Combining a fundraiser for local charities Martin’s House and Yorkshire Air Ambulance with a useful pre-season run-out, this local derby happily rekindled traditional rivalries — and, rather generously from a Ripon perspective, handed the hosts a convincing victory.
With a blended squad of seasoned campaigners, newly graduated Colts and other aspirant senior squad players, Ripon put in a spirited display in testing conditions before eventually yielding to the pace and intensity of their hosts. Going down by five tries to no reply was not exactly in The Blues’ game plan — particularly after an impassioned plea from DOR Pete Fletcher to not worry about the result, but preferably to win it.

Solid defence, robust discipline and an inherent desire to win were the order of the day and, happily, the latter was in plentiful supply. After a strong start, however, Ripon found it difficult to meet the full collective ask for the entire eighty minutes. Losing playmaker Morgan Clark in the warm-up was a sizeable spanner in the works for The Blues and, although James Cooper stepped into the Number 10 berth admirably, the late change inevitably gave the afternoon an extra wobble.

From a selection perspective, with a 24-man squad, this was always going to be a lively logistical puzzle in finding the right balance on the field. The subtle blend of youth and experience reflected Ripon’s intensive pre-season campaign and offered a valuable look at fitness, positional understanding and team bonding. All three were evident at times, though overall cohesiveness remains an area to fine-tune once the season begins in earnest and player availability, across two separate league squads, becomes a very real weekly conundrum.

Notable appearances on the day came from Elliot Davies-Taylor on his first run-out, with new boots visible from neighbouring counties and a man-of-the-match performance to match. Will Barrett also made a welcome return in the Centre, resplendent with a new holiday hairdo, while the occasion created a fitting proud-parent moment for the Lang-Burns family as Cameron and Ollie eventually took to the field together for the first time in a 1st XV squad.

The game itself featured intermittent gales and horizontal downpours, which rather interrupted Ripon’s creative ambitions and played neatly into Wensleydale’s considerable home advantage. To play and train week in, week out on a sheep meadow on a remote hillside clearly breeds a certain calibre of player. The pitch, the slope and the weather gradually wore down “lowlanders” Ripon, but despite not troubling the scoreboard, The Blues gave a decent account of themselves under pressure and stayed competitive to the end.

With the hosts electing to play uphill and into the wind from the outset, Ripon might have viewed this as a helpful invitation to make friends with the topography and elements. Unfortunately, despite close calls from Kirby and Ollie Lang-Burns, and strong driving forward play led heroically by skipper Pearce, the home line remained intact. Ripon also developed what could politely be described as an imperfect relationship with the referee’s whistle, finding themselves on the wrong side of thirteen first-half penalties. A mix of patchy cohesion, some set-piece uncertainty and costly indiscipline allowed the hosts to take control and reach half-time 17–0 ahead, courtesy of three tries and a conversion.

With the lie of the land and the elements in their favour after the break, Wensleydale gradually turned the screw and snuffed out Ripon’s would-be threats, adding two further tries, one conversion and a late penalty goal. The home crowd enjoyed the result, while Ripon, having fully embraced the excellent post-match hospitality, were left to retreat to the White Bear at Masham, tend to a few bruises and consider what is needed to return to winning ways once the competitive fixtures begin.

With another two weeks before the formal start of the league season, Ripon have plenty of opportunity to take stock of a sizeable and talented squad. League action begins with a mouthwatering home fixture against Hull Ionians 2nd XV on 26th September. Before then, the Ripon Hornblowers enter 2nd XV cup action against Whitby on Saturday 19th September at Mallorie Park. Kick-off is 3.00pm, all support is welcome, and weatherproof optimism is strongly encouraged.