Ben Brown's late points secure narrow victory for Old Grovians

This Old Grovians victory yesterday in SSE Yorkshire Division Four wasn't the most polished performance but it was one that showed character in abundance and an ability to turn a game around when it seemed to be slipping away.

Seven days on from their first defeat of the season, the intriguing question was how would Old Grovians react to that setback, and for the first ten minutes their response could not have been more emphatic.

They dominated the home side in the scrum, with the Vandals forwards being shoved off several balls, and such was the pressure being exerted Halifax lost two of their front row to injury.

Tom Dalton and Gaz Phillips were punching big holes in midfield with powerful runs, and it came as no surprise when one of those breaks resulted in an offload to hooker Mathew Worrall, who crossed for the game's opening try.

That should have set the platform for Old Grovians to push on but instead they appeared to sit back and their intensity dropped.

Three penalty kicks failed to find touch, and instead of going through the phases and recycling the ball, they attempted to play an expansive game . . . and mistakes followed.

The door was left ajar for Halifax to work their way back into the match, a penalty to the home side making it 7-3 after half an hour.

Vandals' fly half marshalled his team impressively around the pitch, using his right boot to good effect and ensuring that much of the game was played in Old Grovians territory, and when his drop goal two minutes before half-time reduced the decficit to 7-6, the momentum was entirely with the home side.

Adam Weaving - back in the team for the first time in a month - successfully extended Old Grovians' lead to 10-6 early in the second half but shortly after he limped out of the game with a hamstring injury, forcing a reshuffle with Ben Brown moving to 10 and Joel Bradley coming off the bench to play at full back.

Vandals continued to press. Another drop goal attempt fluttered wide but that was nothing more than a brief reprieve for the visitirs.

Moments later the Halifax fly half made an incisive break inside the 22. He might have dragged defenders over the line himself but instead found his centre in support to score under the posts and Vandals had a 13-10 lead.

A further penalty with 17 minutes left to play extended their advantage to six, and Old Grovians were facing the real possibility of suffering back-to-back defeats.

To their credit, Old Grovians didn't panic. They began playing a tighter game, with Dalton carrying the ball well from 8 and Brown - taking the lead from his opposite number - repeatedly turning around the Halifax defence with a well-judged kicking game.

With a little under ten minutes to go, it brought it's reward.

From a Brown kic,k Old Grovians managed to isolate the defender and turned over the ball deep inside Halifax territory.

The forwards sucked in the defence before the ball was released to Anthony Griffin, who slipped by two tacklers before finding Bradley on the overlap to score in the corner.

Brown's conversion from the touchline arrowed unerringly through the posts to give Grovians a one-point lead, and his drop goal in the closing minutes secured the points.