SSE National League Two North: Huddersfield 13, Otley 6

OTLEY travelled to Huddersfield knowing they would be hard pressed to repeat their 47-7 home victory back in October.

The visitors are suffering an injury crisis in which they are short of props and three regular backs, centre Michael Coady being the latest to succumb, while their hosts are full of running and unbeaten this year with five good wins.

These old rivals started at full throttle, with ferocious tackling ferocious, and that continued to the end, snuffing out all efforts to open the game up.

The scoring was all through the boot until the tail-end of the game when a fortuitous interception settled the result.

Reclaiming his place at fly half, Joe Hinchliffe kicked an early penalty for Huddersfield before a period of pressure from Otley was rewarded when scrum half Stephen Depledge was given a chance to level, and as they began to exert a stranglehold he added a second penalty when flanker Ben Hoyle was yellow-carded.

It began to appear that Otley would take over but the home defence, desperate at times, stood the test and half-time arrived with the visitors just three points ahead.

There was little to choose as the forwards battled it out, the backs joining in the indelicate proceedings when and if required, Hinchliffe adding his second penalty to return the score to parity but neither side could orchestrate anything approaching a three-quarter movement.

With full-time approaching, Otley took the gamble of ignoring the slog, instead attempting to attack from their 22, and it was looking healthy until a rather looped pass was well anticipated by centre Elliot Hodgson, who intercepted and made the line untouched, Hinchliffe adding the conversion.