First win of season for Ponte

Pontefract opened their Yorkshire One home league campaign against newly promoted Yarnbury
with a well deserved victory. After an encouraging display at Wath the previous week,
Ben Wade’s men were keen to build upon a successful pre season and did not disappoint
with a composed and structured team performance leaving the Moor Lane faithful with
smiles on their faces.

From the outset Pontefract had the momentum and dictated the game territorially. Stand
off and captain Glen Boyd, whose tactical kicking was excellent all afternoon, ensured
the visitors were on the back foot. The early exchanges saw a committed Pontefract
pack, boosted by the return of prop Richard Maw, get on top of a Yarnbury front five.
Despite the visitors pack being somewhat heavier, Pontefract produced quick rucked
ball enabling half backs Matty Hargreaves and Boyd to release the three quarters who
looked threatening and sharp. The early dominance was temporarily brought to halt with
an head injury to full back Richard Dedicoat. The injury caused coach Ben Wade to reshuffle
the back line with replacement back row forward John Fradgely coming on to the wing,
Ross Shand moving to the centre and the experienced Andy Dean to full back. The extended
break to treat Dedicoat did not affect the Moor Lane men. From a line out and four
phases of controlled play, centre Craig Fawcett, who was dangerous all afternoon,
sent Fradgely close with his first touch of the ball. From the resulting line out
and next passage of play, Boyd probed the Yarnbury line and stepped and dummied his
way over to give the Moor Lane men a 5-0 lead, Dean missed the conversion.

Pontefract continued to dominant possession and territory and any advances from Yarnbury
were quickly sniffed out. The aggressive defence of the hard working Open-side flankerJoe
Perkins and debutant Rob Stringer in the second row were to the fore, and the ball
carries from Matty Williams at number eight provided the platform for Boyd to dictate
from stand off. After an infringement in the Yarnbury twenty five, Dean added a penalty
on the half hour mark to increase the lead to 8-0.

Yarnbury tried to get back in to the game and enjoyed a good 5 minute spell just before
the break. Their endeavour was cut short though through an interception from winger
Shane Simpson. Simpson raced clear 40 yards, before handing to skipper Boys whose reverse
pass saw the supporting centre Fawcett go close. Just on the close of half time Pontefract
crossed for their second try. A deserved score for Matty Williams from a five yard
scrum was converted by Dean. Pontefract went in to the break 18-0 up, and arguably
their dominance deserved more.

The second half saw Yarnbury start well and gain some possession and territory in the
Pontefract quarter. Their commitment was rewarded through a well worked converted try
making the score 18-7. This score seemed to give the visitors confidence and shortly
afterwards having looked to be held up in the right hand corner, the Yarnbury winger
was awarded a try and with the conversion missed, the visitors were very much back
in the game trailing 18-12.

With a quarter of the game remaining it looked as if the Pontefract hard work and dominance
early on may go to waste. However, this was far from the case. Spurred on by coach
Wade and a disciplined approach from the whole side in the last twenty, it was Pontefract’s
game management and refusal to let silly errors get in the way that brought them right
back in to the game. The forwards well led by second row Richard Scott and the experienced
from t row duo of Andy Smith and Maw again provided some excellent territory for the
Pontefract back line. Good drives by James Griffin and Andy Fradgley provided quick
ball for Boyd to fire a long ball to Fawcett. Fawcett’s quick hands saw Andy Dean come
in to the line and side step two players to score. Dean converted his own try to put
Pontefract 25 – 12 ahead.

The score remained 25- 12 for Pontefract to gain a well deserved first home league
scalp of the Yorkshire 1 campaign. The coaching team of Ben Wade and Paul Banfield
can have much confidence from a team performance, that showed not only huge promise
but a structure and a pattern that was missing last season. In an all round team performance,
the kicking and general decision making of captain Glen Boyd was a highlight as was
the effort and a commitment of a Pontefract pack. Pontefract travel to York next Saturday,
for their next Yorkshire 1 fixture, and can do so with a positive and purposeful spirit
around the camp.