Scarborough RUFC earn crucial win at title rivals Pocklington
Scarborough RUFC extended their lead at the top of the Regional Two North East table after they beat second place Pocklington 33-22 at Percy Road on Saturday afternoon.
Ben Foden’s side made a commanding start to the game and opened the scoring in the third minute when Jake Lyon reached for the line after breaking through the Pocklington defence.
The lead was soon extended to 14-0 just 10 minutes later when Lyon spotted a gap in the defence before throwing an ambitious offload that Seb Holloway collected and he raced clear to score.
The home side then enjoyed a period of possession and went close in the 26th minute only for a knock-on to halt their progress close to the Scarborough line.
But they didn’t have to wait long before they crossed over for their first try of the game, Matty Downes coming off the bench and making an instant impact as he powered his way through the tackles to score.
Five minutes later and Scarborough were reduced to 14 men when skipper Sam Dawson was shown a yellow card.
Christian Pollock made light work of the penalty to reduce the deficit to 14-10 as the game headed towards half-time.
The second half started in emphatic fashion for Foden’s side as Nat Parker capitalised on a loose ball to score to the right of the posts.
Ollie Carroll added the extras to extend his sides lead to 21-10.
It wasn’t long before the Pocklington defence were under pressure again but this time it was Ropeti Ropeti who powered his way through the tackles to score under the posts.
The top-of-the-table clash continued to offer up twists and turns as Pocklington reduced the deficit to 28-15 through a well-taken try from Louis Sangwin.
When Tom Harrison finished superbly for 33-15, it seemed as if his side were on course for a famous win.
But when Jake Lyon and Ropeti were shown yellow cards, it gave the home side a golden opportunity to stage an unlikely comeback.
They scored their third try, in the 72nd minute, before Kahu Craig Te-Ranga was the third Scarborough player to be shown a yellow card.
Despite the ill-discipline, the visitors held on for an emphatic win, stretching their lead at the top of the league to 12 points.
Scarborough are without a game next weekend, but host Selby on Saturday February 14 as they look to take another huge step towards securing promotion.