Baildon 67 York RI 0

This has been a long, hard season for York RI – and it still has two games to run.

At sunny Jenny Lane on Saturday, they fell to their 23rd defeat in 24 league matches, their points for total remained at a measly 181 but their points against total rushed past 1,000.

They only had one player on the bench but you have to admire them, not only for turning up – Thornensians (at Aireborough), Marist and Wibsey all crossed off – but also for their willingness to play for 80 minutes.

Referee Carl Walsh asked RI’s skipper if he wanted to call a halt after 78 minutes when they had just let in their 11th and final try but skipper Brendan Aherne said: “No, we’ll carry on.”

Rather more optimistic was old-fashioned prop Dale Baker, who turned round to Dave Duxbury and said: “Next try wins?”

Quick as a flash, Baildon’s head coach replied: “Only if you score it!” The portly prop then hobbled towards the half-way line without uttering another word.

This was in many ways a no-win situation for the hosts as they were almost guaranteed to pick up five points in their quest for promotion but ran the risk of players being injured or suspended as the contest became feisty at times.

Baker, for example, had dust-ups with – rather comically given the size difference – Baildon’s skipper James Dawson and, more worryingly given his reputation, lock James Fox.

Referee Walsh managed to keep a firm hand on the tiller, however, without producing as much as one yellow card.

The result was soon a formality but Dawson said: “We lost our structures and discipline at times – we got a bit of white-line fever – and there was always the danger that if you go in half-hearted thinking about what is on the horizon then you can become injured.”

Best try of the 11 for the RFU Junior Vase finalists was started by a break from prop Adam Hewitt, who ignored the current club ban of not passing one-handed to give a peach of a ball to flanker Jonny Pick-en, who put centre Jarrod Huss over.

Other tries came from Huss (3), full back Jake Duxbury (3), right winger Hayden Lister (2), fly half Nick Lister and flanker Tom Craven.

Baildon now need only three points from two games to be promoted.