Aireborough....0
Tongans...........29
Otley TONGANS extended their winning run to 12 games at Aireborough but the home side made them fight all the way and the final score did not reflect the effort put in by Aireborough.
The home side made the early running with some good forward drives and Otley had to produce a resolute defence to keep them out.
Despite all this pressure it was Tongans who took the lead when Richard Leighton intercepted a wayward pass near his line to race the length of the field to score, Dominic Kershaw adding the conversion. He followed this with a penalty when Aireborough strayed off-side.
Shocked by this reverse Aireborough hit back but a strongly lethargic Tongans managed to hold out until half-time. A roasting by skipper Nick Girling and the introduction of fresh legs seemed to do the trick as Tongans piled on the pressure and Adrian Midgeley gathered a loose ball to dive over but there was a doubt as to whether the ball was grounded properly. Dominic Kershaw added the conversion.
Otley came straight back to pound at the home line before Richard Malir was driven over, Kershaw again converted. The lead was extended with the best move of the match when forwards and backs combined down the left and Dominic Kershaw took the inside pass to go over in the corner.
Aireborough were playing with a lot of spirit and they came back strongly in the closing staged but they could not pierce a resolute defence. Richard Malir was Man-of-the-Match for Otley and the Aireborough front row performed heroically.
Viscounts ..................13
Aireborough Dragons 17
Viscounts went down narrowly to Aireborough in a highly entertaining game played at Cross Green. In a closely fought first-half where the defences were generally on top Viscounts gained a 3-0 lead through a Jamie Chappell penalty.
On the wide-open spaces of Cross Green the gaps started to appear in the second-half, Aireborough scoring three tries and Otley two through Haydn Blemmins and Adam Richards.
In a strong finish Viscounts got over the line twice but could not satisfy the referee and Aireborough hung on for a narrow win.
Aireborough hope to salvage something
AIREBOROUGH RUFC enter the final phase of their league campaign in a mid-table position after an indifferent season where, although unbeaten at home, they have won only one away game.
They have, however, the opportunity to salvage something from their season and show their worth as they have yet to play the top three in the league, all at their Nunroyd Park ground.
Hopefully this can act as a springboard for next season. In the first of these key games they entertain Burley on Saturday kicking-off at 3 pm.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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