W 24-22

By Charlie Hopper

Scarborough made it three wins in a row after a last-minute penalty from Tom Harrison helped them beat second place Rochdale at Silver Royd. 

Still on a high from last weekend’s win at Goole, Matty Jones’ side found themselves 7-0 down within the opening 10 minutes after they went over from close range. Scarborough responded well, and with a man advantage, Connor Ward was threaded through to score directly under the posts. Ratcliffe added the extras for 7-7. The momentum was firmly with Jones’ side but an intercept try gifted Rochdale the lead. Joshua Schofield caught Jack Holt’s pass and ran from inside his own half to score under the posts. In the 38th minute, the visitors extended their lead even further with their third try of the match. They kicked the loose ball clear before collecting the ball and scoring. The conversion sailed wide for 19-7 at the break. 

The second half started in frustrating fashion for Scarborough as Oliver Briggs was shown a yellow card for a high tackle. In the 58th minute, Tom Read crashed over to give his side a glimmer of hope. Harrison kicked the conversion for 19-14. For the second time in the game, Rochdale immediately responded but this time with a penalty to stretch their lead to 22-14. Scarborough were forced to wait for a deserved third try when consecutive knock ons, halted their progress close to the Rochdale line. In the 78th minute, Sam Dawson crashed over from close range to further reduce the deficit to 22-21. With seconds remaining, Scarborough won the ball back and won a penalty to the right of the posts. Harrison stepped up and slotted the kick to give his side a well-deserved, 24-22 win. 

Bridlington RUFC are the visitors to Silver Royd next weekend.