Both the men’s and ladies’ first XVs took part in their respective cup competitions this weekend as the men travelled to take on Redcar RUFC and the ladies welcomed Skipton Roses at Brompton Lodge. The men’s second XV game against Guisborough RUFC had to be rescheduled for another week.

There have been some ups and downs for the men’s first XV so far this season and the recent results certainly reflect that. A win at home two weeks prior was followed by a humbling at Ripon last time out. This cup game away at Redcar gave North the opportunity to right some wrongs and indeed this was how they approached the game from the off. Cohesive play from North put Redcar under pressure in their own
22-metre area and the relentless hammering of the forward runners meant that, when given the platform of an attacking scrum five metres away from the try line, the ever reliable scrummaging machine that is North’s forwards pack set to work and drove the ball over the line thanks to the careful control of number 8 Iain Swall for the game’s opening score inside the first ten minutes.
Redcar were soon to respond by showing the threat from the boot. A penalty call against North not long following the restart presented the chance for a long range shot at goal which the home side’s fly half kicked over to reduce the arrears. The fast pace of the game meant that entertainment was always in good supply. A lovely passage of play from North showed the impact that quick ruck speed and soft offloads can have when maintained for several phases. This was what proved decisive to create the game’s next score as back row George Spink put Ed Meek into space before following his pass to receive the off load and canter towards the posts. Flyhalf Jack Tart was on target with the conversion despite the high winds and pushed North out to a nine point lead. This they managed to hold until the end of the first half in spite of the best efforts of the hosts which at times stretched the Northallerton defence.
The half time oranges seemed to benefit the visitors more as they came out firing after the break. The forwards were keen to re-impose themselves physically on their opposite numbers. A penalty inside their own half was kicked towards the Redcar 22-metre line and, by securing the ball from the lineout, the pack began their rumble towards the goal line. The determination of the forwards showed in spades as the maul gathered momentum until it crashed over the line with hooker Jonny Baker grounding the ball safely. It was the home side’s turn to threaten with the ball. Having been put on the back foot for large parts of the game, they turned the tables and strung together a series of plays that stretched North from coast to coast. Eventually, a gap was found for the ball to be carried over from short range with the
conversion added to close the margin to seven points.
North continued to look promising with ball in hand and, when combined with their dominant set piece play dictated significant portions of the second half play. If not for some sterling work at the breakdown from Redcar, forcing turnovers at the crucial junction, North may have found themselves more comfortable on the scoreboard. As it was, the last quarter of the match saw a resurgent Redcar carry hard with the ball
and make inroads against the green wall in front of them. A loose kick from North provided the spark for Redcar’s next try as they gathered and looked to counter, finding the spaces in front of them to puncture through the tacklers and score their second try out wide. In windy conditions as they often are on the coast, the conversion was a difficult one from the touchline and it sailed past the outside of the upright to keep North in the lead.
Whilst they held a slender lead, North continued to look for another score that would cement the result and attacked with vigour for the last few minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the try would not come, and the match came to a close with a final score of Redcar 15 – Northallerton 17. A hard fought and long-awaited victory on the road for North who march on to the next round of the cup. Many thanks to Redcar RUFC for their generous hospitality in hosting the game. Thanks also to the referee for officiating the match, and to all the supporters of the team who travelled to cheer the lads on.

The ladies’ first XV have excelled so far this season against a tougher level of opposition which has given the squad great confidence and belief in their abilities. Not for the first time this year they found themselves playing against Skipton RUFC, this time in the Women’s Junior Cup competition. Hosting the game at the Lodge did give the team an advantage in avoiding the long away travel however they knew it would still be a tough fixture against a strong opponent. North started brightly and were switched on from the beginning of the match, taking the fight straight to Skipton. Supporting the ball carriers well and recycling the ball quickly at the breakdown allowed North to build some early phases of possession. Ellie Readman, following on from her hat-trick antics last time out, opened the scoring once again after one such spell of possession as she flew over in the corner.
Undeterred by North’s early endeavour, Skipton fought their way back into the game and soon had a score of their own through their hard running number eight who found a gap in North’s defence close to the try line to crash over and bring the scores level. The conversion was kicked successfully to give the visitors the lead. The hosts looked to vary their attack somewhat to keep Skipton guessing and often would move the point of play to different parts of the field. This approach meant that when the ball found its way into the hands of speedster Amy Parker, she had the space to sprint to the line and dived in at the corner for North’s second try of the match. The first half continued with both sides trading possession and territory as two evenly matched sides do. After a sustained period of play with North struggling to make any inroads, fly half Readman took matters into her own hands. Collecting the ball inside her own half she took off across the park, skipping around several defenders before stepping back inside and breaking the final tackle and scooting clear to dot down under the posts. Having made the conversion attempt easier for herself, Readman duly knocked the ball over the end the half with North holding a ten point lead.
The second half started with a bang for the hosts as flanker Cara Williams broke through the Skipton defence on their ten-metre line and weaved her way through the scattered bodies to add another try. As Readman was attempting to manage a slight knock, full back Sarah Rowe stepped up to convert in heroic fashion and extended the lead to 24-7. North had to put their shoulders to a fair share of defensive work at
times, fronting up to any and all attacks that Skipton could throw at them. The hard- hitting tackling led by Emily McCormack, Gina Fothergill and Amy Pointon kept the visitors at bay, often pinned to their own try line by the ferocity of the visitors’ running. In a brief swing of momentum, North took full advantage of having the ball in their hands and quickly worked their way back up the pitch until eventually a gap was found by Williams to get over the try line for her second of the match and move the score board away from Skipton’s reach.
North continued to play with a determination that gives great credit to the attitude of the squad. From the back of a dominant scrum they drove their opposite numbers towards their own try line until scrum half Nat Gardiner spotted the opening down the blind side and darted through to score another try for the home side. In the true spirit of the game, Skipton refused to lie down and continued to give their all to the cause. Taking advantage of some tired legs and a bit of disorganisation after North had been reduced to fourteen players, Skipton created a gap and took advantage of the deficit to charge through and score. With this renewed vigour, the visitors redoubled their efforts and, by regaining possession through a penalty, they took a quick tap penalty to catch the North defence napping and score a late consolation try.
The match finished with two exhausted teams and a final score of Northallerton 34 – Skipton 17. A tremendous result against a very strong opposition that sees North progress through to the next round where they will play Old Brodleians on November 30th. Many thanks to the referee for officiating the game, whose comment at the end of proceedings summed up the day perfectly that it was one of the best games
of women’s rugby he had officiated. A credit to both sets of players and coaches who all help to develop the game. Thanks to Skipton for travelling to play the game and to all the many volunteers at the club who help to make the game happen. For any readers who would like to play rugby in Northallerton, please contact the club on social media for more information. The men train on Tuesday and Thursday 7pm, the ladies train on Wednesday 7pm and the juniors play on Sunday 10am.