DAVE CAMPBELL: Derby win can kick-start Scarborough’s season

Scarborough RUFC will be looking to get their Yorkshire One season back on track with a win at Dukes Park against derby rivals Bridlington tomorrow, 3pm kick-off.

Having led the league for a couple of weeks at the start of the season Scarborough have dropped to fourth with consecutive injury-time defeats in the last couple of weeks at Yarnbury 25-24 and last Saturday going down 24-17 to visitors York at Silver Royd.

Another big challenge awaits coach Lee Douglas’ charges as they make the short journey along the coast to Brid on Saturday.

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Three of last week’s unavailable absentees return for the Dukes Park clash, Joe Marshall returns on the left wing, Matty Oxtoby is preferred to Mikey Readman in the second row and the redoubtable Matty Else is at No8.

Aussie Eamon Chapman plays in his preferred position at open-side and Hayden Ogilvie, who made such an impression coming on as a sub last week starts as blind-side flanker, while Billy Parker partners skipper Tom Ratcliffe in the centre.

Having lost their first couple of games, Bridlington recorded their first league win of the season beating Old Brods 23-11 at Dukes Park a couple of weeks ago and last week an injury-time try by Otis Floyd earned them a last-gasp 30-23 win at Pontefract.

Wins at Dukes Park have been few and far between for Scarborough and although they beat Brid twice at home last season in the league and Yorkshire Shield, they were on the wrong end of a 22-10 scoreline on the road earlier in the year.

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Their lack of competitiveness at the breakdown in that game was a huge disappointment to a big travelling Scarborough support and things won’t be any easier this time in front of a vociferous and partisan home crowd.