Hot on the heels of the well-earned victory at Knottingley last Saturday, Ripon trained well and fielded an unchanged squad for only the second time this season this week. Knowing the passion and commitment of the side fighting for survival, there was no doubt that this weekend's visitors to Mallorie Park would mean business. And so Leeds Medics and Dentists did. In a do or die, bottom of the table battle, never were league points so keenly fought over and what followed on the pitch didn't disappoint the spectators. In a crunching fixture with no quarter asked or given, both sides played with a pace and intensity for the full 80 minutes.

A sizeable crowd was shepherded out at the appropriate moment by Club Chairman and match sponsor Adam Briggs, so there were no distractions from unimportant Six Nations games, to prevent this week’s guests from watching a memorable sporting occasion. It was memorable for a couple of reasons: Experience over enthusiasm, in that the average age of the Ripon squad rose to a geriatric 26 this week, compared to the LMD average age of considerably less; Dogged determination over exuberance, in that Ripon managed to calm things down at the right times to steady the game and try and play with their planned shape and patterns; and knowing when to take risks and when not to.

In dull conditions, with a moderate breeze and the threat of rain or other precipitation at any time, as well as being the first outing on Ripon’s new experimental playing surface – “The Cat Scratch Sward”, both sides took to the field to an aura of quiet reverence and expectation. Apparently successive years of rolling the pitch flat, has led to a compacting of the grass roots just below the surface, or so someone said in the bar, which in turn leads to gross superficial moisture retention and nowhere for the rainwater to drain off. Commonly known as a quagmire, this has hampered Ripon’s teams of all ages to play anywhere near the exciting brand of Rugby that they have become accustomed to over the years. The “Cat Scratching” of the playing surface, after maybe another rolling too far; resulted in a relatively flat field, criss-crossed by lengthy slashes, probably visible from outer space and hopefully not inviting an alien invasion.

To the game! LMD opted to kick off and thankfully did so straight into touch, offering Ripon a scrum. Under less pressure than in previous weeks (going forwards), Ripon were gratefully able to launch an attack from the base through Dud Stead in his last game for the Club. From the ensuing breakdown, the defenders were judged to be off their feet and a penalty chance was offered. From a quickly taken tap penalty, the attacking option yielded nothing due to stout LMD defence and play continued thereafter at a frenetic pace.

The visitors showed great competitiveness at all phases of the game and pressurised Ripon every time they got the ball. On the five minute mark, LMD were presented with a penalty opportunity, but the attempted goal kick went wide and was safely collected by Duffield. From the 22 drop out restart, LMD knocked the catch on and Ripon took the scrum. Predictably, Stead picked from the base and made a fair few yards before offloading to Rob Nicholson, cutting in on a fine angle. The ball was recycled swiftly to the left wing where Foster and Leeming interchanged passes, before George Foster crossed the line to open the scoring for Ripon. Leeming's conversion attempt was within range, but thwarted by the woodwork.

The next 15 minutes were pretty much all LMD, as they put together some fine phases and penetrating attacks. Ripon's defence held firm, with Spilman particularly effective, leading by example and mostly with his face, which ended up in him coming off the pitch looking like he'd gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Also key to Ripon's defence were Euan Findlay and Sam Britton, who tackled tirelessly and did their best to spoil the visitor's possession, without spoiling their good looks.

At 20 minutes, Duffield fielded a speculative territorial kick and broke out of defence with a scything run through the opposition to handle twice in a move to put speedy Winger Ben Buckley over for Ripon's second try. Leeming made no mistake of this conversion from in front of the posts.

At 28 minutes Duffield was penalised for holding on in the tackle from a further daring counter attack and suffered the indignity of a yellow card. The only such sanction of a game, which the referee managed not only to keep pace with admirably, but also to be fair and consistent in his decision making. Seeing that Ripon had lost a key defensive player, the visitors quickly exploited their numerical advantage and pressured Ripon into giving away a further penalty. Opting for the touch kick, LMD worked the line out catch and drive well enough to close in on the home line. Resolute defence saw them then switch the attack out wide to the left and their speedy winger worked the overlap well to score in the left corner. The conversion attempt fell just short.

The last ten minutes of the half saw Ripon pressing hard and LMD mostly on the defensive. The play from both sides was fast and furious and the half time whistle couldn't come soon enough. Ending the session 12 - 5, Ripon knew that they had to pick up the pace for the rest of the game, eliminate errors and avoid any further indiscipline leading to penalties or cards.

The first 15 minutes of the second half was a continuation of the play before the break with both sides throwing everything at each other. Forced errors on both sides saw frequent turnovers and good refereeing saw advantage played to keep the game alive. The set piece was evenly contested, with play generally going with put in. Both teams sought to run at every opportunity and both teams used their big ball carriers effectively to make the hard yards. Stead remained effective for Ripon and LMD used their newly returned from injury skipper Greg Neal-Smith, to great effect, cropping up all over the place first at Centre and then from the Wing.

At 58 minutes, Ripon broke the deadlock with a penalty kick to touch. From the well-orchestrated line out catch and drive, for the second week running, Ripon pressed for the visitor's line, with a series of bludgeoning drives. Skipper Newcombe was just held up and undeterred, with everyone in the team screaming for the ball, a couple more short drives saw the pressure sustained and just enough space opened up for Dud Stead to power over for a try – a fitting end to his contribution this season. Again Leeming was on form with the conversion, to keep edging the score away from the visitors.

The next restart saw LMD hold onto possession for a good 10 minutes, which saw them progressively work their way into the Ripon half, from where they strung together some probing phases to end in a try under the posts and a conversion to keep them in the game. Again, showing great resolve, Ripon maintained their composure to fight back and at 75 minutes, Leeming stroked over a long range penalty to maintain the points differential.

To their credit, the visitors never laid down and for the dying minutes of the game, LMD played like men possessed and hassled Ripon mercilessly. A speculative kick to push the visitors deep into home territory, was fielded by Duffield who gave the ball an almighty hoof back up field. The ensuing chase saw Duffield and Leeming quick enough to challenge the visitor's full back's clearance kick. Joe Duffield stretched incredibly to charge down the kick and won the chase to touch the ball down over the line. Leeming couldn't quite make the conversion, but with the clock running out and the score out of reach, it didn't matter. There was just enough time for the restart and on receiving the ball from the kick off, Foster belted the ball off the field and into the trees to end a fine team performance and a well-earned five point win.

Sincere commiserations go to LMD, who fought to the end and showed what a powerful and threatening side they can be. Mathematically the end of the season could still go either way for both teams, but Ripon are in a slightly better position now to break out of the bottom four.

Regardless of the result it was refreshing to see the visitors stay so long after the game to enjoy the hospitality. Admittedly, they were ambushed with the Chairman’s impromptu speech, accolade and presentations to Dud Stead after his last game for the Club in what has been a memorable season for him and Ripon. We hope that the Leeds Medics & Dentists side rebuilds quickly from what has been a difficult season for them and comes back stronger for the experience. We also wish Dudley a safe journey home and success in whatever level of the game he ends up playing in.

Next week sees Ripon travel to old friends and adversaries, Leodiensians with aspirations to extend the winning streak to three games for the first time this season. Kick offs move to 3.00pm from now on, so more time for shopping before the game. Team selections and meet times will be published on the website Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. All travelling supporters very welcome as usual.