Scarborough RUFC looking to bounce back at Pontefract

Scarborough RUFC travel to Yorkshire One bottom club Pontefract tomorrow for their last league game on the road this season.

Defeat tomorrow will see the West Yorkshiremen relegated to Yorkshire Two for the first time in their 125-year history.

Strictly speaking of course, the league system for rugby union goes back only 28 years to its inauguration in 1987.

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Pontefract started in North East Two, gained promotion to North East One, were relegated back to North East Two in 1988/89 and were further relegated to Yorkshire One in 2000/01.

They have struggled over the last few seasons and so far this campaign have won only four games; three early-season victories against Yarnbury in September, Hullensians in October and Old Brodleians in mid-November were followed by a four month drought in which they recorded only one win, a single point 27-26 defeat of York on January 3.

Last Saturday they were beaten 25-21 at home by fellow strugglers Heath RFC.

Following an outstanding performance in the Intermediate Cup quarter-final in which they defeated high-flying Lancashire outfit Blackburn 26-0 at Silver Royd, Scarborough slid to an 20-8 home reverse at the hands of Old Brodleians last week. A truly wretched performance disappointed the Silver Royd faithful and they know that they have to improve to progress in the Cup next week.

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They travel to Pontefract tomorrow without the services of Tomasz Chadwick, Tom Harrison, Corey Dennis, Harry Domett and back row dynamo Eamon Chapman, who are all injured.

Influential tight-head prop Paul Taylor is on duty with the ambulance service and will turn out for the Danesmen when he finishes duty.

Also in action for the Danesmen is former club captain Phil Watson, who plays for the first time since being injured in the Mo Stevenson memorial game a year ago.

Back in November, Scarborough had too much firepower when Pontefract visited Silver Royd running in five tries in a 34-5 win.

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Skipper Tom Ratcliffe (2), Chapman, Graeme Jeffrey and Mikey Readman bagged the touchdowns with Harrison kicking nine points.

With so many key players missing it will be a tricky afternoon for Ratcliffe’s men, who despite this season’s inconsistency should have enough to beat the league’s basement club with the influential Nick Ingham and Taylor Smith returning to action.

Other senior action sees the Vikings travel to Goole with the Danesmen entertaining Midlands outfit Kenilworth at Silver Royd.

Scarborough’s women’s XV, the Valkryies travel to Teesside on Sunday to take on Acklam Ladies.

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