1st XV
W 30-24
League
11-12-2021
Moortown
By Charlie Hopper
Scarborough returned to winning ways, following a breathtaking second-half performance, to beat Moortown 30-24 at Silver Royd on Saturday.
Head Coach Matty Jones was forced to shuffle his pack ahead of kick-off, with Harry Domett missing out due to injury and Pat Roberts taking his place. Tom Harrison returned to the squad, on the bench.
Jones’ side saw the majority of the ball in the early exchanges but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 14th minute. Having used the penalty advantage, the ball was worked out wide and Sam Cook collected, to score an unconverted try in the corner. Tom Ratcliffe then kicked his side back into the game in the 21st minute to reduce the gap to 5-3. Scarborough then spent the next passage of play camped in the Town half and finally made it count in the 31st minute. Ratcliffe put a delicate kick in behind the defence and winger James Long pounced on the loose ball. Ratcliffe added the extras to give his side a 10-5 lead. The Moss Valley outfit hit back immediately with three tries of their own. In the 34th minute, a grubber kick rolled through past the posts and Corben Ollivent latched onto the ball for another converted try. The lead was stretched to 19-10 on the brink of half-time, when hooker Sherridan Farley took the ball from the back of the maul and powered over. There was still time for the visitors to take command of the game with a try in the 40th minute. Ged Innes broke through the tackles and ran out wide before offloading to Daniel Farrish. The winger scored in the corner, with Farley unable to add the extras for a 24-10 lead.
Jones’ side were looking for an immediate response, following the break, and halved the gap in the 50th minute. Ratcliffe continued his fine form as he weaved through the tackles to score under the posts. The game was back level in the 59th minute courtesy of a converted try from Will Rennard. The youngster made a run from behind the ruck and powered through the Town defence. The momentum was now firmly in Scarborough’s favour and they retook the lead in the 74th minute, courtesy of a penalty from Ratcliffe. On the brink of a huge victory, the lead was stretched even further to 30-24 when Tom Harrison kicked another penalty.
Scarborough make the trip to 3rd place Heath on Saturday, as they look to end 2021 with back-to-back victories.