Yatton vs Barnstaple

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Yatton Scorers -

‘Yatton out gunned by elements and experience’.

Home side Yatton were up against from the start. Playing up the slope against a strong low sun one minute and heavy squalling wind and rain the next they also had to contend with the visitors’ physical pack and close quarters handling. During the second half a quarter of an hour period of heavy driving hailstones and night-time darkness added to the misery.

Within the first few minutes Barnstaple’s loose head was sent to the sin bin and despite frequent excursions into Yatton’s 22 it was not until the second quarter that the visitors landed their first points.

Two penalty conversions within minutes of each other and No 7 Jamie Arnold’s break through try at 30 minutes, converted by Neil Gibby, put the Barum boys on the scoring road.

Thanks to Yatton’s dogged defence Barnstaple were restricted to only two more penalties before the turnaround. But the visitors experience had given Yatton’s largely novice side a hill to climb at 0-19.

Three minutes into the second half Paul Sheanes display as an attacking fullback, breaking through three tackles to touch down, added to Yatton’s woes.

Then the driving hailstones arrived and daylight disappeared with the 250 spectators unable to see across the pitch and shocked car alarms seemingly sounding off a warning to the Yatton side – as if they needed it, with two home side players being singled out and yellow carded within ten minutes of each other.

Giddy’s last penalty conversion at 70 minutes proved to be the last of the points when Yatton’s chance to get on the scoreboard was denied by a series of persistent offences within the visitors 22 during a fierce and prolonged attack on their try line. Finally a defending player was binned with injury time to go and Barnstaples cunning had held out.