Yorkshire Division Two: Yarnbury 33 Old Grovians 21

FOLLOWING this win over Old Grovians, Yarnbury return to Brownberrie Lane on Saturday, when they know that another derby victory over Leodiensian will put them third in Yorkshire Division Two.

With the annual veterans' tournament featuring the Blues and the Royals as a curtain-raiser, the only changes for the hosts were George Oldridge returning at full back, John Bateson starting on the right wing for the injured Graham Maycock, and Paul Kernick in at lock for the injured Ian Maycock.

Grovians, still needing a point to secure survival, were running the ball at every opportunity but Yarnbury showed them how to do it when stand-off Danny Pound decided to run the ball out of defence.

Quick ball from captain Jason Avison and fellow centre James White got the ball away, and hooker Tom Whitfield followed up to score the opening try, with Pound converting.

Grovians lost their hooker Matthew Worrall to a yellow card for persistent killing the ball on the ground, but the visitors still grabbed a try, working the ball out wide to create an overlap for winger Tom Stearn to score in the corner.

The visitors then took the lead with a Ben Brown penalty on 27 minutes after persistent infringements but the hosts were back in front by half-time when they stole the ball in a tackle, wrong-footing the home defence for White to show and go and end up under the posts for Pound to convert.

Leading 14-11 after Brown landed another penalty, Yarnbury begun to step up the pressure in the second half and, from close in, James Cryan took the ball from a ruck to score, with Pound converting well from out wide.

To their credit, Grovians, who were impressive in the scrum, were seeking tries to get something out of the game, and got left wing Mark Harwood over to reduce the arrears, only for Yarnbury to reply via Bateson at the corner following Oldridge coming into the line to make the overlap.

Pound's 70th-minute conversion helped to make the game secure on 70 minutes, but Yarnbury weren't finished.

A slick blind-side move started deep in Yarnbury territory, getting Bateson away in his own 22, and he easily beat his opposite number on the outside while doing the same to the full back to get Yarnbury their fifth try.

Grovians never gave in, however, and scored a consolation try by Harwood in the final minutes.