2xv v Leeds Medics 2xv - 30th April 2016

The Ripon 2XV Hornblowers travelled to Leeds for the last game of the season to play Leeds Medics and Dentists 2XV. Although a couple of players had to cancel at the last minute which meant that Ripon travelled with only 16 players, however most of whom have been the core of the 2XV all season. The kickoff was delayed as both teams waited for the referee, however it quickly became apparent that due to a change in kick off times this would be an issue. Up stepped Andy Williamson who having recently qualified volunteered to get the game underway.

The game started at a pace that could only be described as frantic, mainly due to the number of players in their early 20s and below. Some early breaks by both teams were thwarted by some excellent tackling, especially the Leeds full back who tackled like a demon all game. Ripon's gameplan of keeping it tight around the pack started to bear fruit after 15 minutes when Bob Whitaker spotted a slight gap in the Leeds defence to dive over the line and then converting his own try. The same game plan saw Billy Burgin spot a gap and literally swan drive over the line, he looked like he really enjoyed the moment. This was converted by the consistent boot of Bob Whitaker whose improvement in kicking throughout the the season has been tremendous. With the weather improving both teams started to open up the game and apply pressure on the opponent. Joe Duffield making a long awaited comeback showed he has not lost any of his speed when he cut through the line to score on the 35th minutes, again converted by Bob Whitaker. Jack Stiddard made a number of typical charging breaks down the middle until he pulled a hamstring as he tried to sidestep the fullback and had to retire from the game to be replaced by Ben Winn. With half time approaching Ripon had a 21:0 lead, however with the pace of the Leeds team to counterattack they always posed a threat and scored under the posts on the stroke of half time, converting to make the score 21:7 to Ripon.

The second half started similar to the first with Leeds attacking at pace and some desperate defence by Ripon. It took a great running line by Craig Sykes to find some space in midfield to score his first try of the game, again converted by Bob. Leeds determination kept them in the game pulling back a try after 55 minutes. The next 10 minutes saw Leeds counter attack strongly only to be stopped by a number of great tackles or a handling error. With the game now very open the Ripon backs countered themselves and after some slick passing put Craig Sykes free to score in the corner. Leeds showed great character and came back at Ripon even more determined to score and were rewarded with 2 quick tries, taking the score to 33:24 with 8 minutes to go. The second a fantastic break by the fullback from within his own half only to be caught by Elliot Fearn just before the line.

Leeds support play ensured there was someone present to take the pass and score.Up stepped some old heads with Craig Wolloms and Paul Bake calming everything down. From the restart Ripon kept the ball tight and attacked around the ruck. Will Champion picked and carried well to set up ruck after ruck with Jonty Lister and Will Conner clearing out to provide clean ball for James Blood to control the pace of the game. With time ticking away Ripon got the ball out wide to Ben Pilling who had looked dangerous all game only to be tackled into touch just before the try line by their fullback, in my opinion Leeds' man of the match.

From a cleared lineout Ripon passed wide to the opposite wing where Matt Binks popped the ball to Aaron Harvey to score in the corner. Final score 38:24 to a very relieved Ripon team. Man of the match for Ripon goes to Bob Whitaker who controlled the game throughout with his kicking and decision making.This concludes a good season for the Ripon Hornblowers who have played 25 games, won 14, drawn 2 and lost 9. They finished strong with 8 wins from the last 10 games and shows a depth of players across the whole club. A big thanks goes to Andy Williamson who stepped in to referee despite recovering from a serious knee injury. Without Andy there would have been no game. The whole game was played at pace and in great spirit and shows what rugby at this level is all about, fun and respect.