YATTON R F C  - WESTERN COUNTIES (NORTH) League

Media Contact – Tony Watkins Tel/Fax 01275 – 875944 E-Mail ‘tony@awwandco.com’

 

Saturday 6th January 2007 (League Match)

 

Gordon League 1st XV           v                 Yatton

5                                                          3

Yatton Scorers     Pen D Keating

 

Yatton restrict Gordon League

 

Yatton slipped from joint first place to third, in their division, after this game of attrition for two evenly matched top of the table sides.

 

Constant rain prior to the match soon produced a ball with a consistency of a bar of soap.

 

Yatton fielding replacement players at number nine and ten, including Yatton’s own ‘Mike Catt’, were down the slope for the first half but it took then nearly 25 minutes before they managed to get into the homeside’s 22.

 

Five minutes later fly-half Dave ‘Catt’ Keating, for Yatton, dissected the posts with his only kickable penalty opportunity of the whole match.

 

Clearance kicks kept Gordon League out of further trouble and their very speculative penalty conversion attempt, uphill from the halfway line on the last second of the first half, only landed a few yards short.

 

League knows how to play the slope of their pitch and signalled their intent immediately after the turnaround.

 

Yatton defence and spilt ball denied any increase in points for the first 10 minutes and, in fact, their break through up the centre only faltered when a drop goal attempt was made and flew wide.

 

But League were soon back on their obvious game plan and a driving maul from a lineout within Yatton’s 22 gave number seven Matt Hurdle his chance to crash over at 55 minutes.

 

Ten minutes later League’s penalty conversion flew inches wide.

 

Yatton’s dogged and disciplined defence then held throughout the remainder of the match, to restrict League’s winning margin, by causing the attacking side problems and for them to knock-on once again  at the try line literally on the final whistle.

 

 

This Saturday Yatton 1st XV entertains Chosen Hill as their next league fixture. Kick off at 2-30pm preceded by the Vice Presidents luncheon. (Chosen Hill have also decided to decline playing this match as a ‘double header’ which would have included the following weekends EDF Vase fixture, so Yatton are still scheduled to also meet them at home on Saturday 20th),