Bradford Salem 31 Knottingley 21

Bradford Salem coach Craig Busby has questioned the tactics of Knottingley after his side defeated them in a bruising Yorkshire Shield semi-final at Shay Lane.

The visitors, who had showed plenty of enterprise, did not deserve to be only two points ahead after 40 minutes.

But when Salem's pack began to dominate affairs after the break, Busby felt Knottingley too readily resorted to the fist as a weapon.

He said: "They came out all guns blazing in the first half and remember, we have had a very long, hard season.

"Their side was nothing like that that had played against Leodiensians Knottingley were a big unit but the man in the middle (John Wolsten-holme) didn't help us.

"We didn't get any ball for the first 15 minutes and we could not do what we wanted to do with it in the first half.

"But we stood up to be counted at half-time and they (Knottingley) resorted to violence, or at least ungentlemanly conduct, in the second half.

"Their manhood was beaten up by what we did to them in the scrums and Jonny Luxton took cheap shots from their numbers four, 20, two and eight. Jonny just stood there and took it but I was disgusted by what he had to suffer."

Knottingley's fixture secretary and match secretary Mark Carley countered by saying: "The penalty count was more for us than them.

"Yes, it did get physical in the last five minutes but it was more a case of six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.

"And what does their coach say about their players stamping on ours when we were being pushed off the scrums?"

Busby said: "Our try just before half-time was the one that won us the game."

Salem were penalised after just one minute, visiting fly half William Stansfield landing the penalty from just outside the ten-metre line.

Knottingley won a fifth-minute line-out but sliced their clearance kick and, following their own line-out, Salem won a penalty which fly half Matt Booth landed.

In the 11th minute, the visitors leapt into a 10-3 lead with a try by centre Chris Turton after a Stansfield break, the latter adding the conversion. However, a deliberate knock-on six minutes later gave Booth the chance to kick another penalty, this time from just inside the ten-metre line, which made it 10-6.

Knottingley got their second try in the 22nd minute, skipper and left winger Mick Ash going over after good pressure. But two missed tackles let Salem winger Paul Gleadhill in from long distance three minutes later.

The hosts paid dearly for a misplaced pass on the half-hour, Ash picking it up and releasing full back Steve Rockett, who went in from just outside his own 22.

But just when it looked as if Knottingley would have a decent half-time lead, Salem scrum half Ian Woodwiss made a break and hooker Craig Buxton was on his shoulder to score, Booth adding the simple conversion.

Knottingley's 20-18 lead evaporated a minute into the second half when Salem centre Tama Collins used his pace and elusiveness to score, Booth improving the try to make it 25-20. Two Booth penalties either side of the hour mark increased the lead to 31-20.

Salem meet Bridlington in the final next Sunday at Pontefract RFC (2.30).