REPORT BY: NICK DOYLE
OTLEY finished their season with a narrow defeat but ended up a very creditable fifth following promotion back into this league.
They had beaten Tynedale earlier in the season with a last-minute drop goal when the scores were even and knew that the Northumbrians would be looking to redress the balance.
Although they kicked off, Otley were soon on the back foot conceding a penalty at the breakdown in their half. From the line-out on the right, Tynedale moved the ball across the pitch and a chip over the defence saw Alex Dryden go over in the other corner after three minutes.
Play switched halves and Tynedale withstood a sustained barrage in their 22; Otley’s attack ending when they held onto the ball at the breakdown giving the visitors a penalty. Undeterred Otley were straight back - a penalty getting them back into the red zone. From there, they moved the ball from right to left and back again until Ben Waddington came through at speed to score close to the posts. Gavin Stead added the conversion, and he added a penalty from Tynedale’s ten metre line three minutes later.
For the next ten minutes play was in Otley’s half with only one brief outing until Eddie Crossland broke through on the half-way line passing to Waddington on the 22. He returned the favour giving Crossland a clear run to the line who scored under the posts, Stead adding the extras on 28 minutes.
Tynedale came out for the second half knowing that if they kept the same tempo up, they could get a result. Knock-ons by both sides gave Tynedale a scrum in Otley’s half. From there, fly-half Josh Leslie was instrumental in setting up Jonny Cousin’s try in the corner three minutes in. Leslie’s conversion attempt hit the crossbar and bounced in field.
Putting further pressure on Otley who conceded two penalties in the corner, Tynedale drew level when their rolling maul went over with Louis Frankland touching down and replacement Jake Rodgers converted.
Having absorbed another period of Tynedale pressure, Otley returned to the visitor’s half where a territorial kick by Crossland clearance kick bounced awkwardly for the defender leaving him flat-footed, sitting up for Alex Jackson who came through to pick up the loose ball and score his debut try from just inside their 22.
With 12 minutes to go, Waddington was red-carded following a head-on-head clash. Three minutes later Tyndale moved the ball across the Otley defence with Seamus Hutton scoring in the corner, Rodgers getting his second conversion.
As they have done in many games before, Otley knew that they had the ability to pinch a win in the final minutes. They kept the ball in Tynedale’s half, Clark Wells setting Stead for a run down the left-hand flank which ended with a yellow card for Tynedale. Opting for a scrum, they conceded a penalty giving a brief respite for the visitors. They got play up to their 10-metre line and started to play down the clock, giving a penalty 20 seconds from time. The kick missed to the delight of the Tynedale players and equal disappointment of the Otley lads.
The game against Blaydon scheduled for Coronation Saturday will no longer go ahead. The reason for this is player availability and county match commitments for both teams.
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