REPORT BY: NICK DOYLE

Having suffered a last-minute defeat against Hull in the opening game of the season, Otley came close to sinking Hull with just four minutes to go but it was not to be on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the visitors scored 100 tries over the season, up on last season, led by the league’s highest try scorer Sam Taylor.

Eddie Crossland kicked off their final match of the season, who then sliced through the home defence in their next attack. Otley knocked on 10 metres from the line, and as Hull tried to clear their line Ben Waddington charged down the kick before landing on the ball. Joe Rowntree added the conversion after just three minutes.

Hull’s Reece Dean struck back two minutes later with a penalty from the middle of the Otley half. He had another chance to reduce the deficit on nine minutes, but the kick went wide.

The visitors elected for a scrum just outside their 22 after Hull’s line-out went awry, but were pushed off giving the home side the advantage. Play continued in the left quarter before Harrison Astley’s cross-field kick to an unmarked Keane Naylor who touched down under the posts. Dean’s kick gave Hull a 10-7 lead after 19 minutes. Two minutes later Hull nearly scored again but were tackled into touch.

A Crossland 50:22 relieved the pressure, and from the line-out Otley quickly move the ball into the centre where Jacob Holmes came through at speed to burst through the defence and score close to the posts. Joe Rowntree was again on target.

In the remaining 12 minutes of the first half, Hull scored three tries. The first came after their driving maul was stopped from crossing, but they were able to get the ball out to centre Bureta Faraimo who scored close to the posts. Four minutes later Astley charged down a kick in front of the Otley posts going onto score. Rowntree kept Otley’s point tally ticking over with a penalty but the half ended with a Harvey Harding try and Dean’s fourth conversion.

Now 31-17 behind, Otley came out fighting and had the better of the early exchanges. They kept Hull tied up in their half, and from a line in the opposition half, Chris Jackson made the initial metres who then passed to Crossland whose pass saw Holmes go over for his second ten minutes in. Dean responded with a penalty on 56 minutes after Otley were penalised at the scrum, but that advantage was short-lived.

Otley stripped the restart ball from Hull and they were then awarded a penalty which they put in the left-hand corner. The away side’s maul drove forward with Ryan Gibson getting the ball to the ground, with Hull’s William Hall going to the bin. Rowntree added the conversion. Five minutes later another penalty saw Otley back in the left-hand corner, but this time the ball was fed along the line to Sam Taylor who scored his 24th league try of the season. Rowntree’s conversion hit the upright but still went through giving Otley a one-point lead.

With seven minutes to go, Otley were again penalised at the scrum with Dean’s kick giving the lead back to Hull. Undaunted, the visitors continued to press and in the dying moments a high tackle brought Sam Taylor down, Mike Jobling was given a yellow card. That gave Otley the opportunity to retake the lead deep in the Hull half, but the kick sheared ever more to the right and the hosts held on to a 37-36 victory.