Otley 26 Caldy 26

WITH 15 minutes left of this National League Two North encounter, it didn’t look like Ben Steele’s record 250th league appearance for Otley was going to end happily.

Having led 12-7 at half-time, despite shelling several try-scoring opportunities due to forward passes, the hosts trailed their third-placed visitors 26-12.

However, sixth-placed Otley rescued a draw with converted tries by No 8 Freddie Watson (66 minutes) and flanker Matthew Heaton (74 minutes), with Steele not quite knowing whether to be happy or sad afterwards.

When you lead the team out on a landmark occasion, you don’t want to lose but on the other hand Steele knows the result could have gone in their favour had they been more accurate with their passing in the first half. “It is just one or two little errors,” said the 31-year-old hooker afterwards.

Despite their first-up tackling not being as sharp as it could be and their co-ordination in attack being awry, Otley scored first via prop George Burkinshaw in the 11th minute, scrum half Stephen Depledge converting.

Full back Harry Hudson got on the end of a break by second row Jack Scott Paul to extend the lead in the 32nd minute, but Caldy, who lost fly half Richard Vasey to an eighth-minute head injury, replied before half-time with a try by No 8 Stuart Cross, centre Gavin Roberts converting.

Otley made a shocking start to the second half, conceding tries to full back Dominic Kohler (2) and scrum half Jones, Roberts and Ben Jones adding a conversion each, and it seemed as if the points were going back to the Wirral, despite yellow cards for Jones and skipper Andrew Soutar.

However, Otley finally summoned up a head of steam to get those two late tries, both of which were converted by Depledge for a result that seemed fair all round.