YORKSHIRE SHIELD: Bradford & Bingley 24, Bridlington 23

IF ALL of Bradford & Bingley's games this season are going to be as thrilling as this, the gatemen should issue heart pills along with the match-day programmes.

It looked for all the world as if last season's runners-up were going to take the former National League club's scalp, only for hooker Masiu Akauola to be driven over the line in the seventh minute of injury time to win it for the Bees.

Bradford & Bingley's rugby chairman Martin Whitcombe said: "We have to start somewhere, it was a win and we will get better but I was confident that the lads would win as long as we could get into the right area of the field.

"But we should have scored a pushover try when they were down to 14 men (after the sin-binning of flanker Alistair Sutton in the 48th minute)."

On a pristine pitch on a day when some of the action seemed to bypass referee Dan Woods, the hosts received an early boost when visiting fly half Matthew Welch's pass was intercepted by Bees flanker Luke Peacock and the attack moved left, leaving Bridlington short-handed in defence for Josh Seal to score, fellow centre Max Dominy converting in the second minute.

Bridlington No 8 James Thompson, who was the best player on the pitch and was particularly influential in the opening 20 minutes and gave an indication of his prowess when he ran back the initial kick-off, replied in the fourth minute with an unconverted try, and the visitors took the lead in the 18th minute with a Welch try and conversion.

He added a penalty in the 31st minute but the deficit was cut to a point when home skipper Brett Mitchell peeled off from a line-out three minutes later to score, Dominy converting from near the left touchline.

Welch and Dominy missed penalties either side of half-time on an afternoon when the uprights were struck three times, and hard-working Bees No 8 Tom Cummins put his side ahead with a pushover try in the 61st minute following strong home pressure.

The 19-15 advantage lasted only six minutes, however, Bridlington winger Gary Stephens capitalising on a missed tackle to put the visitors ahead again.

However, in a frenetic end in which Cummins, for use of the boot, and Thompson were both sin-binned and Welch stroked over a penalty in injury time to extend Bridlington's lead to 23-19, Akauola's late, late show left the visitors rueing the 16 points they failed to score via kicks at goal.

Bradford & Bingley, who were lucky to get through, now have a second-round tie at home to Scarborough |(thereby rubbing more salt into Bridlington's wounds as they have missed out on an east-coast derby) on Saturday, November 28.