Otley return to winning ways with thumping home victory

AFTER rain for most of the morning, the skies eventually cleared to witness Otley taking Preston Grasshoppers to the cleaners and return to winning ways on Saturday.

It was the home side’s first victory in four league games, and they now sit six points above Lymm who occupy 10th place.

The visitors kicked off and soon after got a scrum on Otley’s 22 when the hosts knocked on. They were then awarded two penalties as the hosts tried to defend their line, both balls going into the corner.

From the line-out Preston’s forwards moved towards the posts with the ball going to the back of the maul, from where scrum-half Ciaran O’Donnell took over to score, with Ed Keohane converting after four minutes.

From a Preston line-out in their half, Ryan Gibson pounced on a loose ball which was a quickly moved to the left – centre Clark Wells crossing the line in the corner. With the play remaining in the Hoppers half, Eddie Crossland’s penalty kick into the cemetery corner. Gibson’s throw was handed back to him by Alex Johnson, the Otley pack stomping their way to the line with Gibson touching down. Both conversions were missed.

Ben Waddington took a quick line-out in the visitors’ half to Sam Taylor, after the ball had been kicked into touch, Otley making quick progress towards the Preston line. Crossland was stopped just in front of the posts, but three passes to the right saw Johnson push his way through a defender to score. Ben Dinsdale’s kick was his first conversion for Otley.

The next ten minutes saw Preston make more incursions into the Otley half and, as the half hour approached, they got a penalty which took them some 15 metres from the the home side’s line. Their forwards tried to get to the line, but their drive was pulled down by Jason Moss earning him a yellow card. The ball was again kicked into the corner, but the line-out throw was taken by Otley with Rory Gaffney kicking to safety.

With two minutes left on the clock, Dinsdale had his first (long range) penalty attempt after a deliberate knock-on, but the kick went wide leaving the half-time score at 17-7.

As the two sides were becoming indistinguishable in the mud, Otley came out for the second half in their yellow and back away strip. Dinsdale’s pass nearly put Waddington through to score in the left-hand corner, and in the ensuing melee Preston’s Tyler Spence went to the bin three minutes in. Otley opted for a scrum, with Adam Malthouse scoring after him and his pack having done the hard yards.

Crossland’s return kick put the ball back into the Hoppers 22, and after a few close-quarter attempts to score his cross-field kick to an unmarked Wells in the corner gave him the easiest of tries.

After a Preston scrum, Wells caught a ball a Hoppers’ player had failed to take and he took it into the opposition 22. Having tried to score in the scoreboard corner, Otley went to the other side of the pitch where Taylor was waiting, his try making him this season’s highest league scorer (so far). Crossland added the conversion.

With the rain again falling making the conditions even harder, Otley were penalised for coming in at the side in their half. A quick tap and go saw Preston get to the cemetery corner, but it was not until they had moved the ball beyond the posts, stretching Otley further with a long pass, was Harvey May able to score in the opposite corner.

Otley’s seventh came after their maul was stopped in the scoreboard corner, the ball was then kicked to the other with Taylor able to out jump the defender to catch it. It was then just a matter of diving onto the ground, the ball securely tucked into his chest. Crossland’s conversion took the final score to 41-12.