SSE Yorkshire Division Three

Baildon 6

Old Grovians 31

OLD Grovians are hoping to match their progress on the field with developments off it.

The SSE Yorkshire Division Three leaders made it seven away wins from nine attempts this season before revealing their plans to upgrade their Apperley Bridge home.

Club secretary Dan Gullick explained: "We have Elm Tree Farm on a long lease from Bradford Council and, although our changing facilities are fine across the road at Apperley Bridge Playing Fields, it would be more convenient for us to have our own changing rooms next to our ground.

"We only had a meeting about it last week, and there is no definite timescale but we want it done sooner rather than later."

Some people have said that Old Grovians' current situation, including where players have to walk down a tarmac road to get to the pitch from the changing rooms, might be a barrier to the club's progress, but Gullick said: "I haven't heard that, and there are clubs, such as Leeds Medics & Dentists for example, who are higher up the league system than us, who don't even own their own ground."

Baildon defended tenaciously in the first half when playing down the Jenny Lane slope but had used up so much energy in holding the visitors to a 10-6 half-time lead that there was an inevitability about how the second half unfolded.

Winger Ben Brown scored in the fifth minute, although centre Anthony Griffin's pass to him looked forwards, and Griffin himself ran a great angle to get a second try six minutes later.

Fly half Oli Waddington kept Baildon in it with penalties in the seventh and 19th minutes but they should have conceded a third try in the 29th minute when Grovians No 8 Harry Cody-Owen knocked on from a pushover with the line at his mercy.

Visiting skipper Chris Baines scored the third try four minutes after the restart but, in what was a scrappier half, they didn't secure the bonus-point fourth try until the 57th minute via centre Harry Garforth.

Fly half Nathan Barr added both conversions as scrum half Anthony Cadman kept Baildon pinned back with some excellent kicks that not only gained decent ground but also gave his team-mates a fighting chance of keeping possession.

A reminder that this was a derby emerged three minutes from time when Baildon flanker Danny Pollard was sent off by referee Damian O'Hehir for punching Brown after they came together following the latter's clearance kick.

Baildon hooker Tom Massey said: "Our defence was awesome in the first half. We must have spent 20 to 25 minutes in our own 22 but only conceded two sloppy early tries."

The match was in some doubt before kick-off due to hard ground in the shade of the clubhouse but both teams wanted to play, and O'Hehir was quite happy to let them.