MODS AWAY

Northallerton 1st team travelled to Old Modernians with a much changed side from the team selected on the previous Tuesday night.

Despite the many enforced changes North still put in a valiant and feisty effort.

As on many previous away trips, North were very slow to get going and allowed the home team to score early on through their pre-warned danger man, the fly half! North then gathered themselves and replied with a well worked forwards try, with Nathan Cannel slinking over from the base of a controlled scrum. Brian Tucker levelled the scores at 7-7 with the conversion.

After 20 minutes North suffered an injury to dominant hooker Paul Dennison, this caused North some problems and confusion. North had a front row replacement, but no hooker. After discussion, Tom Young, the normal centre admitted to playing hooker at school and volunteered to ‘give it a go’. To Young’s credit he performed remarkably well and North still managed to more than match their opponents in the forwards.

However, it was Modernians fly half who stole the show with 2 more well taken tries, and setting up another just before half time to send the home team into the break leading by a flattering score of 26-7.

North started the second half with a game plan of kicking for territory and keeping the opposition in their own half. This tactic played quick dividends for North when they stole a line out and after a 20 yard rolling maul, Don Stone went over for a try. Tucker again converting. Fifteen minutes later, Northallerton’s man of the match Cannel started and finished North’s next try. Starting with a break from his own half, he fed the ball out to his backs before looping round to finish the try off out wide. This time Tuckers conversion fell just short. With Northallerton now only a converted try away from levelling the game, they continued to press forward and harass the home team into mistakes. It was North though that started to make mistakes, being too eager to gain possession they started racking up the penalty count. Again Modernians fly half stepped to the fore and converted 3 out of 3 penalties to close the game out and send Northallerton to a 32-19 defeat.

Next week North 1st team are scheduled to play a friendly at Ripon RUFC.