Leeds Medics and Dentists 17 Old Otliensians 10

ONCE again Otliensians left themselves with too much to do in the second half after conceding 17 points to the students before the break.

They managed to claw back two tries but that wasn’t enough to prevent them from suffering another defeat.

From the start, it was clear that the home side had some powerful runners in both forwards and backs as they made the early pace, forcing the visitors to defend for lengthy periods early on.

Although the Otliensians defence was stretched, they managed to thwart numerous attacks with flankers Sam Featherstone and James Smith setting the tone. Hooker Jim Dyson and prop Paddy Phipps also made some crucial tackles.

The front row of Joel Wakeford, Dyson and Phipps managed to hold their own against a bigger pack while Sam Featherstone provided a steady service from the line-out which enabled half backs Rob Lofthouse and Will Cooper to get their backs moving, but solid, first-up defence from the students halted progress.

Wingers Lewis Robinson and Connor Paley along with full back Alex Murphy were strong in defence for the students.

The visitors thought they were going to open the scoring when centre Kristian Keinhorst pulled off a smart interception which put him in the clear, but he was called back for offside.

Matt Tenniswood replaced Ross Nichols at lock as the visitors began pushing play into the opposition half through good drives from locks Lee O’Donnell, replacement prop Toby Keep and No 8 Rob Arbuckle.

However, the dangerous Medics’ centre saw a gap after 30 minutes and powered through from his own half. He shrugged off several tackles to score a fine try.

This encouraged the hosts who stepped up the pace with good handling producing two more tries after 32 and 36 minutes and, with one conversion, they stretched their lead to 17-0.

To make things worse, Otliensians suffered another se-back when a yellow card was produced for an alleged “no-hands” tackle as the break approached.

Starting the second half with 14 men, Otliensians were once more under pressure and winger Lewis Robinson moved to scrum half when Rob Lofthouse suffered a recurrence of a leg injury.

Gradually the visitors began to dominate, knocking down Medics’ runners before they had chance to get going. They battered the home line for several minutes before Lewis Robinson managed to sneak through and touch down after 51 minutes.

Otliensians continued to attack through good backing up and off-loading with centres Keinhorst and Luke Cowdell always threatening. With the home defence now in disarray Cowdell cut through for a second try.

Replacement hooker John Offer had to leave the field with an ankle injury and a yellow card for persistent offside reduced Medics to 14 men as Otliensians pushed for the next score.

However, the hosts stepped up their efforts in defence and play was largely confined to midfield as the final whistle sounded giving the students a 17-10 victory.