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Silver Royd aces hammer Skipton
Scarborough 31 Skipton 0Making their first appearance at Silver Royd for three months Scarborough swept aside the challenge of the visitors.
The hosts were energized by playing in front of their own fans and looked a far more cohesive and dynamic outfit than visitors Skipton who struggled throughout a somewhat one sided game.
Skipton made some of the early running but their ball retention let them down badly and a foraging Scarborough back row of Louis Karl, Chris Purdy and Chris Lee turned over possession and full back Graeme Jeffrey cleared his lines.
Matty Jones had a chance to nudge his side ahead after six minutes when the visitors infringed 40 metres out but the burly prop pulled his penalty attempt just wide of the right hand upright.
Scarborough continued to press and when the Skipton forwards made a complete mess of a lineout just inside their own 22 in the 16th minute flanker Purdy pounced on the loose ball and was driven over to open their account. Jones added the extras from wide for a 7-0 lead.
A heavy pitch made worse by Friday's rain hardly made it a day for threequarters play but good work by centre Deina Morete and fly-half Phil Stewart just inside their own half released Paul White to scamper up the right touchline in front of a crowded JM Guthrie clubhouse.
However a superb cover tackle by Skipton fullback Jeremy Hargreaves bundled the flying winger into touch 10 metres short of the line.
The visitors won the resulting lineout and cleared their lines.
However further Scarborough pressure saw the Skipton back line creep offside and Jones punished them with his cultured right foot for a 10-0 lead in the 24th minute.
Skipton conceded five minutes later when a superb home forward drive initiated by a blind-side dart by ever alert scrum-half Freeman, saw Louis Karl drive over from the back of the maul wide on the left. Another superbly struck conversion from wide stretched the lead to 17-0.
Skipton looked to attack from set pieces moving the ball wide but found wingers White and Rob Squires in fine defensive form and that route of attack was closed.
Freeman almost caught the visiting defence on the hop when he feigned to go open, pirouetted on a sixpence and drove up the blind side only to be forced into touch just outside the Skipton 22.
However when Scarborough got a sniff of the visitors line on the stroke of half-time another rolling maul saw Purdy drive over for his second try. A sweetly struck wide conversion by Jones made it 24-0 at the break.
The try of the match came mid-way through the second half and it was straight out of the top drawer. A towering clearance from visiting fullback Hargreaves found the peerless Freeman on his own 10 metre line and the slickest of passes released Jeffrey with a head of steam and coming at an angle behind him. The fullback carved his way through a stunned Skipton defence to the line and touched down between the uprights. Jones slotted the conversion for 31-0.
With their tails up and Andy Downes, Charlie Hoggard and Simon Dixon on for Fish, Lee and Freeman Scarborough probably should have increased their score however some wrong options and scrambling defence from the visitors kept their line intact.
It was never a day for backs but the entire line played their full part in an outstanding defensive display.
Fly-half Phil Stewart was solid and was admirably served by the marvellous Freeman who like a fine wine improves with age.
A hard-tackling and alert back row of Karl, Purdy and Lee thrived on the platform provided by the dominant tight five in front of them.
Evening News men-of-the-match: Louis Karl and Bill Freeman
Scarborough: Jeffrey, White, Morete, Hillier, Squires, Stewart, Freeman, Fish, Williams, Jones, Ingham (capt), Else, Karl, Purdy, Lee. Subs: Andy Downes, Charlie Hoggard, Simon Dixon (all used 2nd half)
l In a clean sweep for Scarborough the Vikings defeated Brid 12-0 at Newby, the Danesmen won 45-0 against Brid 3r
ds and the Norsemen won 29-25 at Hornsea.
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
