Remembering Bob

It was a mix of emotions that set the scene for this weekend’s fixtures as Northallerton Rugby Club remembered and celebrated the life of club stalwart and former chairman Bob Baker who sadly passed away last September. A memorial luncheon was held to gather friends, family and club members to toast his memory whilst on the pitches his two sons Jonny and David played for the first and second XV against Halifax RUFC and Hartlepool RFC respectively. There was no game for the ladies on the Sunday this week as they rest up ahead of Pocklington 7s next week. The junior teams meanwhile had a host of fixtures, the under 15s played away at Redcar RUFC, the U13s were away at Stockton RUFC, the U12 girls and the U11s were away at Thirsk RUFC.

The men’s first XV were needing a bonus point win against third placed Halifax to keep alive their hopes of winning the league. In pursuit of this the team kicked off playing up hill but with the wind at their backs and started the game with ferocity and intent to play expansively. Against a heavy opposition pack the game plan seemed to be, keep the ball moving. The first try came after 10 minutes as flanker Matt Argo latched onto a deft kick forward from number 8 Iain Swall and outpaced the defence to score under the posts. Jedd Bainbridge kicked the conversion. Swall was instrumental again in the build up to the second score as North wasted no time in building a lead. An offload out the back of his hand caught the attention of the crowd and sent scrum half Jack Tart away up the touchline and in for a try which Bainbridge converted. Intent on keeping the tempo high to tire the away side, Tart took advantage of an opportunity close to the try line. A quick tap penalty caught everyone napping except for winger Ben Pilling who caught the dipping pass from the strong winds and ran in the try out wide. This brought the first half to a close with the home side in the lead by 19-0.
Halifax turned around after the oranges and, with the wind at their backs, they started to command more field position by putting in long kicks behind. This put pressure on North who, on several occasions, had to man the defences to hold out the visitors. Despite some hard carrying and straight running, North showed how defensive pressure can create scoring opportunities. Pilling read the play well and popped out of the defence to intercept a long pass before running 90 metres to dive under the posts for his second of the match. Bainbridge duly converted. Starting to get themselves back into some attacking shape, Halifax’s cause was not helped by a sin bin for a high tackle. The space this created opened up more gaps and a series of tries followed. First, Bainbridge followed up a mazy break from full back Tom Peacock to splash over the line for a try that he then converted. Shortly after it was the turn of winger Ross Easdon who beat four defenders with his footwork and pace having been put into space by an offload from Phil Swall. Bainbridge converted. The Swall brothers helped wrap up the game with a couple more tries to take North over the half century. Iain Swall drove over from close range to claim his second try and then shortly after, with the try line at his mercy he found himself tackled by the fullback and popped the ball up to Phil who cantered under the posts. Bainbridge converted in the last play of the game to leave the final score Northallerton 52 – Halifax 0. Many thanks to the referee for officiating the game and to Halifax for travelling in such good numbers.

Kicking off slightly earlier on the other pitch, the second XV put on a show in an entertaining game against Hartlepool RUFC. It has been a wet season of weather but the pitch has faired well considering the number of games and training sessions it has endured. The teams could have been forgiven for succumbing to mud however, the extent to which the they were able to move the ball and play in the wide channels was testament to their ambition. Winger Tom Walters scored the first try of the day by using his pace to outrun the defence and scoop up a kick through to score. Scrum half Ben Gray added the conversion. Hartlepool were quick to respond and showed where their strengths lay. An overthrown lineout deep into the North ascendancy found its way into the hands of their prop forward who barrelled over the line in spite of the best efforts of Doug Mulholland. The difference of a conversion meant that North still held a slender lead. By moving the ball about the field, using the width in most phases they were able to exploit space out wide and found ways to score two tries back-to-back. Gray kicked the conversions on each occasion. Hartlepool refused to lie down though and drove the ball through the forwards for many phases, using their big runners to test the mettle of the defenders. A gap in between the posts finally opened up and they scored a converted try to narrow the gap on the scoreboard. Another try more akin to North’s style followed just before the break as the visitors closed out the half on a positive note. Some inspiring half time words must have come from captain David Baker as North turned on the flair. Tries rained in out wide and in tight as Baker and Walters both crossed the white wash as well as two other tries that proved to put an end to the Hartlepool resistance. The game was entertaining to the end but the final score favoured the hosts. Northallerton 44 – Hartlepool 17. A big thank you to the referee for officiating the match, to Hartlepool for travelling with good support and to all the volunteers and spectators who help make the day a success.

The under 15s travelled away to Redcar RUFC, keen to build on the experiences from their previous match against Ripon. Lessons have clearly been learned and put into practice as North set about playing their game. Tries from Declan, Sam, Archie, Hayden Will and a brace from Oli as well as two conversion helped North to a commanding win with a final score of Redcar 10 – Northallerton 34. The under 13s, under 12 girls and under 11s all played away at Stockton and Thirsk respectively, enjoying some fantastic games where fun was had by all. Many thanks to all the supporters, volunteers, referees and parents who help make the games happen.

For any readers who would like to play rugby in Northallerton, the men train on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10am. All ages and abilities welcome. For more information please contact the club on social media.