BRADFORD Salem progressed to the quarter-final stage of the Yorkshire Shield with an excellent 47-29 victory over Pocklington, who play in a division higher.
In their first visit to Percy Road since March 5 2005, Salem started positively and some good ball retention got them deep into opposition territory. However, they were then dealt a sucker punch as Pock full-back Harry Jackson fielded a grubber kick on his own try line before setting off on a mazy run to half-way.
The ball was then moved wide to winger Joe Aconley, who outpaced the cover defence to score a fine try improved by fly half Chris Pollock to give the hosts an early 7-0 lead.
However, Salem soon levelled matters when 18-year-old centre Morgan Mirzaali showed great strength and footwork to score under the posts, winger Jake Green adding the simple conversion.
Pocklington retook the lead courtesy of a Pollock penalty after Salem were caught off-side but the visitors went ahead for the first time when centre Max Trueman sold an outrageous dummy on his way to the try-line. Green landed the conversion to put the Bradford side 14-10 in front.
Pocklington then suffered a double blow as referee Tony Smith sent prop Chris Morton and lock Andrew Kere-Rako to the sin-bin within five minutes of each other.
With their opponents down to 13 men, Salem piled on the pressure and tries from second rower Rhys Green and veteran full-back Dan Scarbrough gave the visitors a commanding 26-10 lead.
Once back to a full complement, Pocklington launched a series of punishing assaults on their opponents' try line. Despite some desperate last-ditch defending, the pressure eventually told as Pock drove over for a converted try to reduce the arrears to 26-17 at the break.
Within five minutes of the restart, Pocklington closed the gap to four points when one of their forwards showed incredible upper-body strength to bull-doze his way over the line, and, when the hosts added a further try to take them into a 29-26 lead, the writing seemed to be on the wall.
Salem, however, had other ideas and, following a Scarbrough retrieval and kick, a Pocklington error allowed Trueman to hack through and score his second try which Jake Green improved to edge the visitors 33-29 ahead.
The turning point came with 10 minutes remaining when flanker Nick Fontaine picked up a loose ball in his own half before sprinting 60 metres to score a brilliant individual try, Green’s conversion giving the Bradford side a healthy 40-29 advantage.
However, there was even better to come as, straight from the restart, Rhys Green caught the ball before feeding the ball to skipper and No 8 Christian Baines, who made 20 metres on a trademark bullocking run.
The ball was then transferred to flanker Tim Makaafi, who gained further ground before off-loading to Trueman who raced 40 metres to complete his hat-trick, Green adding the extras to seal a superb 47-29 victory.
Salem’s reward is a home quarter-final against another North One East team, Malton and Norton, on January 25.
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