OTLEY kicked off 2023 with two new centurions when Eddie Crossland and Gavin Stead scored, their club tallies both getting over the 100 marker for the club. Otley also got their seventh consecutive win when they defeated Sheffield.

In bright sunshine after what had been a very wet morning, Otley kicked off and were soon encamped in Sheffield’s half. However, Sheffield charged down a kick and then hacked the ball forward Otley scrambling to regroup midway in their half and gave away a penalty. Elliot Fisher’s kick caressed the right hand upright giving Sheffield the lead after four minutes. The visitors returned the restart back to Otley and from there the home side moved forward, moving the ball from left to right and back again, Rory Gaffney passing the ball from a ruck in front of the posts to Brandon Staples who raced to the line for an unconverted try. There was then a 15-minute break in the game after an injury to an Otley player.

Having stopped Sheffield’s attack on their 22, Otley returned to the other half of the pitch and began to assert their dominance keeping Sheffield penned in their half. The visitors conceded within 10 metres of their posts and Stead stepped up to extend Otley’s lead and to take his own tally to 101 points for the club. Four minutes later Eddie Crossland reached the same points tally after Otley had patiently searched for a way through the Sheffield defence. They eventually found it when Staples got close to the line before passing the ball back to the oncoming Crossland who dived over left of the posts.

The remaining 18 minutes of the half were mainly played in the opposition half. Sheffield did have the odd foray into Otley’s half, their best chance came when they attacked down the left hand flank, getting a penalty when they caught Otley offside. Kicking into the left hand corner, their pack was unable to move forward and Christian Hooper was bundled into touch as he tried to score in the corner. They had a further chance when Jason Hignell caught the overthrown line-out but couldn’t make it to the line, Sheffield conceding a penalty at the subsequent scrum with four minutes left in the half.

Early in the second half, Sheffield made Otley work for every inch over two attacks and got a line-out close to their line. The visitors cleared their lines to just within their half, and regained the ball at the line-out. Although Otley regained possession on the other sider pitch, they gave away a penalty taking them to their 22. The ball missed the Sheffield jumper, Jason Moss catching instead and then Crossland kicked a long 50:22. From the line-out on the right-hand side, Otley quickly passed the ball across the pitch with Ben Magee putting in Eliot Morgan to score in the corner. Callum Irvine converted from the touchline.

Whilst Sheffield were occasionally into Otley’s half, they were still making it difficult for Otley and it took Otley 20 minutes to score again. From a penalty deep in their half, Otley kicked to the half-way line and got another penalty, this time on the left hand side of the pitch. That went into Sheffield’s 22 and although the ball went back 10 metres, Otley got two penalty decisions in quick succession with Sheffield on the back foot. Quick ball handling got Otley close to the line and, whilst they didn’t cross it, they got another penalty and Sheffield a yellow. Electing for a scrum five metres out on the left, Otley moved the ball across the pitch after a couple attempts at the line, with Morgan getting his second in the corner.

Stead nearly scored from just inside Sheffield’s half but the pass to him was forward. With minutes left Sheffield got a penalty at a scrum and launched another attack, getting to Otley’s 22 before they lost the ball. They regained it after Otley kicked it downfield and came back again at Otley, Will Taylor nearly scoring under the posts but the pass to him was also forward at which point the referee blew the final whistle.

REPORT BY: NICK DOYLE