Saturday
23rd April 2005 (League Match)
19 30
‘Yatton deny Cheltenham
promotion’
Yatton emphatically denied Cheltenham North their chance of promotion.
After ten minutes John Wood collected a missed lineout move and crossed over for Cheltenham North. Scott Pollock converting in front of noisy home support.
Wind assisted kicks kept North on the attack and Pollock added a penalty on twenty-five minutes.
Yatton held out in the bombardment sustaining injuries in the fierce clashes and both Captains receiving long instruction from the Referee.
Yatton’s breakout and open play allowed wing Phil Morgan space to cut through at good angles and touchdown, with Dave Keating’s conversion five minutes before halftime.
Cheltenham landed two more penalties in quick succession to the delight of the baying homesiders.
But Nick Garnham for Yatton collected to touchdown from his own speculative box kick, deep in first-half injury time, and brought the score to 16-12.
On the hour Garnham struck again from the back of an attacking scrum, running unopposed to cross over in the corner.
From quick ball and good hands in the backline Matt Stone did the honours, crossing over and running in the dead ball area, to give Keating an easy conversion and put Yatton 24-16 ahead. Disconsolate local supporters began to retire to the bar.
North did manage another penalty, but minutes after Keating’s penalty from far out signalled to the home team that there was unlikely to be any promotion this season.
Yatton’s defensive skills and another penalty rub salt further in during the dying minutes as they completed yet another double in this season to once again finish fourth in the League.