YARNBURY 8

ACKLAM 20

YARNBURY exhibited all the signs of over indulgence in the festive period in this hastily arranged friendly game when Leos were unable to fulfil their first team fixture.

Acklam showed immediate intent of playing a fast game by putting Yarnbury under pressure from the kick-off.

They exposed Yarnbury's weakness at the back with a series of towering up and unders.

The home side 's forwards appeared slow and lethargic and even incapable at times of securing their own line-out ball.

It was thus no surprise when Acklam opened the scoring with a penalty. After 30 minutes Yarnbury started to show a little purpose and endeavour and McNulty knocked on when a try seemed certain.

A move involving Rigby and Rivett was thwarted by a last ditch tackle but a Steve Lee penalty levelled the score before veteran centres Deacon and Marshall created space for Bramham to dive over in the corner to give Yarnbury an 8-3 interval lead.

A barren spell of 20 minutes followed for Yarnbury who saw little possession. Acklam wisely utilised the strong wind and played for long periods near the Yarnbury line and three tries and a conversion resulted.

In the last quarter Yarnbury tried in vain to conjure up a try - the best effort being Deacon's 60 yard burst before his tired legs gave way in the heavy conditions.

Stephenson's introduction at tight head brought some cohesion to the front row and he made a series of marauding runs from open play.

The final whistle brought relief to players and spectators alike as Yarnbury's abject performance brought a much needed roasting from coach Bob Hood.

l On Saturday Yarnbury entertain Ripon in a league game which they must win if they are to escape from the relegation zone they currently precariously stand above in North East Three.

Yarnbury B 27

Leos B 0

With third team skipper Matt Brown promoted to the second team it was Steff Patterson who took up the reigns for this clash with local rivals Leos.

After just 30 seconds the Leos stand-off had to leave the field with a back injury and Yarnbury capitalised on Leos confusion to score through winger Nigel Midwood.

This was followed by a carbon copy touchdown from full-back Rob Sparrow.

The second-half was a similar story with the home side on top but Leos never giving up and their solid defence took some breaking down.

Eventually Neil Pennington was put in from close range and this try was quickly followed by another from Pennington following slick handling by Patterson.

The match was capped with a try from the industrious Martin Mercer who beavered tirelessly for his reward. The only conversion for Yarnbury came from veteran flanker Paul Beardow who turned back the clock with an excellent game.

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