York travelled to Malton having won their first four games of the season. Malton had won two and lost two. The weather was good and there was a healthy crowd at The Gannock. Dan Coe and Daz Rutherford were the starting prop-forwards for York with Ross White captaining the side at hooker. Neil McClure played at full-back, George Davies moved to outside centre.

The game started with several penalties for ruck infringements. Liam Hessay kicked York ahead with a nice strike from forty metres out. It was an evenly contested game but Malton scored four tries before a York reply. Chris Inman (scrum-half) and Ali Fothergill (wing) created some momentum carrying the ball for Malton which York couldn’t stop. Fothergill offloaded the ball to Rob Armitage who scored near the posts, the conversion was good. Liam had an opportunity to narrow the gap but missed a penalty kick which he would normally get. Sam Triffit, the Malton captain and open-side flanker, scored the home team’s second try after a physical run. Paul Angus (fly-half) added the conversion. York tried to get back in to the game and did support each other to score but the final pass was adjudged forward and the try was ruled out.
Malton broke from deep to score just before half-time. They ran with the ball until tackled a few metres before the York line. York flanker, Lewis Hannibal, received a yellow card for trying to slow the ball down and Chris Inman found some space to stretch over from the resulting penalty. The conversion was missed though. It was 19-3 at the break.

Ali Fothergill ran in to score Malton’s fourth try not long after the re-start to give the hosts what appeared to be an unassailable lead. The conversion was good. York gave themselves hope though, Neil McClure gathered a clearance kick, chipped over the defensive line in to space and Toby Atkin (scrum-half) scored after the ball was recycled. Liam missed the conversion, as before, a kick he would normally make. Malton missed a penalty kick before York’s second try. Neil McClure was in support to finish a long distance break. The conversion was missed (although a touch judge put his flag up which confused some spectators). Malton scored from a line-out close to York’s line. The hooker, John Vasconcelos, passed the ball the required five metres to the front of the line-out and scored in the corner, after much debate, having received the return pass. The conversion was missed and this was Malton’s last score in the game. They were eighteen points ahead with twenty minutes remaining. Lewis Hannibal scored from short range and George Davies kicked the conversion. Again from close in, this time after a line-out drive, Ross White scored. George missed this one. Rich Downey, a replacement centre for York showed sparkling pace to put York close to the Malton line. The Malton clearing kick was charged down and from the resulting scrum, Toby Atkin got over the line. Agonizingly, the conversion was wide to leave York one point behind with five minutes remaining. Malton, under pressure, knocked the ball on only a few metres from their try line. With York receiving the feed to the scrum, the York supporters felt this would be their winning play. The referee penalised York (?) and Malton cleared. Disappointingly, the match finished 31-30.

York were two points shy of the win but received two important league points (one for being within seven of the opposition, the other for scoring four tries). They still remain top on points difference but now from Bridlington, previously unbeaten Morpeth also losing.
York now have two weeks rest and some much needed injury recovery time, before playing Bradford & Bingley at home on 13th October.