Northallerton RUFC had fixtures from both their men’s and ladies’ first XV’s this weekend. The blustery hills of Baildon was the destination for the men whilst the ladies hosted Penrith ladies in their NC2 league match.

The ladies of Northallerton RUFC welcomed Penrith Panthers to Brompton Lodge for the very first time. With no prior knowledge of what lay in wait for them, North made sure to start brightly. Putting together some well worked phases of play the team were rewarded with an early try from Cara Williams after an effort involving the whole team to get the ball down the pitch. Fly-half Ellie Readman kicked the conversion to add the extras. Both teams spent long spells in possession during the first half as the play ebbed and flowed. North looked to be enjoying slightly more success in gaining territory but were lacking the last touch needed to get over the try line. It was the Panthers who struck next, using their pacey outside backs who shot through a small gap in the defence before swerving round the full back and dotting the ball down underneath the posts. Their conversion was also kicked to bring the scores level at the half time interval.
The match resumed for the second half with North throwing everything they had at Penrith. With the visitors stuck firmly in their own 22-metre area, the host’s scrum half Trinity Earnshaw picked up the ball and decided she would adopt the forward’s mentality and smashed her way through several defenders to score. This try broke the deadlock of the game and for the next quarter of the match, North enjoyed a significant purple patch that yielded several tries in quick succession. Tries from Laura Isherwood, two tries from Readman, who also added three conversions, and two more tries from Williams to complete her hat-trick rounded off what turned out to be a dominant second half performance from North that definitively put the game to bed.
At the full-time whistle, a jubilant North held an impressive lead with the final score reading Northallerton 43 – Penrith Panthers 7. Forward of the match was awarded to Anna Ridings, back of the match to Sarah Rowe and player of the match was awarded to Amy Pointon. Many thanks to the referee for officiating the match, to Penrith for travelling in good numbers to play the game, and to all the supporters and volunteers at the club who make the day happen.

The rolling hills around Baildon RUFC provide a wonderful setting for observing rugby. Playing rugby is usually a windy affair for their club and this day proved no exception. The opening exchanges of the first half were a cagey encounter as both sides found it challenging to put any phases of possession together. Knock-ons and kicking for territory meant that there were plenty of set piece opportunities for the packs to become acquainted. This proved to be advantageous to North, whose customary scrum dominance shone through again, often managing to push their opposite numbers well past the initial hit. Baildon, to their credit, were adept at getting the ball in and out of the scrum quickly, and through that managing to negate much of the physical advantage North could call upon. As is often the case, when a game has yet to gather momentum, the pressure to force a miracle pass put a risky kick through to break the deadlock means that forward passes can often ensue. This contributed to the stop-start nature of the match early in proceedings. North attacked with physicality when the had the ball, carrying with intent and picking good lines. However, the defence of the hosts met the challenge and North couldn’t find a way to cross the try line. As the first half was coming to its conclusion, a strong carry from the Baildon number 8 took his team well over the half way line and into North’s territory. Swift recycling and support play allowed the attack to continue and eventually, a gap was found around the visitor’s defence. A long floaty pass, well executed in windy conditions allowed the Baildon winger to dive over in the corner for the game’s opening score.
The tense nature of the game continued well into the second half as the two, evenly matched teams struggled to fully overcome the weather conditions and impose their game plan on the other. Baildon it was who managed to secure the next score of the game. A series of delicate offloads down the short side of a ruck put them over in the corner for another unconverted try. North’s retaliation to this came by turning the screw at scrum time. A succession of dominant scrums forced the hosts back towards their try line as they struggled to clear under pressure. The full manifestation of this came when North forced a knock on by the home side’s scrum half attempting to pick up the ball on his try line, then from the resulting scrum, the pack marched the ball over the try line for number 8 Matt Argo to dot down. Fly half Jack Tart kicked the conversion in difficult conditions to narrow the deficit. This score seemed the open the game up as both sides had found their feet and
were attacking with more fluidity than earlier on. Baildon wasted no time in reaffirming their lead, putting a strong period of possession together, they managed to find sufficient gaps to work their way down into the Northallerton half. It was a popped pass out of the tackle that proved to be the key to unlock North’s defence on this occasion and Baildon dived over for their third unconverted try of the game. As the game and the daylight drew to a close, North managed to mount an attack that drove them towards the home side’s goal line, inexorably muscling the ball through relentless phases of possession until the whitewash was in sight. A penalty infringement around the breakdown from the hosts presented an opportunity for the much-famed catch and drive routine. Executing this finely honed skill, North drove the ball over the line for their second try of the day. Unfortunately, against the wind and from the touchline, the conversion was too much of a challenge and so the game concluded shortly after with the final score reading Baildon 15 – Northallerton 12. A valiant effort in difficult conditions that gave North much encouragement for the strength of their pack. Many thanks to Baildon for their generous hospitality, to
the referee for officiating the match and the all the supporters who braved the elements to cheer the lads on.