'Yellow' peril puts Otley on back foot (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

'Yellow' peril puts Otley on back foot

4:31pm Monday 17th April 2006 in Sport By Sports Desk

Earth Titans 39 Otley 24

Rotherham found an ally in referee Chris Sharp, who decided Otley's rules of engagement were not to his liking.

This immediately negated their strongest element as he rained countless penalties on a bemused side, and in addition producing his yellow card on four occasions three times against the visitors.

All this led, despite the high scoring, to a most disjointed game, with the scores coming in fits and starts.

As the half-time score of 24-10 indicates it was mostly the Titans, playing down the slope and with the wind, who made the running, aided to a great degree by having ample opportunity to push Otley back with the aid of penalty kicks.

They chose to shove these into touch in search of the bonus point but found a pretty solid defence in their faces until Nathan Bland was the first to go on nine minutes when former Bradford & Bingley No 8 Chris Hala'ufia crashed over, fly half Mike Whitehead converting.

Chasing the restart well, Otley gained a penalty under the posts, which Robin Kitching duly put away, but then it was the turn of Kris Fullman to join Bland on the bench, and after Ian Shuttleworth had been called offside when going for an interception they found themselves back on their 22.

Left winger Scott Donald was given an overlap which he successfully exploited, Whitehead again converting.

The fly half then added a penalty just before Jason Oakes received his first yellow card for not allowing scrum half Joe Bedford the full ten metres at a tap penalty. Donald went in for his second try almost immediately, and Whitehead was again on target with the conversion.

Otley's Paul Williams just failed to go the distance with a break from a line-out on the home 22, but the pressure was maintained, and after Titans' prop Jarleth Carey was shown a yellow card, it was easy for Otley to drive over, Mark Luffman grounding and Kitching converting.

The home crowd were cooing when Bedford slipped over for a try two minutes into the second half, which Whitehead improved, but their mood changed dramatically when Otley took over proceedings, and Andy Brown went in from the back of a drive. Luffman was again in charge as the pack drove over, and with Kitching improving both the home side were reeling with 30 minutes remaining.

But Whitehead kicked a penalty and prop Adam Hopcroft went in for a late try.