Under slate grey skies and a chill breeze, two of the in form teams in Yorkshire One met; the home team having lost only once in 2016 and the visitors having lost only once in the whole season. It was a game of two halves, with York holding Bradford and Bingley to a one score gap in the first half but then seeing the Bees running away with the game after the break.

The Bees have won all but one of their games this season and are unlikely to be knocked off the top of the table. Their dominance has been built on strong forward play, tiring their opposite numbers and creating space out wide for their effective backs. In the first forty minutes York’s forwards were a match for their visitors and not only defended passionately and effectively but also forced a number of penalties at the scrum. The visitors were the first to score as they turned defence into attack through some deft handling in midfield and the simple movement of the ball out wide. Graves was the finish of a decent team move (conversion hit; York 0 – Bradford & Bingley 7). York continued to pressure their visitors with a high intensity defence, forcing the Bees into some silly handling mistakes and working their way downfield from the resulting scrum. York’s first points came from the boot of McClure as he converted a penalty (York 3 – Bradford & Bingley 7). The Bees responded shortly afterwards with a penalty of their own struck by flyhalf Driver (York 3 – Bradford & Bingley 10).From a series of penalties, Bradford and Bingley worked their way back up field and from a lineout 5 meters from the try line, they again stretched the York defence and scored in the opposite corner. The conversion was missed but the signs were ominous, the visitors speed and class were starting to show and York would need to hold their resolve and work rate to keep the floodgates closed (York 3 – Bradford & Bingley 15). To their credit York played out the remaining ten minutes of the first half with a great intensity. From a 22 drop out by the Bees, the ever-industrious Parker set off on an excellent run, breaking tackles before exchanging some neat passes with McClure. Parker crossed for the score which, given the opposition was one of the more impressive of the season. The conversion missed, the half time score was York 8 – Bradford & Bingley 15.

With the slope in the second half and seemingly a more focused attitude, Bradford and Bingley came out of the blocks at full pace. The first 20 minutes of the second period saw the Bees score five tries and effectively kill the game off. The best of these was Moore’s second, who showed excellent pace and running lines. A worthy mention should also go to player coach MacDonald, who also crossed the whitewash. With just less than 20 minutes still remaining, the score line read York 8 – Bradford & Bingley 48.To York’s credit, they did not lie down and let the visitors hit the 50 mark; in the final quarter they found their energy again and put in a competitive performance. They were unlucky not to add to their own score as they got close to the line on a number of occasions.

Whilst the score might have suggested a one sided affair, York should be pleased that for 60 minutes of the match they competed well with a side that is clearly destined to play a higher standard of rugby. The first half in particular was an excellent showing of commitment in defence by all 15 players. Noteworthy performances include Parker for a number of excellent runs and strong defence, Hall for his defence and flyhalf McClure who gave an assured performance and helped to keep York on an even-keel during the stormiest of periods.