Scarborough RUFC lose out on the road at derby rivals Malton & Norton

Injuries and late withdrawals necessitated a reshuffle of both the forward pack and the back division with youngsters Richard Sharp and Dan Boyes both making the starting XV, writes Rob Hazledine.

There was a poignant moment as both sets of players lined up before kick-off, along with supporters to observe a minute’s silence to commemorate the death of HRH Elizabeth II.

The inexperienced Scarborough pack held their own against a more settled home unit, but Malton scored the first try, wing Josh Wetherill crossing for a 5-0 lead.

Following the restart, Scarborough got back on the front foot with strong runs from centre Tom Makin and captain Drew Govier getting them over the gain line. A Malton ruck infringement gave fly-half Tom Ratcliffe the chance to reduce the deficit with a well-taken penalty-kick.

By now the bigger, more experienced Malton scrum was well on top, and repeated infringements by the visitors allowed Malton to kick for touch deep in away territory and from the resulting lineout another backs move created space for Wetherill to cross out wide for his second try. The conversion was missed again.

With the scrum stabilised after the introduction of prop Mikey Whitton and the first half drawing to a close, Scarborough launched a thrilling counter attack from deep in their own half. A cynical penalty conceded by back row Tom Lowry prevented the try-scoring opportunity but Ratcliffe stepped up to kick the resulting penalty to make it 10-6. Lowry was sent to the sin-bin.

At this stage, with a numerical advantage Scarborough should have been able to push on, but disappointingly with the last play of the first half Malton stole a lineout, moved the ball wide quickly and Wetherill helped full-back Fothergill score another try. A further missed conversion attempt left it 15-6 at half-time.

The second half started with Scarborough making the early running and enjoying a good spell of territory and possession. Good work from Joe Marshall and Govier, who was tireless in defence and attack, created momentum before hooker Rich Scales picked a terrific line off Tom Harrison, breaking the first line of defence and charging in under the posts. Ratcliffe converted.

The pressure continued with strong Scarborough defence keeping the hosts on the back foot and struggling to get out of their own half. A further penalty opportunity came along and the trusty boot of Ratcliffe kicked Scarborough into a tight 16-15 lead with 20 minutes to go.

Unfortunately, despite a brave effort from the young Scarborough team, Malton were more cohesive and stepped up a gear, with home captain Sam Triffitt powering over for a converted try to reestablish their lead.

An unfortunate yellow card for replacement wing James Long, given for a deliberate knock on in the tackle meant Scarborough were down to 14 and Malton's greater numbers showed when wing Ben Tenge found space to saunter over on the left.

Ratcliffe intercepted a speculative pass to race over for their second try, but Malton finished in style with a try for centre Foan. Both teams finished the match with 14 players as Scales and Angus were yellow-carded.