Keighley Under 9’s v Ripon Under 9’s at Huddersfield

Starting Team
Harry Gould
James Field
Zac Scott
Alex Wormersley
Keir Welch
Lennon Curr
Kian Saunders
Harvey Bird
Joss McArthur
Subs: - Jack Rodborne - Joseph Myers - Tom Richardson

Match Report – Played over 4 x 10 minute periods

Buoyed by their success of the previous week against North Ribblesdale an illness and injury depleted Keighley team was determined to repeat the victory of the Senior squad against Ripon the day before.
On a heavily sanded but drying surface under a weak mid-winter sun both teams started with obvious determination to be the first to put points on the board and it was apparent from the opening exchanges that this was destined to be a tight, highly competitive game.
On 3 minutes the first meaningful attack saw Keighley win the first scrum of the day with Lennon Curr playing at scrum-half feeding Harry Gould who unfortunately knocked on from the release from the scrum. The Ripon forwards were trying to destabilise the Keighley attack by pressing hard for every ball and this resulted in some overly zealous tackles by both teams.
Keighley momentarily lost focus when defending a penalty on the half way line and the Ripon backs appeared to be the more positive of the 2 teams.
Ferocious tackling by Zac Scott stopped Ripon getting the points and from the resulting lineout Joss McArthur forced a turnover from Ripon, sending Alex Wormersley having his first full start of the season, down the touchline only to be forced into touch on the Ripon 10 yard line.
Ripon responded by playing some positive rugby, moving the ball across the pitch and forcing Keighley to give away a penalty on the 5 yard line which then caught Keighley sleeping long enough for Ripon to score their first try in the right corner.
Keighley (0) 0 – Ripon (1) 5 – 5 minutes played.
Keighley repeatedly gave possession away for the next few minutes with a combination of poor handling and indecisive play but great tackling by Keir Welch and aggressive resistance by Harvey Bird saw them play their way back into the game.
Keighley started by far the stronger of the 2 teams in the second quarter but fine runs James Field and Gould early after the restart failed to bring any reward but all the Keighley forwards were playing aggressive competitive rugby. However, against the run of play Ripon turned over the ball and with the Keighley left flank again exposed, they scored their second try of the game.
Keighley (0) 0 – Ripon (2) 10 – 13 minutes played.
Keighley didn’t lose heart and continual pressure from Gould, Joseph Myers and Kian Saunders saw them just fail 3 times within 2 minutes to convert good scoring opportunities on the Ripon line despite forcing their opponents onto the back foot with some powerful rucking.
From quick ball out of a resulting scrum Scott jinked his way past 3 defenders to cut the deficit and score Keighley’s first try in the left corner.
Keighley (1) 5 – Ripon (2) 10 – 17 minutes played.
Keighley began to take control and took the Ripon Backs to task with some with powerful attacking rugby with Gould making several surging runs down the flanks forcing Ripon into frantic defence.
From a scrum on the 5 yard line, Welch slid the ball to Saunders who passed to Field who powered his way past the static Ripon defence to score in the right corner.
Keighley (2) 10 – Ripon (2) 10 – 18 minutes played.
Half Time - Keighley (2) 10 – Ripon (2) 10
With both teams temporarily reduced to 8 players in the opening minute of the 3rd Quarter, the game ebbed and flowed but both teams were playing impressively competitive rugby.
Keighley pressed hard and the introduction of Tom Richardson appeared to bring more impetus to the Keighley boys. However a swift counter attack by Ripon saw a great individual run from their captain for a third try on the board for Ripon despite being tacked by the impressive Scott on the line and there being doubts as to whether the ball was grounded.
Keighley (2) 10 – Ripon (3) 15 – 21 minutes played.
From the restart Keighley again failed to take clean ball but the resulting ruck saw Field steal to give Gould the chance to power over with 3 Ripon players clamped on to his shirt.
Keighley (3) 15 – Ripon (3) 15 – 23 minutes played.

Despite being played at a frantic pace, the next period of the match saw powerful plays by both teams and Keighley benefitted from several penalties but were unable to convert these into real chances to increase their score. However a dropped ball on the half way line and a dubious looking forward pass allowed Ripon to gain the upper hand once more.
Keighley (3) 15 – Ripon (4) 20 – 27 minutes played.
Poor handling again straight from the restart allowed Ripon to press the Keighley defence hard but a concerted effort by all the Keighley players ensured that the game remained competitive. The ever industrious Scott and some powerful play by the Keighley forwards pushed Ripon to the limit. Richardson, Welch and Saunders all made darting runs under pressure and Curr continued to play a major part with his quick hands from the scrums.
A turnover and a hand-off combined with a 40 yard single handed ball carry saw Ripon increase their lead with a disputed 5th try on the stroke of the third quarter.
Keighley (3) 15 – Ripon (5) 25 – 30 minutes played.
Keighley continued to pressurise the Ripon defence with Gould and McArthur both enjoying good strong possession but they were again caught day-dreaming from a penalty conceded on their own 10 yard line and Ripon capitalised to score their 6th try of the game.
Keighley (3) 15 – Ripon (6) 30 – 33 minutes played.
Keighley continued to dig deep and every player was giving 100% in a supreme effort to get back on level terms with Richardson, Myers and Bird all giving good support to the Backs and contesting every loose ball.
A scrum given away by Ripon on the left saw Curr steal and then slide the ball to Richardson and a quick pass to Field who scurried from the half to score in the right corner.
Keighley (4) 20 – Ripon (6) 30 – 35 minutes played.
Keighley pressed forward with Wormersley and Saunders continuing to try to find width in order to press on the flanks and Bird, McArthur and Field driving hard on every loose ball but time was not on their side. However from a captured line out ball Scott managed to outwit the Ripon defence to sprint to the corner on the stroke of full time.
Keighley (5) 25 – Ripon (6) 30 – 40 minutes played.
Final Score - Keighley (5 Tries) 25 Points – Ripon (6 Tries) 30 Points
Keighley Scorers: - Scott 2, Field 2, Gould 1.
“While we played without 3 key players today, everyone gave 100% and didn’t give up at any stage so I’m really pleased that we managed to compete with an extremely well organised and mobile team” said Coach Steve Welch “the boys certainly know they’ve had a difficult and physically combative match and although we didn’t win this time we did show that we do have players who can play in a number of positions and we will build on this in the future” he added.