Yorkshire Division Two: Yarnbury 31 Goole 22

WITH Pontefract, Old Crossleyans and Barnsley all losing, new leaders Yarnbury picked a good time to notch a seventh win in nine matches.

The hosts had to name their 39th and 40th different players for league duty this season in centre Josh Bell (for captain Jason Avison) and left winger Joe Pinnick (for Josh Bateson), but the pack had a familiar look, and there was still a strong bench of prop Lewis Atha, second-rower Ian Maycock and back-rower Adam Bateson.

Goole had the wind behind them but did not get out of their half for the first quarter so dominant were the home side, who used sweeping moves to stretch the visitors' defence.

The east Yorkshire side had developed a reputation for moving the ball themselves on their way to promotion from Yorkshire Division Three last season, as well as winning the RFU Junior Vase final at Twickenham, but they were undone in that regard by Yarnbury.

After five minutes, right wing Jack Brown was put away nicely by his backs and swept in for the first try, which wasn't converted by stand-off Jarrod Huss into the wind.

Then the forwards put on the pressure in the scrum and drove the opponents backwards, giving Huss the chance to make the line and convert his own try to make it 12-0.

Goole got back into the game after losing their hooker Chris Wood when centre James Shand burst down a narrow gap on the right to score, reminding Yarnbury of the opponents' propensity to move the ball at every opportunity.

The hosts needed to go again, and Bell made the break, releasing the pacy Brown down the right, only for him to be tackled into touch.

But it wasn't long before Yarnbury scored again, with Brown showing his pace as Goole gave the home backs too much ball out wide.

While the visitors had dropped the ball in attack, the home side made sure that everything stuck in what was arguably their best league half since the first game of the season.

Goole regrouped after the break and took the game to Yarnbury, but organised defence was the order of the day, with props Atha and Dan Penman standing out with their tackling.

Back row Sam Smith got over from close in after the home side were penalised for offside, and stand-off Rhys More converted to reduce the deficit.

However, Yarnbury pulled away again after Brown was pulled down close to the line by a scrambling defence.

A succession of penalties close to the Goole line led to back row James Cryan having the confidence to take a quick tap and crash over for the fourth try, guaranteeing a bonus point.

Huss converting, and the hosts then got the try of the game, sweeping the ball out left via great passing for Brown to get his hat-trick try, which was Yarnbury's fifth.

The conversion was again added by Huss, but Goole showed their fitness in an entertaining game watched by a large crowd by scoring two tries late on via Smith and flanker Robert Shand after the sin-binning of Adam Bateson.