Tykes triumph in cross-city clash
There was definitely something in the air as Leeds Tykes took on their closest rivals. If the thought of this long anticipated Yorkshire derby wasn’t enough, the match ball was delivered to our chairman Alastair Da Costa by helicopter. Thanks to sponsors Atlas Helicopters Ltd for the spectacle.
The Tykes kept up their unbeaten start to the National 2 North season, pulling away late to win 31-18 against Otley.
There was midweek banter between the two sides after Jake Brady and Kieran Davies were interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds and the spectacle didn’t disappoint the bumper crowd in blistering conditions.
Leeds’ first try came from a scrum, which was dominant most of the match. Eddie Brown picked up from the back of a close range scrum to score. Seremaia Bai Turagabeci kicked the conversion.
Otley’s Joe Rowntree landed a long-range penalty awarded when the homeside were offside.
Will Hardwick dotted down after a series of scrum penalties. Turagabeci added the extras. Connor Parnell responded with a converted try for the visitors to cut the deficit at halftime. Although not before Gavin Stead received a red card for a head-on-head clash with Jacob Mounsey. This was quickly followed by a yellow for repeated infringements at the scrum. Sam Waddington took the card for his site.
Samuel Taylor edged Otley ahead on 47 minutes before Leeds went on to dominate and cut loose in the final stages.
Free-flowing tries from Ben Dixon and Charlie Venables, both successfully converted, brought the try bonus point. Seremaia Bai Turagabeci’s penalty put the game beyond doubt, completing his faultless display with the boot.
After the game, Pete Seabourne, Director of Rugby, said: “I’m pleased with the result in really hot conditions against a good and resilient Otley side. Our fitness and game management showed in the end.
“Looking forward to next week, we need to be better. Hopefully the boys will enjoy cooler conditions.”
Final score 31-18
(HT 14-10)
Match centre
The match was sponsored by Mike Shotton
Our scorers
Report by Ben Cropper