MY BLOG with Dave Campbell – The cup/Malton away/Zoe and England

LINEOUT AT MEDICALS picture Dave Campbell

RFU INTERMEDIATE CUP

I won’t add to the hyperbole emanating from social media about the National Knockout Cup but Scarborough’s last two games in my humble opinion were won but not convincingly and personally I thought that a plucky Medicals side were unlucky last Saturday. The Silver Royd-based club have fantastically good facilities which are being improved upon as I write and the ethos of the club is to produce an amateur and community-based rugby set-up with a place for all shapes, sizes and abilities. This aim is often doubted and criticised in social media and forums but reflects on how most people at Silver Royd think; so although they’re not setting the world on fire in the grind of league rugby, the Scarborough players can still dream about a final at Twickenham; and why not?

MALTON & NORTON -V- SCARBOROUGH

NICK INGHAM IN ACTION AGAINST MALTON AT SILVER ROYD picture Andy Standing

Following last week’s last-gasp cup win at Newcastle, Scarborough makes the short journey down the A64 tomorrow to take on high-flying Malton & Norton. The men from The Gannock are having a hugely successful season and are unbeaten in the league since back in September 2014.  Playing a brand of attractive running rugby Malton are the highest points scoring team in Yorkshire One with a total of 554 and sit in second spot behind league-leaders Doncaster Phoenix. Back in October they visited Silver Royd and recorded a bonus point 30-18 win over skipper Tom Ratcliffe’s men and outplayed the Seasiders in all departments of the game. On that day Malton had three South African players on Parade including ex-Bridlington fullback Sizwe Zondo; all three excelled and have continued to do so this season. However two players Vusumzi Dyantjies and Zwelakhe  Sodlandla have now returned home but with the likes of ex-Scarborough player Nick Daley at fly-half and back row Sam Triffit in great form they could still win the league. If not, Scarborough’s games against Durham/Northumberland opposition in the Intermediate Cup would tend to indicate that if  Malton were to be involved in a play-off game, they would be firm favourites for promotion.

PAUL TAYLOR RETURNS TO  ACTION TOMORROW
picture Andy Standing

Following last week’s topsy-turvy game on Tyneside, Scarborough will travel to Malton tomorrow in high spirits. Their home defeat in October was a comprehensive one despite the 18-30 scoreline but following a terrific defensive effort late in the game at Medicals, they’ll look forward to tomorrow’s game with enthusiasm. Fullback Corey Dennis is still nursing a hamstring injury and centre Graeme Jeffrey is also on the injured list. However, Ambulance driver Paul Taylor who was on duty for the Medicals game returns to action at tight-head and former-skipper Nick Ingram will play in the second row. Lock forward Mikey Readman who was married earlier in the year is on a belated honeymoon; lucky lad and Taylor Smith is back in the land of the long white cloud for a couple of weeks. James Leach, a back/second row forward who has graduated through the ranks and currently plays in the under-18s joins Wesley Langkilde, who scored a couple of tries at Medicals and Jordi Wakeham  on the bench. The Vikings and Danesmen take on Malton 2nds and 3rds respectively at Silver Royd. All games kick off at 2.15pm.

ZOE ALDCROFT PLAYS FOR ENGLAND LADIES UNDER-20s

ENGLAND’S ZOE ALDCROFT AND FATHER DAVE AT ALDERSHOT

More good news this week for Scarborough, Yorkshire and the Aldcroft family; Zoe Aldcroft, who has moved up the ranks of women’s rugby via Scarborough, Malton, West Park Leeds, Yorkshire, The North and England under-18 sevens, came off the bench to star in England under-20s’ 25-10 victory over The Army Women’s XV at Aldershot this week. Coming up in the next month are international under-20 games against France at Bordeaux and here in England at Esher RUFC. Following her performance at Aldershot, the 18-year-old former Scalby School pupil looks like a shoe-in for both

ENGLAND U20s CELEBRATE SCORING A TRY AGAINST THE ARMY