YORK RUFC are up to sixth in North One East after a 39-21 win at now third-placed Bradford & Bingley.

Conditions were ideal at the Wagon Lane Sports Ground - and York went at the Bees' line from the off.

Declan Cusack got them off the mark with a ninth-minute penalty.

Five minutes later, Sam Forbes had to leave the field with a knee injury - but replacement George Davies scored with his first touch of the ball, finishing a great York move under the posts. Cusack again added the extras.

Bradford & Bingley briefly came back with the award of two penalties which fly-half Lance Taylor successfully converted - but it took just five minutes for a flowing York move to send Sam Elliot over at speed wide on the right to notch his first try of the afternoon. Again Cusack converted to open up a 17-6 half-time lead.

Shortly after the restart, York again forced their way towards the Bees' line. Cade Robinson, who was prominent in both attack and defence, drove over for a try - his first in a York shirt. Cusack's missed conversion was his first off-target attempt all season.

The Bees got their first try five minutes on but Taylor missed with his conversion attempt, and York were soon back on the front foot. Rob Hodges finished a move strongly to increase York’s lead to 16 points. 

Following a scrum infringement, replacement Oscar Bell was sent to the sin bin and Bradford & Bingley used their numerical advantage to score out wide, but the conversion was again missed.

York went further ahead when Sam Elliot finished off for his second try of the afternoon before, with 10 minutes remaining, the Bees again scored out wide.

A late attack looked to have been cleared by the Bees - but the ball was tossed up into the open arms of Davies and he only had to fall over the line for the final try.
Clifton Park outfit York welcome Cleckheaton on Saturday.

Malton & Norton are seventh in North One East after fighting back from 11 points down to beat Durham City 23-21.

The Gannock outfit put out one of their strongest sides this season, strengthened by the return of prop Rob Featherstone, skipper Sam Triffitt, utility player Ben Tenge and the hard, straight-running Tom Foan in the threes.

Matt Bowman put Malton ahead on 11 minutes, set up by Tenge from a scrum penalty, and the conversion went in off the post.

City drew level on 20 minutes from a scrum and, 12 minutes on, went ahead, the try created by a good off-load.

Malton looked to be in trouble soon after when a City penalty made it 15-7 with half-time approaching before Bowman was sin-binned, with the subsequent penalty making it 18-7.

Triffitt pulled five points back in stoppage time.

Malt flanker Thomas Lowry was red-carded 15 minutes after the break and the resulting penalty took City to 21 points.

But a 60th-minute penalty allied to Featherstone’s 75th-minute try pulled Malt to within a point.

And a 79th-minute Paul Angus shot at goal just inside the City half fell short, but earned Malton a line-out from the clearance. Persistent pressure yielded the winning penalty.

Malt travel to Driffield on Saturday.

Fourth-placed in Yorkshire One, Selby beat Old Crossleyans 32-26. On Saturday, the Swans travel to Keighley.

York Press:

Marcus Britland gets Pock’s winner. Picture: Pocklington RUFC

POCKLINGTON stole a dramatic last-gasp 27-25 derby victory at high-flying East Yorkshire rivals Driffield to go 11th in North One East.

So often the form book goes out of the window at derby time - and so it proved when former table-toppers Driffield succumbed in the final five minutes to a Pocklington side still looking for their first win of the season.

Pock fielded a patched-up side and, for long periods, Driffield looked likely winners - but they failed to put the game to bed.

Though Driffield had been all-round more dangerous, Pock's scrummage was once more dominant.

And with the score 20-25 in the dying stages, a scrum five metres out gave number eight Marcus Britland the chance to wrestle over to make it 25-25 and Christian Pollock - who did not miss a conversion all day - duly banged over the goal with seconds left. Pocklington scrambled the ball away to safety, their celebrations more relief than triumph.

Earlier Driffield had been first to show but, after keeping them out with desperate defence, Pock opened the scoring through an angled Pollock penalty.

Driffield responded promptly with a try move from the front of a lineout, then added a penalty after another dangerous raid.

With a man sin-binned and flanker Nathan Smith off with a leg injury, Pocklington then conceded a converted try to make it 15-3.

Pock's forwards were key in dragging their side back into contention with the interval approaching and lock Josh Papa touched down, with Pollock converting.

Pollock added a penalty two minutes after the restart to make it 13-15 before Driffield pulled away again, going 12 points clear going into the last quarter.

But Britland then powered over and Pollock converted to pull Pock to within five points, and the formula was repeated for the winning score.

YORK RI lost their unbeaten start to the Yorkshire Four south/east season after suffering a narrow 29-25 defeat to Mosborough.

RI had the early territory but despite that, they conceded first through a penalty.

York soon overturned that deficit though as number eight Lewis Starbuck dashed clear from 60 metres off the back of the scrum to score in the corner. RI were unable to convert from the sideline however.

Mosborough hit back with a converted try of their own after a lengthy spell in RI’s portion of the field, before conceding a penalty to fall 11-5 behind.

RI remained patience in possession though and kept the ball well to allow fly-half Rich Tafa to break the line and narrow the gap to just a point.

There remained time in the half for another score. Mosborough scoring a second try to put the half-time score at 16-10 at the interval.

It was the first time that York RI had gone into a half-time break trailing and the response to that duly came when the influential Tafa created a line break for full-back Chris Piercy to surge clear.

He was tackled by his opposite full-back but was able to return an offload to Tafa who touched down by the posts. Hooker Frazer Land added the conversion which saw RI in front by a point.

Back though came Mosborough shortly after with a third try taking their lead to 21-17.

The next score was the away side’s as Tafa completed his hat-trick as he grounded after bursting through the middle of the ruck.

The two sides exchanged penalties after that to leave the scores all square up until the final minute.

That was until Mosborough scored a decisive fourth try in the dying stages down the wing to seal a dramatic victory.

RI may take some consolation from picking up a pair of bonus points in defeat. This weekend they face winless bottom side Stanley Rodillians.

NESTLE Rowntree edged past Hessle with a 22-17 victory.

Trees made the perfect start when the ball was ripped from their hands and Hessle moved into a 7-0 lead before it was improved to 10-0 from a successful penalty.

Dave Helsden’s right wing score and Steve Rouet’s left wing finish left the scores level shortly after half time.

Trees’ number eight Zak Hardy put them in front for the first time with 15 minutes to go, but they were 17-15 down after a converted Hessle try.

In the final eight minutes, Hardy crashed over for his second try of the afternoon, a score which Ali O’Gara converted to rubber-stamp the victory and a bonus point too.

The game itself was marred by a double eye socket fracture injury to Trees wing forward Tom Wyles who was forced off the field in the second half.