PLAYING uphill in the first half, it took Otley 15 minutes to get onto the scoreboard against a doughty Lancastrian side.

Up until then, Otley had been on the offensive but could not breach the home side’s defence, losing Magee to injury 12 minutes in the opposition half.

The visitors then got a penalty in the Rossendale 22, which was pumped into the corner.

From the line-out, Otley attacked and were awarded another penalty after a Rossendale player found himself under Otley’s maul. Again Otley set up a driving maul from the line-out, Simon Willett catching the ball and getting the ball back – the forwards driving over the line with Luke Cole scoring. Rowntree converted.

Rossendale reduced the deficit with two penalty kicks after Otley infringed on the edges of the scrum and then caught offside, both incidents in Otley’s half.

With Will Burns now on for Willett, Otley kept up the momentum and had the territorial advantage in Rossendale’s half.

The breakthrough came after a Marcus Law run and, after the ball was recycled, Joe Rowntree’s outstretched arm saw Otley extend their lead on the half hour which he also converted.

A minute later a third penalty from Liam McGovern made the score 9-14. A Rossendale hand in the scrum gave the impetus back to Otley who launched a number of assaults through Marcus Law, Ben Waddington and Eddie Crossland which were finished off by Elliott Morgan’s converted try to bring the half to a close.

It only took Otley four minutes to score in the second half, having put a penalty into the right hand corner.

From there they probed their way across the pitch looking for that elusive gap before Marcus Law was even an easy run in on the left hand side.

A high tackle on Callum Irvine gave Rowntree to add to his tally on 56 minutes.

Otley absorbed a number of Rossendale attacks before Gavin Stead slipped past a possible tackle before running some 30 metres into Rossendale territory and then unselfishly passing to Eddie Crossland.

He had an easy run to the line on which he scored, Rowntree adding the conversion.

With Otley down to 14 men, Rossendale’s Jordan Fortune scored after McGovern’s neat pass back inside gave the scorer room to score with the latter adding the conversion.

However, Otley restored the equilibrium in what turned out to be the final moves of the game, Will Burns crashing over and Rowntree’s conversion heralded the final whistle for a 16-43 Otley victory.

The victory has kept Otley's 100% record intact and they now sit with with a record of nine victories from as many games.

They were expected to win the fixture given their form and their oppositions. Rossendale went into the game in tenth place, winning only half of their first eight fixtures.

But nevertheless, you have to beat what is in front of you and Otley once again showed their class to collect another away victory.

They return to action on Saturday (2:15 PM) at home to Wirral, and a tenth win on the trot awaits them.

Wirral are currently sixth in the league standings, but they are one of the most inform sides in the division, having one their previous three league fixtures.

Their most recent being a 64-3 home thrashing of Northwich, so this one will be no easy walkover for the league leaders.