It was a bright, fresh day for playing rugby and there was an open feel to the conditions at Clifton Park. The two games between Morley and York last season were physical with each team gaining an away win. This was the second game in the new season.

Morley had some familiar names playing for them. Richard Knowles and Mark Chester were their half-backs and Andy Ellis captained the side from inside-centre. Callum Rogers, Brad Freeman and Darrell Griffin made up the back-row of the Morley pack.

York welcomed back their hooker (and captain), Ross White, after some prolonged injuries. He was joined by Lewi Jackson and John Aikman in the front-row. Lewi is a young man who has graduated from the youth section and John is an experienced prop-forward who joined York in the summer. Cade Robinson is also new to the York team, originally from New Zealand, he transferred from local rivals Scarborough. Cade started in the second-row with Luke Stockton. Shane Goulding provided the power at number eight.George Davies played at fly-half with Jon Frank and Sam Forbes at twelve and thirteen respectively. Jon was the final summer recruit in the York team today. He was influential in the centres for Northallerton before moving to York. Rob Hodges, Ben Dyson-Dent and Will Atkin were the back three.

York gained territorial advantage early in the game. The forward pack worked hard with effective structure and support but couldn’t force the ball over the line to get an early score. Their opposite numbers in maroon were determined to keep them out. The line-outs were accurate and the scrum was stable.Morley took advantage of a York turnover to open the scoring. Winger Noah Hawkins was untroubled in his run-in from forty metres out. Mark Chester missed the conversion. In an even period of the first half, Morley added seven points to their lead when centre Harrison Baylis scraped out of a tackle and released Connor Wilson to score.

After another pointless foray in to the Morley twenty-two, York conceded another three points to Mark Chester’s boot when they couldn’t escape their own. Morley were defending effectively and had punished York on the counter. Shane Goulding broke the defensive line though and with George Davies in support, the home team again pushed Morley deep in to their own half. After a stable scrum the ball was distributed wide. Close to the try-line the referee held out his arm to indicate York had a penalty kick due. Toby Atkin (scrum-half) waited patiently for it to be awarded, tapped the ball immediately and dived over to score after advancing the remaining two metres. Finally!
Sadly, Ben Dyson-Dent missed the conversion and it was 5-15 at half time.

Shane broke again from the kick-off, it was clean and he ran the full sixty metres to score beside the posts. Ben kicked the conversion. York were retaining possession and Toby increased the territorial advantage with a couple of accurate kicks that found space behind the Morley defensive line.The York scrum was becoming more dominant. Dan Coe rotated in to the front-row. After several attempts and with the Morley number five Nick Green, in the sin-bin - Shane picked the ball up from the base of an advancing scrum and pushed over. Ben missed the conversion and York had a slim two-point lead.

Now trailing and with time running out, Morley tried to push a pass and create a line-break. York looked solid and sensed victory before heartbreak struck. Morley won a penalty and Mark Chester kicked it from thirty metres. Having been starved of possession, but stout in defence, the visitors had edged to victory.