North win tight thriller at the Lodge

Having made a victorious start to their Yorkshire 3 season so far, Northallerton RUFC men’s first XV were looking to continue the winning streak as they welcomed Castleford RUFC back to the Lodge for the first time in several seasons.
As has been their style for many years, Castleford started the game with aggressive, hard running lines from forwards and backs alike, using their rugby league influence to link play and offload through the tackles. Northallerton unusually this season showed ill-discipline at the breakdown, giving Castleford opportunities to gain possession and territory. It was the home side though, who registered the first points of the game after taking a quick lineout close to the visitors try line and using their forwards’ power, barrelled over for their first try of the day. Jedd Bainbridge converted to add the extra points. Further penalties given away to the visiting team allowed them back into the game and with one more Bainbridge penalty kick, the half time score stood at 10-9.
After the break, North came out firing on all cylinders, taking the game to Castleford and playing with the ball both in tight and out wide. A significant amount of kicking from the away team brought winger Ben Pilling into the game who showed excellent skills under the high ball to earn himself a man of the match award. After a continued spell of pressure inside the Castleford half, Northallerton were able to mount an attack that yielded another try, extending their lead beyond one score. Not to be pushed out of the contest, Castleford threw caution to the wind and everything into their attack. With offloads sticking and carries getting over the gain line, it was only thanks to heroic defending from North that they were kept out until the last 10 minutes when they crashed over to score a converted try to bring the game back to a one-point tussle. A tense final few minutes followed with neither side wanting to concede a penalty or territory. North were able to close out the game with Jonny Baker making the crucial turnover in the last play to give North the win. Final score Northallerton 17 – Castleford 16.

North’s second XV hosted local team Stockton RUFC second XV in what turned out to be a continuation of the second XV’s high scoring trend this season. With both teams looking to throw the ball around and take advantage of the good weather the game saw tries for each side
throughout. However, it was Stockton who managed to score the crucial points late on in the match to edge the game Northallerton 31 – Stockton 41.
A big thank you to both away sides, Castleford and Stockton for travelling in good numbers. Thank you to the referees for both matches and all the supporters, volunteers and club members who made the day happen.
For any readers interested in joining the club, training for the men is on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the Juniors on Sunday 10am. All ages and abilities welcome.