the Settle men problems on their ball. It needed all Gordon Throup's experience and some enterprising variations for Ribblesdale to get any worthwhile possession from that source.
The referee was having some difficulties with collapsed scrums, giving penalties against both sides, one of which allowed Adam Whaites to open the scoring with a 40-yard penalty.
From the visitors' kick-off Ribblesdale again kicked for position, catching the fullback in possession on his own 22 for good measure. From the resulting scrum, drives by Willie Garth and Dean Stacey allowed Throup to dive over for yet another try.
St Benedict's are a tough side and they quickly responded. Not for the first time this season, Ribblesdale lost possession from a restart and were relieved to drive the ball into touch on the halfway line.
But St Benedict's threw long and from the tail of the lineout scrum-half Unsworth made a powerful break before drawing fullback Gareth Evans and putting Woods over for an unconverted try.
At this stage Ribblesdale, though leading 8-5, looked under pressure, struggling in the scrums and under severe pressure in the lineout. Although playing against the wind, the visitors had the best period of the game and pinned the home side in their own half.
Ribblesdale eventually broke away after Willie Garth secured possession, with Gemmell and Whaites moving the ball to centre Bryan McGeoch, who made a good break into the opponent's half.
The following tackle brought an incident in which the visiting second-row forward and John Hargreaves were consigned to the sin bin, but Settle extended their lead when Waites kicked the resultant penalty.
Shortly before half-time Ribblesdale increased the tempo, depletion of the Cumbrian set-piece allowing more secure possession and also a more stable scrum. Whaites and Gemmell kept the visitors in their own 22 from where Ribb scored the best try of the match.
Stacey was competitive throughout against a much larger opponent and he delivered the opposition throw-in to Gordon Throup who drove for the line. He was tackled 10 yards out, but efficient passing put Gareth Evans through to a fullback who was almost casually brushed aside for a score wide out
At 16-5 at half time and a strong wind now favouring the visitors, the lead didn't look enough, but the visitors' tactics helped the Settle side considerably.
From the kick-off they surprisingly opted for a rolling maul, an area where the Ribblesdale pack invariably thrive, and although the visitors persisted, they could not make any progress.
St Benedict's did vary tactics, moving the ball into the back line and turning inside to forward runners, all of which the home defence easily coped with.
Mid-way through the second-half the visiting pack visibly tired allowing the Ribblesdale scrum to become the dominant force. From this good quality ball, Gemmell and No 8 Russell Howarth made substantial progress around the scrum, keeping possession for long periods in the process.
Without a change in tactics, St Benedict's didn't look like fashioning any sort of score and were visibly handing the initiative to the Ribblesdale pack, although their lineout was still dominant.
Ribblesdale sensibly kept the ball tight, using Stuart Evans at inside centre and the back row to progress into the wind.
From further home pressure, Whaites kicked two penalties into the wind to put the home side in control.
The home side then wrapped the game up, first with a good try by Gareth Evans following a blind side move by Gemmell and Whaites and in the last few minutes of the game, substitute Phil Beddard dived over from a short range maul to complete the scoring.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article