Pocklington 8 - 28 Yarnbury
Pocklington's
roller-coaster season continued as a second half slump saw them slip to a disappointing
defeat at home to Yarnbury.
After 40 minutes there looked no way that Pocklington
could lose. Into the wind they had held the score to 3-3 with some efficient forward
play that got the ball and kept it for long periods, and with the elements to
come they looked odds on to control the game in the second period. But two minutes
into first half injury time, Pocklington were on the attack when a missed tackle
at a scrum inside the Yarnbury 22 freed the visiting wing and he took full advantage
to outpace the home cover in an 80 yard sprint down the left flank. From then
on it was all downhill for Pocklington, and in the second half it was Pocklington's
turn to get little advantage out of the wind as Yarnbury retained the initiative
to pull clear with three more tries thanks to more slack defending.
But early
on it had looked so promising for Yara Phosyn Pocklington. Despite a rash of unavailabilities
that forced eight changes from the previous week, including the starting of the
father and son Holbrough triumverate, Pocklington started well. Though kicking
into the breeze Henry Mitchell found some good touchfinders, the lineout was working
effectively, and in the loose Pocklington mixed some controlled pick
and drives
with the odd strong charge led by flanker Scott Littlefair or hooker Dave Birch.
Yarnbury
did get the first score through a straightforward penalty, but Mitchell equalized
with one penalty success from two attempts. And though Yarnbury did spend a period
camped on the home line, Pocklington's tackling was firm, then another neat interception
from Dan Wilson and a bout of good interpassing took play back to the visitors'
half.
Then came their injury time disaster, and Pocklington were unable to
galvanize themselves at the break as another missed tackle almost let the Yarnbury
backs through on the restart. Yarnbury held the position and from an innocuous
scrum 20 yards out the visiting No 8 was somehow allowed to run through and then
round the home cover to score, before stretching their lead with another penalty
for killing the ball on the floor.
Pocklington finally woke up to batter at
the Yarnbury line for the next 20 minutes. They came close on half a dozen occasions
with scrum half Jonjo Sanderson, another making a first senior start, being dragged
down inches short, before being unable to cling on to a low pass with the line
in sight. Then his brother-in-law Littlefair fought his was over from a lineout
only to be driven back into play by a good Yarnbury pack response.
Pocklington
generally lacked a cutting edge, but from another lineout catch and drive Littlefair
was finally squeezed over in the corner. With the deficit down to 16-8 and with
ten minutes still left, Pocklington momentarily held hopes of pulling the game
out of the fire. They went straight back onto the offensive but disaster struck
as an attacking home pass went uneeringly into the hands of a Yarnbury back who
sped 70 yards for a converted try to kill the game.
There was still time for
Yarnbury to rub it in as more hesitant home tackling let the visitors through
in midfield for another converted try to bring down the curtain on Pocklington's
unhappy second half.