Star Man: Jake Rodgers

Referee: George Richardson

Attendance: 75

HT: 11 - 7 FT: 16 - 26

Scorers:
Harrogate
Tries: Swanson (14), Thompson (69)
Penalties: Macnab (19, 22)
Tynedale
Tries: Fletcher (38), Pike (48), Outson (56), Parker (62)
Conversions: Rodgers (40, 49, 58)

Yellow Cards
Opposition: Stanwix (19), Miller (68), Grant (78)

Teams:
Harrogate:
Haydock, Swanson, Yates H, Troup, Yates W, Macnab, Penistone, Baxter, Maycock, Dennis, Hannam, Brady, Dodds, Coser, Thompson
Subs: Percival, Harrison, Heaton, Doherty, Irvine
Tynedale:
Parker, Hutton, Grant, Miller, Pike, Rodgers, Outson, White, Fletcher, Carmichael, Wearmouth, Dunn, Stanwix, Wainwright, Blackburn
Subs: Batey, Caudle, Bell, Blackett, Leslie

Although Tynedale was the form team coming into this encounter, Harrogate exerted early pressure before the ball was held up over the line. Despite Tynedale countering, breaks by Hannam and Troup led to Harrogate spinning the ball wide and Swanson scoring in the right-hand corner.

Further Harrogate pressure saw Tynedale get the first yellow card, with Stanwix not retreating ten metres from a previous penalty. Macnab kicked the resulting penalty, and his subsequent penalty from a Tynedale scrum infringement extended Harrogate’s lead to 11 – 0 just over halfway through the first half.

Play then went from end to end, but just before the end of the half a 50:22 kick from Tynedale, enabled them to catch and drive from the lineout. Fletcher scored the try, converted by Rodgers, making the half-time score Harrogate 11 Tynedale 7.

Although the first half had been relatively even, the second was a different story. Tynedale upped their game and scored three tries through Pike, Outson and Parker. With Rodgers converting two, Tynedale stretched into a 26 – 11 lead.

Harrogate did not give up and kept pressure on Tynedale with Declan Thompson to the fore. A second yellow card for Tynedale, this time for foul play with Miller being the culprit, saw them reduced to fourteen men again. Almost immediately, Thompson got Harrogate back into the game with a try in the corner.

Tynedale had a further yellow card in the dying moments to reduce them briefly to thirteen men. However, despite Harrogate’s best efforts, Tynedale’s strong defence meant there were no further scores.

Tim Thorley