Otley 32

Rugby Lions 36

IT was only pride which was dented at Cross Green on Saturday, Otley remained in seventh position in the league but it means that they may well need something from their last game, away to Exeter in two week's time, to remain there. Birmingham and Solihull, the only side able to overtake them, entertain London Welsh on the same day.

There was a good turnout of support to watch the team which had done so wonderfully well at Bedford but what a disappointment. Rugby Lions must have the hex on Otley for the performance was a mirror image of the away game in December.

The visitors were an honest side, they suffered a yellow card for No 8 Tim Stannard for a technical offence, but they should have been put away comfortably. There was some woeful tackling and very little confidence with the ball in hand which resulted in gifts aplenty for the visitors and many try-scoring opportunities scorned.

It was only when Phil Greaves was promoted from the bench on 58 minutes, having a brief spell at full-back early in the second-half whilst Ian Shuttleworth was having attention, that there was any real breakthrough. His searing run on 75 minutes should have brought a score but Mark Kirkby, coming up on his inside, could not hold the lobbed pass.

It was Kirkby who opened the scoring after five minutes when a high kick from Simon Binns bounced awkwardly for the defence and the winger was able to claim it and cross wide out from where Binns converted.

That was quickly countered when veteran winger Eddie Saunders, long a thorn in Otley's side, took a long pass to cut inside and right through a static defence to put No 6 Tristan Prosser-Shaw in under the posts for full-back Chris Richards to convert.

A Binns penalty was the result of a good break by Mark Billington but Rugby secured a turnover as Otley made a hash of running the ball out of defence and winger Peter Roberts was put over for Richards to add his second conversion.

He then kicked a penalty from almost half-way but Binns responded with his second penalty, and as Otley were herding the Lions safely in their own 22, dropped a goal to get within a point only for Saunders to once again mesmerise the defence with a mazy run which took him over for his 100th league try. Richards again converted.

Ten minutes into the second-half the scores were level.

Binns was wide with a penalty but immediately was given a further shot, which struck the upright, and Kirkby was up to gather the rebound and put Will Darby over in the corner.

When Phil Greaves, a blood replacement for Ian Shuttleworth, almost broke through a penalty was awarded when No 8 Tim Stannard was off-side, Binns having no trouble this time.

With the home tackling again at fault a scrum was conceded in their 22 where a pick-up by Stannard set up a second try for Saunders. This time he had only a couple of strides to the line but when the visitors went off-side at the re-start Binns obliged with another penalty.

Otley were at last looking greedy for points and should have taken advantage of Stannard being given a yellow card for persistent infringement.

They almost scored when Greaves, now on for Sam Gardner, broke through to the line but Kirkby was unable to gather his lobbed pass, instead of which, as Otley dithered playing catch-up, scrum-half Phil Reed intercepted a loose pass and winged his way to the posts.

Richards had no trouble with the conversion to gain a nine points lead.

With the 80 minutes now up Otley had little time to mend their ways but they did manage a try for Billington, which secured a bonus point.

The Man-of-the-Match award, presented by Garnetts, who also sponsored the match ball, went to No 7 Nathan Bland.

Garnetts' association with the club goes back to 1899 when Harry Wharfedale Tennant Garnett, who played for England against Scotland - incidentally the first 15-a-side game between the two countries - became club president after previously being elected the first Yorkshire president in 1876 and president of the RFU in 1889.

l Otley's next game is on April 27 when they visit Exeter.