Harrogate 24 – 20 Blaydon
Date: Saturday 20th September 2025
Competition: RFU Regional 1 North East

Harrogate staged a thrilling second-half comeback to edge past Blaydon 24–20 in a physical and rain-affected encounter.
Blaydon dominated the early exchanges, crossing the line three times in the opening 20 minutes. Despite the flurry of tries, the visitors struggled from the tee, missing all three conversion attempts, leaving the visitors 15–0 ahead.

Harrogate found their rhythm in the 28th minute when Will Hill (No. 8) powered over for their first try. Although Rory Macnab (No. 15) missed the conversion, the momentum began to shift. Just before halftime, a yellow card to Blaydon reduced their number to 14. Harrogate capitalised on the advantage as Steve Maycock (No. 2) added a second try, and Macnab made no mistake this time, narrowing the gap to 12–15 at the break.

The second half saw Harrogate continue their resurgence. Coming off the bench, Will Pritchard (No. 17) finished off a well-worked move in the 57th minute to give the hosts the lead for the first time, though Macnab’s conversion attempt failed.
Blaydon responded in the 65th minute with yet another try from their standout No. 1, but their conversion woes continued, keeping the score at a tight 17–20.

The physical nature of the game continued as the pressure built, and both teams picked up Red cards with just 10 minutes left to play.
With just two minutes left on the clock, Harrogate’s skipper Sam Brady (No. 5) crashed over for a dramatic late try. Macnab held his nerve to slot the conversion, sealing a much-needed 24–20 victory, keeping Harrogate in the pack at the top half of the Regional North East 1 table.

Director of Rugby, Jake Brady, said;
“After going 0-15 down the lads showed belief and grit to take a victory in tough conditions.
We were able to apply pressure to Blaydon for large parts of the game which resulted in a one-sided penalty count. This allowed us to gain field position and possession and get a strangle hold of the game.
Blaydon came to win and they were tough opponents, they took their chances well and forced us to dig deep to get back into the game.
Although we have dropped 3 league points from this first block of games I feel like we are in a strengthening position. Competition for places is high and the second team has been performing well. Players due to return from injury or unavailability over the coming weeks will boost us further.”
Harrogate face Cleckheaton away on the 4th October before returning to the Apollo Capital Stadium on the 11th October, when they will welcome Alnwick.