Otley 7 Pertemps Bees 11

Otley will be disappointed that they failed to force a National League One win which was well within their grasp.

A couple of vital errors emphasised their inability to bury their visitors, who had laboured hard under the pressure and greater mobility of the home side.

As ever, the Birmingham approach was built around a well-organised pack but Otley, with Justin Wring back in their ranks and the experienced Steve Barretto, on loan from Doncaster, stiffening up the front row, were comfortably able to cope and, with a little more steadiness on the visitors' line would have delivered the points.

They set about their duties from the start, fierce wintry squalls which swept across the ground made back play difficult, not to say risky, and with Steve Parsons, Rob Whatmuff and Kyle Dench out, Otley's rearranged back line needed some time to settle down.

It was eight minutes before Birmingham were able to mount an attack of any significance and break out of their own half.

The first chance for a kick at goal came in the 14th minute but Simon Binns saw his effort blown off course and, when the drop-out was then knocked on, Otley stood off and watched scrum half Michael Baxter break away.

A subsequent penalty for offside on the home 22 allowed winger Matthew Nuthall to open the scoring.

Still promising but not delivering, Otley remained 3-0 down at the break but five minutes after the resumption Nuthall kicked a second pen-alty when Paul Mooney nud-ged a kicker following up his chip over the defence, the ball dropping under the posts for the easiest of kicks and earning Mooney a yellow card.

With neither side looking confident with ball in hand, it came as a surprise when Birmingham fashioned a break through the middle and a shock when Nuthall got over in the corner.

Otley now needed divine intervention and it came by way of a young lady defying the elements to dash across the field unadorned.

At the other end, replacement scrum half Neil Chivers dived in to touch down as his forwards drove over the line, Binns adding the conversion.

Otley continued to have the upper hand but were unable to make up the deficit.