York’s injury ravaged squad travelled to Morpeth expecting a tough afternoon and were not disappointed. Having lost 2 more players to season ending injuries plus the addition of two more concussions to the list, the coaching team again had to rely on youth.

York kicked off and Morpeth immediately went on the attack; excellent ball retention by the pack allowed the backs front foot ball to attack York. The relentless pressure soon told and after 15 minutes, York had not touched the ball and had conceded 17 points. York finally gained possession and started to attack Morpeth with some good handling. However, the young side were making little impression on a physically bigger and more experienced side. It wasn’t long before Morpeth had increased their lead to 29-0. York’s cause wasn’t helped by the loss of Joe Maud to injury on 30 minutes. To their credit, York kept going and following good handling by the backs, Sam Elliot scored in the corner with Liam Hessay adding the touch line conversion.

The second half followed a similar pattern - Morpeth quickly established a commanding 50-7 lead before Toby Atkin scored York’s second try with Hessay adding the conversion. Morpeth added one more score to finish with an impressive 57-14 victory. They are a strong, well drilled team and would make worthy league champions.

York now a have a week off before the final four games of the season. Three of them are against teams sitting below them in the league. Hopefully with a number of players due back from injury, they can regroup and have a positive end to the season.