Knottingley 32
Withernsea 17
Withernsea travelled to Knottingley for their first Yorkshire 4 away fixture, a side well established in the league and not too long ago playing in the lofty heights of Yorkshire 1, so this was going to be a real test for the Seahorses.
The non-stop heavy rain throughout the game was always going to hamper the visitors, who like to play with ball in hand, compared to the home side who were only too happy to put boot to ball.
Knottingley went on the attack straight away against a Withernsea side that had lost their full-back before the game and were forced into a reshuffle. They were rewarded with a penalty, which they converted, following a blatant knock-on by their winger.
The hosts continued to throw the ball around and although their big prop was stopped just short of the line by some brave Withernsea defence, they moved it wide to score in the corner in spite of another clear knock-on in the ruck that the referee missed. Knottingley led 8-0 after 20 minutes.
Withernsea then showed more adventure and attacked from deep. Mike Penny broke from his own 22 down the wing, and as space closed he kicked hard and low straight into the midriff of a Knottingley defender, who remarkably managed to cling on. One quick pass exposed the lack of cover after Withernsea had committed to the counterattack, and Knottingley ran in their second try to stretch their lead to 15-0.
A penalty made it 18-0, and it was starting to feel like a long afternoon, especially after bad injuries to Ethan Wilson and Antoni Tuniewicz forced more reshuffling for the visitors, who now had two forwards filling in in the backs.
Still, Withernsea kept their heads up and got the ball out wide close to the line, but good home defence stopped the danger. Jake Bowen was leading the resurgence and, as he ran wide, he managed to pop a pass to Dan Wardman who beat three men from 40 metres to score out wide. Connor converted to reduce the deficit to 18-7.
From the restart disaster struck. Withernsea’s defenders pressed the self-destruct button, with no-one taking responsibility for clearing their 22. A series of poor decisions left the ball on the ground undefended and the Knottingley winger gratefully pounced to score the softest try he will ever claim. The hosts led 25-7 at half-time.
The second half saw Withernsea start to attack again, with several big forward drives stopped bravely on the line before Knottingley turned over the ruck. As the defender tried to clear, his kick was charged down by Rob Weekes and Pete Batley (who bears a canny resemblance to Lewis Eldon) dived on the ball to score Withernsea’s second try. It was now 25-12.
After Knottingley had a man yellow-carded, Withernsea missed a penalty kick to touch. The home side then launched a speculative kick downfield, catching the visitors off guard, and capitalised to score again and make it 32-12.
Withernsea, however, finished on a high. They kept looking to attack and Jake Bowen went through a gap, beating four men to score their third try and leave the final score 32-17.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Withernsea, who could easily have come away with a better result with a bit of luck. The enforced reshuffles hit the team hard, but those who had to switch positions responded well and had strong games. Vice-captain Jake was outstanding, while Billy Clough slotted seamlessly from forwards to backs and was a workhorse in both attack and defence.
The game also showed the need for a bigger travelling squad. With a few more bodies available, this might have been a very different afternoon.
Overall, though, the players can be proud of a competitive performance against excellent hosts on and off the pitch. This league looks like the right level for Withernsea, and it was refreshing to play a game where the opposition were at the standard expected.
The next fixture is at home to Hallamshire on Saturday, September 27 – coinciding with the Plough’s Oktoberfest. It promises to be an interesting afternoon.
Bob Wardman