Yorkshire Division One: Bridlington 55 Bradford Salem 12

BRADFORD Salem, missing nine regulars, made the daunting trip to third-placed Bridlington.

Without a recognised scrum half and with several players out of position, the visitors started the game positively and were unlucky to go 7-0 behind after three minutes when Bridlington's fly half intercepted an attempted offload by Kiwi second-rower Dean McNicholl.

Things got worse for Salem as a speculative chip ahead bounced kindly for Bridlington to give the hosts a 14-0 lead inside ten minutes.

However, Salem hit back when, after a series of tap penalties in their opponents' 22, Bridlington made a hash of an attempted clearance kick, which gifted flanker John Morrell a try, improved by centre Danny Belcher to get the visitors back to within a score at 14-7.

But this proved to be the nearest the Bradford side got as Bridlington scored three tries in ten minutes to give themselves a healthy 29-7 lead at the break.

Within ten minutes of the second half, Salem were reduced to 13 men as No 8 Chad Bain received a yellow card for a high tackle, and fly half Harry Hall joined him in the sin-bin shortly afterwards for dissent.

With a two-man deficit, Salem did well to restrict Bridlington to just one score, which gave the hosts a 36-7 advantage but the Seasiders then scored a length-of-the-field converted try to make it 43-7.

Bridlington then scored a seventh try, although there was a blatant forward pass in the build up, and they passed the 50-point mark after a brilliant breakout from inside their 22.

However, Salem never gave up and, in the closing stages, Bain crossed in the right corner to give a final scoreline of 55-12, which didn't really do justice to the visitors' efforts.