LEE DOUGLAS: Leach shines in eventful away success

We really went at them early on and surged into a 17-0 lead with Wesley Langkilde getting a couple of tries.I was pleased by the way we threw the ball around in the early stages and we seemed to be in control but the home side then went for it, playing some good rugby - with a touch of good fortune - to go 19-17 ahead.This may have made the game very entertaining for the neutrals watching but as a coach it was not so enjoyable.We made some changes at the break, I was very happy with the way we shored up the defence and whenever they made inroads we were always in control and neutralised their threat.The guys put a lot of effort in to get the win and after a couple of defeats it was very encouraging to get a win under our belts.James Leach played very well, he carried the ball very well and his game management is getting better all the time.We are without a game over the Easter weekend but then return to action with a home game against North Ribblesdale on Saturday April 2, followed by a tough trip to second-placed Malton & Norton on April 9.The injury problems we have had this season saw us having to cope without key senior players such as Tom Harrison, Paul Taylor, Phil Watson and Harry Domett for long spells, but although this has obviously hampered our chances there is a flipside to this situation.Losing such experienced players has meant we have brought in a lot of young players who have come up through the ranks at the club and they have done the club very proud.The likes of Jack Ireland and Jake Young have acquitted themselves very well and if we can keep these lads involved it can only strengthen the club.With a lot of clubs around the country facing problems raising teams it will be great if the 17 and 18-year-olds lads who have been breaking into the first-team can still make it back for weekend games once they go on to study at university.