YATTON R F C - WESTERN COUNTIES (NORTH) League

Media Contact – Tony Watkins Tel/Fax 01275 – 875944 E-Mail ‘anthonywwatkins @ exchange.uk.com’

Saturday 25th March 2006 (League Match)

Yatton vs Olds Centralians

37 10

Yatton Scorers - Tries G Walters, M Harris 2, S Osborne, P Morgan. Con. Osborne 3 Pen Con Osborne 2

Constant rain threatened to spoil open play for both sides.

Old C’s were first on the board from Craig Anderson’s penalty at five minutes.

End-to-end play developed as both sides elected to spread it wide.

Towards the end of the first quarter Yatton’s pressure in a series of five-yard scrums resulted in back-row Gareth Walters crashing through to give the home side the lead.

Yatton’s purple patch came during the last ten minutes of the first-half.

Mike Harris broke through to touch down and give Sam Osborne an easy conversion.

Minutes later wing Alan Walters cut through from the halfway line and slipped the ball at pace for Harris to finish off; Osborne’s conversion putting Yatton at 19-3.

At 40 minutes Mike Harris did likewise for Osborne to finish; his extra yards in the deadball area gaving himself another conversion under the posts.

In the second half, with the marginal benefit of a slight slope, Old C’s attempted to increase the work-rate and severely tested Yattons’ defence.

A Yatton breakaway found Osborne landing a penalty conversion after a visiting player was yellow carded.

But gutsy Old C’s were soon on the attack and their kick and chase was adjudged to have been interfered.

A Yatton player was sent to the bin and a penalty try was awarded. Anderson’s conversion gave his side some hope.

However it wasn’t to be, Anderson’s speculative long range penalty conversion attempt bounced back into play off the upright and Osborne converted his second penalty minutes later.

Yatton’s convincing win edged them away from the league’s basement clubs. The display was rounded off as the patient and mercurial Phil Morgan raced down the wing for his try in the dying seconds of injury time.