Odsal Sedbergh 24, Boothtown Terriers 18

A crucial try from centre Andy Gabriel was the catalyst that earned Odsal Sedbergh a well-deserved victory against Pennine League Division One title contenders Boothtown Terriers at Odsal Rec.

Sedge took advantage of the slope in the opening sorties and hit the front when second-row forward Luke Dawson slotted over a penalty.

The visitors made full use of their larger pack to work their way upfield and took the hosts by surprise on their first tangible raid when centre Graham Rowlinson stepped out of a tackle to cross the chalk for a converted effort.

The introduction of Odsal substitute packman Lee Birkett certainly raised the tempo with his barnstorming runs, and he made no mistake when he found himself just ten metres out to level the score at 6-6.

The Terriers were fortunate when stand-off Graham Charlesworth collected a dropped pass to sprint to the whitewash, leaving centre Ben Walsh to add the extras, but the tit for tat continued when Sedge's extra substitute forward Kris Fawthrop roared onto an inside pass to evade three desperate defenders on a charge to the uprights.

Scrum half Paul Bottomley added the kick to ensure that both teams changed ends all-square at 12-12.

The question was had Sedge blown their chances now that they had to face the uphill gradient?

It looked to be the case when Charlesworth hacked on a loose ball to collect his brace and Walsh added the conversion.

The hosts, however, are renowned for their tenacity and scored the best try of the match when second-row forward Alistair James charged 40 metres up the touchline to set up field position for wingman Oliver Priestley to cross near enough out for Dawson to ensure full reward.

With the game on a knife-edge, Boothtown peppered the Sedge defence with a barrage of high kicks, which were fielded skilfully by their very organised back division.

The crowning moment was enjoyed by Gabriel when he sneaked over in the corner and Dawson landed a towering conversion from the touchline.

The Halifax outfit tried every move in their repertoire to break the home resolve, which never gave an inch despite having to withstand a series of technical penalties and the addition of a staggering nine minutes of extra time, which was a credit to their teamwork and bodes well for the games to come.