THE clock was ticking down in more senses than one.

Baildon, who had somehow established a 15-10 half-time lead up the slope at home to Huddersfield Laund Hill in Counties Two Yorkshire, were leading 20-13 in stoppage time.

Then the visitors, who had bossed the second half, scored a try via prop Ashley Lockwood.

Full-back Tom Egan had a relatively easy conversion to level matters but as referee Chris Sheryn observed: “They were slow to get the kicking tee on and then the kicker twice tried to put the ball on the tee and it fell off.

“I said ’15 seconds’ (left of the allotted minute).”

Egan then panicked, tried to drop kick the ball over and skewed it horribly wide.

Baildon then went down the other end and sealed victory with a penalty by replacement James Morton, who has lived in the village all his life.

The latter, who now has a clean bill of health after a heart issue, is now learning a new position of fly half at the age of 33.

Morton explained: “My junior rugby was at Otley first, but then I had a season at Baildon with some friends when I was 18, and they are the same friends who have pestered me to get off the couch and come back and have a dig at rugby union.

“Senior wise I have played at Otley, Bradford & Bingley and Keighley Cougars.”

Morton added: “I had a little heart defect a couple of years ago, but I have been tested and it is all fine now, so I had two seasons at the Bees and a season at Otley before calling it a day.

“I also have a little girl, but I came down to watch Baildon beat Yarnbury by 90 points at the end of last season, and they approached me, as did a couple of other clubs.

"Baildon has been my home village all my life and I have a childhood friends here in Adam Hewitt, Ryan Kershaw and Dale Tabiner, while playing at 10 was also an attraction.

“I haven’t the pace to play wing any more, but the last few years I have played predominantly inside centre, but hopefully I can do a job for Baildon at 10 and I managed to kick a few goals as well.

“I didn’t play last week because of a torn bicep but I have been nursing that and got 30 minutes under my belt here, which I am happy about.”

Morton added: “I am probably the oldest in the team now, but they are a good set of lads.

"We need to control matches a bit more and show a bit more composure when we are in the ‘red zone’. Then we will really turn some teams over this season.

“But line-outs (Baildon overthrew several) are something that we need to work on.”

Morton added: “We knew that we had to show character against a side that got relegated by default last season, and this shows our ambition to get into Yorkshire One.”

On one of those curious days when both sides played better up the Jenny Lane slope, Baildon’s debutant fly half George Hahn put the home team ahead in the eighth minute with a penalty.

Egan replied in kind after Baildon were offside four minutes later, and Laund Hill took the lead in the 19th minute when winger Archie Roberts went over after lock Andy Appleby and No.8 Corby Nasaqa had gone close.

The conversion by Egan made it 10-3 but Baildon levelled in the 38th minute via a Will Eastell interception try on the left, which Hahn converted.

That came after impressive debutant right winger Fola Dario and hooker Mo Gaibee had threatened the line on the right flank.

Laund Hill must have been wondering if they had run over a black cat as, in injury time, Baildon centre Oliver Shakeshaft scored a try, leaving the visitors trailing 15-10 after a half in which they had seemed in control of.

Huddersfield prop Sam Burt was also yellow carded for a high tackle before the break, but the second half didn’t pan out the way that Baildon wanted.

Egan landing a penalty in the 47th minute, having missed an effort five minutes previously to bring his side within two points.

But he was off target in the 64th minute in a game that he will want to quickly erase from his memory, and Baildon lock Matty Dixon then stormed over on the right six minutes later to give Baildon that 20-13 advantage.

A yellow card for flanker Joe Murphy led to Egan’s kicking-tee error in stoppage time, and Baildon somehow made it two wins from two, with Laund Hill having the consolation of a losing bonus point in a game where they had contributed so much.