Old Rish are having a good season and it is not hard to see why as they competed well against a confident Ponte, who produced a tremendous performance with ball in hand, despite missing several regulars who were attending a week training camp in Benidorm.

Player coach Craig Fawcett is back to his best and very early on, he brushed off a poor effort to tackle by his opposite number to break away and put speedy young winger Ciaran Tucker away for converted try.

This score was soon followed by an excellent second as a superb turnover, by outstanding Jack Beddis, allowed fly half Richard Hossack to put hooker Tim Pickersgill away on a break which sucked in the opposition and in turn lead to prop Ethan Potts showing his all round skills with a step and a dash to the line out wide.

In general, Ponte’s defence was excellent, but individual lapses throughout cost the team dear. From such a passage of play Rish replied with a well taken try. What followed was a match winning period of play from Ponte. Firstly, a promising attack from Rish ended up in a dropped ball being shipped out to Tucker who streaked in from the half way line for a touchline converted try. This was soon followed by another seven pointer as Hossack produced a bit of individual brilliance to collect his own grubber kick through and score with the help of a ricochet off the posts.

At 26 – 7, with the try scoring bonus point secured, it seemed like it would be a comfortable break at half time for the lads, however, never say die Rish proved their status as one of the best scrummaging packs Ponte have played this year by forcing a try from a scrum against the head.

Ponte’s start to the second half seemingly put the game to bed. Firstly great hands put Tucker away down the wing. It would have been nice to see the young flyer back himself to the corner but the end result was perfect as the ball was worked out to the other wing for Lucas Betteridge to continue his recent try scoring run. He soon doubled that tally as a dominant scrum allowed super hands to put him in at the corner.

At 36-12 it was game over. Unfortunately, no one told Rish. They came storming back with 2 tries to gain a deserved bonus point. It looked like game on again but what followed was one of the most impressive displays of ball retention and closing down a game I have seen in many years at Ponte. With Fawcett receiving a yellow card for a high tackle, the forwards kept it tight for an energy sapping forty plus phases, drawing penalties from a frustrated opposition. At any level this amount of discipline and skill would bring rewards but here in Yorkshire one it lead to an inevitable walk in, under the posts for livewire scrum half Josh Walker, his first try on his return to the club. The conversion by Richard Dedicoat rounded off the scoring as the lads celebrated another fine victory.

The individual accolades on the day, in the forwards, go to Beddis’s unbelievable defence and man of the match Pickersgill, who produced his finest performance in a Ponte shirt to date. In the backs, Hossack proved a worthy competitor for the 10 shirt when regular captain Kaye returns.

The result consolidates third spot in the league with mouthwatering trip to Halifax to face unbeaten Old Crossleyans next Saturday.