Otliensians.......37

Wetherby.........10

Following inconclusive practices with Ilkley and Aireborough Old Otliensians started their season proper with a resounding win against old rivals Wetherby.

Man-of-the-Match was David Smith with two tries, one following an outrageous dummy and numerous tackles, closely followed by Andy Hayward with a similar tally.

Three further tries came from Matt Tenniswood, Tony Twist and Chris Bawden.

New to the team from the regulars of last season were Lee Stenton at full-back, Adrian Fawell at centre and Mattie Payne at prop although a major positional change was David Smith coming in at stand-off from his accustomed position of full-back.

The game was played in almost continuous rain and it was a credit to both sides that they played some good handling rugby.

Otliensians opened the scoring inside two minutes when skipper Richard Smith, after some good inter-passing, put Hayward away 20 metres from the line and the winger escaped the defensive cover to score half-way out.

Otliensians forwards had opened strongly continuously driving forward and even when Wetherby were in possession they were frequently broken down behind their gain line with some good offensive tackling.

It was however Wetherby who scored next with a well-taken try, the ball passing down the line for the left wing to outstrip the defence and go over in the corner.

Play was now fairly even until the 25th minute when David Smith from 30 metres collected the ball behind his forwards and whilst slightly open side saw his way blocked and turned blind. Running powerfully and having linked with the support on his outside he sold the perfect dummy at speed to score one of the best individual tries seen at Chaffers Field for a long time.

Not to be outdone Andy Hayward stamped his mark on the game with a fine interception within his own 22 and thanks to his pre-season training ran the length of the field to outstrip the defence.

Immediately before half-time Wetherby pulled a try back making it 15-10.

Play opened evenly at the start of the second-half with both sides testing the defences and there were some crunching tackles.

Within ten minutes Otliensians were beginning to dominate and after a good pick up and break by Dave Smith Matt Tenniswood ran strongly for the line to score the fourth try. He then added the conversion points. Otliensians' superior fitness was now beginning to tell with the forwards frequently driving the bigger Wetherby pack backwards. After 25 minutes this pressure bore fruit when good driving runs by Richard Smith and Tenniswood led to Tony Twist receiving several yards out. The prop drove hard through several players and despite the Wetherby efforts forced the ball down to score a typical Twist try.

Centre Bawden was next on the scoresheet with a typically forceful, tackle evading run. David Smith finished off the proceedings collecting several yards out to score his second try and make the final score 37-10.

This was not just a game of try scoring. There was a lot of hard work put in by the forwards, particularly when driving forward. Crossfield cover needs some extra work by the back row and the line-out whilst good at times particularly when challenging on the opposition throw needs more practice. There was some excellent tackling, often knocking the opposition backwards. Each member of the team contributed to this. It was an encouraging start.

l The League season starts on Saturday with a visit to Hullensians.

Yarnbury ready

for the off

YARNBURY had two teams in action in pre-season tournaments - the Leeds Tens at Roundhegians and the Guiseley Rangers Rugby League Sevens.

The first team at Roundhay were defending their title of last year and did themselves credit by getting to the final where they were beaten by a very good Pontefract outfit.

The second team found the going a little tough - only managing a semi-final spot and being beaten by a strong side from Birkenshaw.

Both sets of players found this run out to be a valuable exercise in preparation for the season - the First XV in the Yorkshire Premier League One and the Second XV in the West Yorkshire Second Team League.

The week before this, the club's doctor - Andy Smith - gave a valuable talk on general fitness, injury prevention and nutrition.

Rugby chairman Allan Rigby and coach Bob Hood spelled out their plans for the season.

Yarnbury's season starts in earnest on Saturday when they face a tough fixture against Pontefract at Brownberrie Lane. The two sides met in the final of the Leeds Tens with Pontefract emerging as winners.

Yarnbury's Chairman of Rugby Allan Rigby said: "We are looking forward to this season in what is the highest league wen have played in after gaining promotion. All the players know it will be tough but we are confident of our ability to compete."

The second team kick-off their league campaign at Bradford and Bingley in the newly-formed West Yorkshire Second Team League.