From the touchline by Dave Campbell

Heath in action at North Ribblesdale last week (top) / Matty Young and Jordan Wakeham congratulate Tom Harrison following the second of his two tries against Beverley last week.

PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF HEATH RUFC (TOP) ANDY STANDING (ABOVE)

Scarborough are on the road tomorrow to play their postponed game against fellow promotion hopefuls Heath RUFC.

The clubs have been neck and neck in the second play-off slot in Yorkshire One for most of the season and following the Seasiders’ win at Beverley last week this game could be a major pointer to who is promoted this season.

The Halifax-based outfit have been outstanding this season but were beaten 18-19 at home by Beverley two weeks ago; however they were convincing 26-17 winners of the corresponding game at Silver Royd earlier in the season.

This game was originally scheduled for two weeks ago but fell afoul of snowy weather and the game will exceptionally be played on a holiday weekend. Consequently players from both teams have had to rearrange their Easter plans. For tomorrow’s game Scarborough fullback Tom Harrison will travel from Newcastle and prop Nino Cutino flies back from the Canaries for the game.

Due to health problems I’ll miss tomorrow’s game and the final two games of the season but having reported and been involved with the club for 39 years, I’ll be chewing my nails down to the quick tomorrow and until the end of the season!

BEVERLEY 20 SCARBOROUGH 31

By Dave Campbell

High-flying Scarborough moved into second place in Yorkshire One with the five-Try demolition of fellow promotion hopefuls Beverley on the road at Beaver Park.

A closely-fought first half saw the visitors fall behind to an early penalty but tries from fullback Tom Harrison and wing Matty Young (converted by centre Tom Ratcliffe) saw them lead 12-8 at the break; Beverley having scored a first half try themselves.

Playing some enterprising rugby the Seasiders led 31-8 on the Hour thanks to a further Harrison touchdown plus tries from wing Harry Domett and flyhalf Ratcliffe who converted two.

Scarborough, who had played only one game in March and were lacking match fitness, conceded a couple of tries late in the game due to fatigue but were full value for a composed performance on the road.

Quick thinking Fullback Tom Harrison scored two inventive tries at Beverley

Full report and pictures by ANDY Standing in Thursday’s SCARBOROUGH NEWS

TOM RATCLIFFE CONTINUES AT FLY-HALF      PHOTOGRAPH ANDY STANDING

Tomorrow’s game against second-placed Beverley on the road is the first of five season-defining league games for Scarborough which will settle how Coach Simon Smith’s first hugely successful campaign will end. Tomorrow’s clash will of course be an eight pointer and he has included Matty Oxtoby in the second row to team up with Phil Watson and Nino Cutino starting at prop. Behind the pack Tom Harrison will play fullback with Jimmy Perrett at outside centre and Tom Ratcliffe at stand-off. Beverley were soundly beaten 36-12 at Silver Royd on the 25^th of November. However following that defeat the men from Beaver Park won the next eight games before losing at Middlesbrough on the 24^th of February. They won 19-18 at Heath on their last outing.

Scarborough have been in the mix at the top of Yorkshire One from the start of the season but the next five weeks will sort out which of one-time runaway leaders York, Beverley, Heath, Scarborough or Middlesbrough will move up to play regional rugby in North One next season.

Starting tomorrow four of those games are away from home and the first two are eight-pointers against Beverley and Heath who had the upper hand on their visit to the seaside winning 26-17.

The only remaining home league game left is on April 7^th against Moortown; the Leeds-based outfit inflicted the second of Scarborough’s two defeats on the road this season with a 34-12 win in December. The league season concludes with games at North Ribblesdale and Keighley who were both beaten at Silver Royd.

Elsewhere Middlesbrough have the easiest of run-ins with three games at home and two away whereas Heath have yet to play league-leaders York home and away and Beverley entertain York at Beaver Park in their penultimate home game. Scarborough has by far the most difficult run-in but it’s in their own hands now. A full list of remaining league fixtures can be found at: www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results

And when the Yorkshire One fixtures are concluded with York in all probability champions, the second placed club will then play-off against the second side in Durham/Northumberland One which will be either Barnard Castle or Durham City. So it’s going to be a very busy five weeks and I haven’t yet mentioned the Yorkshire Challenge Shield where Scarborough play Beverley in a home semi-final at a date yet to be arranged; but first tomorrow!

TOM RATCLIFFE IN ACTION AGAINST HULLENSIANS

PICTURE ANDY STANDING

SCARBOROUGH 26 HULLENSIANS 17

By Dave Campbell

Scarborough kept their promotion push on track with a 24-17 bonus-point win over Hullensians at a fog shrouded Silver Royd yesterday.

The Seasiders had been out of action since their surprise home defeat by Old Rishworthians three weeks ago due to a blank Saturday and last week’s postponed game at Heath but came out of the traps quickly, opening their account in the 5^th minute with a lucky try. A loose pass in the visitors’ 22 hit the heel of centre Jimmy Perrett and popped into the hands of winger Matty Young scored the simplest of tries. Tom Ratcliffe added the extras for 7-0.

Skipper Matty Jones’s men scored further tries in the 15^th and 28^th minutes through Harry Domett and No8 Ben Martin, both converted by Ratcliffe before Hullensians pegged one back to trail 21-5. Ever-alert fullback Tom Harrison earned his side a bonus point for four tries when he took a quick tap-penalty and powered over to see his side lead 26-5 at the break.

A terrific second half effort saw Hullensians dominate a one-sided second half but Scarborough defended with great commitment restricting them to a couple of tries (one converted).

On a surface that sapped the strength of both sides, Scarborough looked the more tired of the two at the end; attributable I think to a lack of match practice and forty solid minutes of defence. The Humbersiders were unfortunate to come away empty handed given their contribution to the game.

Scarborough are next in action on Easter weekend when they travel to Heath on Saturday 31^st March.

READ MY FULL REPORT PLUS PICTURES FROM ANDY STANDING IN THURSDAY’S SCARBOROUGH NEWS

Try Scorer Jordi Wakeham feeds an attacking scrum in Scarborough’s 29-17 win at Hullensians.

With a spare Saturday followed by the postponement of last week’s big game at Heath, Matty Jones’s men have been out of action since the home defeat by Old Rishworthians at Silver Royd on the 19^th of February. So they have had plenty of time to mull over that reverse and look forward to what remains of this season.

Going into that game the Seasiders were sitting third in Yorkshire One looking to maintain their challenge for the second place, play-off game; to that end the players have trained hard in the last couple weeks and look forward to the visit of Hullensians tomorrow.

The Humbersiders have had a mixed season but bounced back from a narrow 21-23 home defeat by Middlesbrough on the 17^th of February with the 14-8 defeat of Old Brods the following week, also on their own patch. On their last away-day on the 10^th of February they came away with a 31-27 win at Selby following what I’m told was a cracking game.

Hullensians and Scarborough met in what was a proverbial ‘game of two halves’ with Scarborough scoring 22 unanswered points in a powerful first half performance before going on to ‘lose’ the second half 7-17. However they picked up a 29-17 win plus a bonus point thanks to tries from Jordi Wakeham, Matty Jones, Aaron Wilson and Jimmy Perrett; Tom Ratcliffe converted three and added a penalty.

Tom Ratcliffe (pictured) plays at fly-half tomorrow PICTURE ANDY STANDING

For tomorrow’s game Coach Simon Smith has picked Tom Harrison at fullback, moved Jimmy Perrett from fullback to outside centre and Tom Ratcliffe to fly-half. And he’ll look for his charges to concentrate for the whole eighty minutes rather than the lopsided show in the corresponding game on Humberside. The Vikings are also in action tomorrow as they take on Hullensians’ Hawks at Silver Royd and the Vakryies entertain Acklam Ladies also at home on Sunday.

With the postponement of so many fixtures over the last few weeks fixtures for the rest of the month have now been re-arranged. Next Saturday (17^th March) rather than being the Shield Semi-final  at Silver Royd is now, believe it or not, a BLANK Saturday; that game has yet to be re-arranged. The following week (24^th March) they are at promotion rivals Beverley in the league followed by another road trip to Heath for another promotion clash on Easter Saturday (31^st March).

There is only one league game at home between now and the end of the season which is on the 7^th of April when Moortown make their first visit to Silver Royd.

With the postponement of so many fixtures over the last few weeks fixtures for the rest of the month have now been re-arranged. Next Saturday (17^th March) rather than being the Shield Semi-final  at Silver Royd is now, believe it or not, a BLANK Saturday; that game has yet to be re-arranged. The following week (24^th March) they are at promotion rivals Beverley in the league followed by another road trip to Heath for another promotion clash on Easter Saturday (31^st March).

There is only one league game at home between now and the end of the season which is on the 7^th of April when Moortown make their first visit to Silver Royd.