Otley 19

HENLEY HAWKS 8

IT was, quite simply , the most pulsating and entertaining game of the season so far as Otley are concerned. Otley gained two points and moved up to third position as a result of this win from their first ever encounter with Henley Hawks, when they met in a Jewson League Division One match at Cross Green on Saturday.

Before a crowd of about 500 Otley first of all defended magnificently against a battering by Henley. In fact it was during these opening 20 minutes that Otley actually won the match.

Had they not been able to keep the fast and hard running Henley backs and their determined forwards out, then the story may well have been a different one.

As it happened Otley's defence was solid and helped on by vocal support from their supporters they eventually turned the game round, began to command play, gained confidence, ran in three well thought out tries and finished deserved winners with plenty of breath to spare.

This was a fiery match, a hard one with very little room for mistakes. Otley made less mistakes than Henley and this was the difference between the two sides.

Henley, who are in second place, were favourites to win this match and the confident and determined way in which they played early in the game gave the impression they were going to run away with it.

They got a surprise because they came up against a rock solid Otley defence in which every member of the team contributed. There were no weak links.

It was indeed a breathtaking contest between two of the teams fighting for promotion to Allied Dunbar Division Two. On the evidence of this encounter then both teams would be worthy of promotion although the step up would mean both teams would have to strengthen their squads.

Tries win matches and deservedly so and the fact that Otley ran in three to Henley's one, scored late in the game, was evidence of their superiority.

Otley engineered three gaps in the Henley defence while the visitors only managed one breakthrough and that was in the 79th minute when the game was Otley's.

The packs were even in all departments of the game but Otley locks Ian Carroll and Paul Williams took some good ball in the line-outs.

Carroll took his line-out ball quite cleanly and when a maul was formed he was usualy at the centre.

Otley possessed the flair and skill in the backs whereas Henley's threequarters relied

too much on direct running.

There was no flair in their play - just guts. Henley were a little too predictable and as a

result Otley were onto them in a flash.

Otley's pack worked extremely hard but in the end this win was down to team effort. It was a superb and heart warming display.

One quirk thrown up by the game was that Henley's fly-half played with number 20 on his shirt.

Tony McArthur, director of rugby at Henley, said it was all down to superstition. "We have lost three players playing at fly-half with serious injury and none of them will be playing rugby again so we decided not to risk another player in the number 10 shirt," he said.

After sustaining early pressure by the eager Henley side Otley came more into the game.

Full-back Jon Stubbings missed a chance to put the visitors in front when they were awarded a penalty in the 21st minute.

It was a relatively easy kick but Stubbings pulled his kick.

Otley lock Paul Williams won a line-out and it was Otley's turn to drive on towards the Henley line.

However, Stubbings kicked the ball upfield and Duckett gathered but miscued his kick and very little ground was gained.

Prop Steve Rice, No 8 Lafaele Filipo, winger Chris Thornton and centre Mark Billington linked to set up a try for scrum-half Gary Cassidy (28 mins).

Fly-half Dan Clappison added the goal points to give Otley a 7-0 lead. Four minutes later full-back Jon Stubbings kicked a penalty for Henley.

Shortly after centre Trevor Walsh suffered an injury to his neck when he was involved in a collision with a colleague but after treatment he decided to resume.

Scrum-half Bill Davidson's drop goal attempt was wide of the posts. Otley led 7-3 at half-time.

Henley had an opportunity to take the lead but Stubbings pulled two penalty kicks wide in the 45th and 48th minutes.

Shortly after he had been given a yellow card for an offence lock Jerry Sampson was replaced by Alistair Ramus, the former Harrogate player.

Within five minutes of resuming Otley increased their lead when scrum-half Gary Cassidy chipped a ball over the Henley cover and Ryan Duckett raced through to beat a Henley player to the touchdown. Clappison was unable to convert the try.

Later in the game right-winger Sam Gardner had a chance of a try but he did not run hard enough, hesitated and was stopped.

He made ammends later when he received the ball, ran down the wing and passed inside to centre Mark Billington, who took the opportunity to cut through a gap and score a try in the 59th minute.

Clappison added the goal points to give Otley a 19-3 lead

Centre Matt Maudsley, who came on as a replacement, got a consolation try for Henley in the 79th minute. Stubbings was just wide with his kick at goal.

The referee was Mr P T Dickens (RFU/East Midlands Society) and the touch judges were Mr A Hughes (RFU) and Mrs R Cooke (RFU).

l Otley, who are to field a Saracens XV for the Yorkshire Cup, travel to Cleckheaton on Saturday (November 14) for a first round tie.

Their next league match is on Saturday November 21, when they travel to Morley.

Otley will be eager to avenge their 20-18 defeat at the hands of Morley in the Tetley Bitter Cup at Cross Green on October 17.

NEWCOMERS

Flanker Nick Brown, who joined Otley from West Park Bramhope and made three league appearances as replacement last season has joined Yarnbury, who play in North East Division Three.

Prop Andy Knapton, has moved to West Park Bramhope and Mark Nixon has registered with Huddersfield.

Dan Askew, a hooker, has joined the club having previously played for Harrogate and Huddersfield.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.