PETE Lowth was not sure which parts of his body would ache when he woke up on Sunday morning, but he suspected “a lot”.

The veteran front-rower had answered Baildon’s SOS calls for a prop and put in a man-of-the-match performance as they notched their first victory of the season in Yorkshire Two, holding off a second half onslaught from Bradford rivals Old Grovians to win 23-19.

Lowth, 46, and one of the heroes of Baildon’s 6-3 RFU Junior Vase victory over Harrow at Twickenham in 2012, seemed more worried about a groin injury than anything.

He said: “That was my first 80 minutes for the first XV since I played at Leeds Corinthians in March 2020, just before lockdown, when we got promotion from Yorkshire Three.

“But I got a call to arms because neither Adam Hewitt nor Grant Nunney were available.

“It was an easy decision to say yes because while you can still do it, you do it and I have also been to watch them and I definitely want to play more, but although my body feels all right today (after the game), tomorrow (Sunday) is going to be a totally different story.

“I can feel my groin more but it is also going to be my back, my neck, my shoulder... everywhere probably, but I loved every minute of it.

“How regularly I play will depend on my missus but selection next week is going to be tight with Adam and Grant being back.”

As for the derby itself, in what was a battle between 11th and 12th, Lowth said: “The first half (down the slope) was brilliant and we did everything that the coaching staff asked of us.

“But in the second half we rushed things because we were playing up the slope, panicked when we had the ball, made too many mistakes and gave away too many penalties.

“In the second half, Old Grovians put consistent pressure on us, though we made it easier for them.

“But we needed that first win and we move on.

“Mid-table would be nice and it would be good to avoid a relegation position, although I understand that there is not going to be relegation this season, only promotion as the leagues are being re-organised.”

Grovians, who won the toss and opted to play up the slope, soon conceded a kick at goal, which was missed by Baildon fly half Owain Griffiths.

The home side’s other goal-kicking option, full back Jake Duxbury, then came into the line in the left midfield channel and dummied outside before scoring himself.

Former Baildon player Adam Crookes was then sin-binned by referee Jonathan Keeton, and Grovians went 11-0 down by the 21st minute when Duxbury, from just inside his own half, and Griffiths added penalties.

Things got worse for the visitors on the half-hour when flanker Brandon Thomson intercepted and romped over for Griffiths to convert, and two minutes later it was 23-0 when a Griffiths break put former Bradford Dudley Hill and Bradford & Bingley player Andy Walker over.

Grovians stabilised things a little nearing half-time, with scrum half Ben Brown being short with a penalty and full back Max Kennedy scoring in stoppage time after a great offload by centre Jack Hartley.

The hosts were down to 14 men at that point, with skipper Harrison Strauss in the bin for side entry into a maul.

Baildon kept Grovians out for 16 minutes of the second half until fly half Anthony Griffin went over, with Brown converting, and Baildon then lost winger Toby Glendinning (twisted knee) and hooker Matty Dixon (yellow card for side entry into a maul).

Kennedy bagged his second try with 10 minutes left to give Grovians a losing bonus point, with Brown stroking over the conversion, but then the visitors lost winger Martyn Mitchell (dislocated shoulder) and Griffin (head injury).

Baildon finished the match at the right end of the field, with Duxbury sliding a penalty attempt just wide in added time.

Grovians’ head coach Andy Hinchliffe said: “I don’t think that we will see Martyn Mitchell again or Jack Hartley (general wear and tear) for a bit, but a lot of clubs are struggling to get players to commit to play.

“We have a squad of 40-odd players but last Monday morning we only had seven available, and it is really tough. We have played four matches but only one or two of ours have played in all four.

“You start to think that you are just facilitating rugby rather than coaching rugby. We had 22 training on Tuesday but only eight of those were on the field here.

“The RFU have some thinking to do because they need to show flexibility in terms of playing a couple of unregistered players, just for this season, as players are getting injured because they haven’t played for 18 months.

“Unless something happens quickly there will be more walkovers, more uncontested scrums etc.

“We could use some of the Otley Saracens players in future, however, and we make our debut at Cross Green next Saturday after four away matches.”

Hinchliffe added: “We definitely should have got more than a bonus point out of that game but were a victim of our own mistakes and harsh decision making in the first 25 minutes.

“In the second half, I asked them to respond and they did, but crucial decisions at the wrong time gifted Baildon momentum when we should have been putting pressure on them in the last 25 minutes.

“It was an entertaining battle between two good times though.”

Baildon have climbed three places to ninth, while Grovians remain in 11th.