A RATHER featureless game seemed to be heading towards a scoreless stalemate until a couple of minutes before time when North Ribblesdale claimed the try which gave them a 5-0 win at Knottingley.

Scrum-half Stuart Evans circumnavigated two bemused packs of forwards and broke through the home defence.

Evans' surge took him virtually to the line, where Gordon Throup, pressed into service as hooker, was on hand to take the scoring pass and win the game.

The Dalesmen probably deserved their success, for they created the greater number of chances, particularly during a spell mid-way through the first-half. In that period Evans used his power to threaten Knottingley's blind side from set scrums, combining with No 8 Ryan Kirkbride and full-back Gareth Evans, but nothing came from these forays.

Further pressure resulted, with the visitors using the driving maul, and their powerful scrum was only denied a score by a flawed interpretation by the referee of a wheeled scrum near the line when the home front-row were in some difficulty.

Those forward exchanges at the sharp end were certainly controlled by the Settle side, not surprisingly since Throup and front-row colleagues John Thwaite and Andrew Bradley can muster almost 120 years between them. A wet and windy day, coupled with a steady-paced game was just up their street.

The first-half also yielded a couple of penalty chances, but fly-half Adam Whaites were just off target, a process repeated by Knottingley's kicker in the second-half when they were enjoying territorial supremacy.

But the visiting defence was rock solid and the home side did not create a clear-cut opening before play moved up-field, where the two side generally cancelled each other out.

However, Ribblesdale displayed the greater will, the old heads in the front-row took a couple of strikes against the put-in and the home defence was not as tight as that of the visitors when the pressure grew.

Eventually, Evans made the vital breakthrough to give his side the points and add further momentum to the season. This is now beginning to roll and a promotion challenge could still be developed.

Beverley seem to be hot favourites to take the Yorkshire Two title, but second place could still be up for grabs.