Counties One Yorkshire: Keighley 43 Harrogate Pythons 19
by Bill Marshall
FORMER Keighley head coach Jeff Inman didn’t like what he was seeing in their Counties One Yorkshire home fixture against Harrogate Pythons.
Inman, who still holds the record for the most appearances in Keighley’s first XV, came down from the banking behind the dugouts to pitch-side to urge them to greater efforts.
“You need to up it to the next level,” said Inman, and Keighley backed his request, soon scoring a try.
“I am claiming that one,” laughed Inman, and maybe his pitch-side words, allied to whatever head coach Ben Sowrey said at half-time, meant that Keighley were a different team in the second half, despite conceding an interception try a minute after the interval to trail 19-10.
In the first half on a day when few matches were played due to frozen pitches, Keighley failed to take advantage of several forays into the Pythons 22 and allowed No 8 Hugh Tatlow to break at least four tackles to score from the halfway line, Harry Smith bagging the interception try, also from halfway, in the 41st minute.
From then on, however, Keighley scored 33 points without reply to win by 24 points, which seemed highly unlikely in a battle between the third and fourth-placed teams ahead of another pivotal clash for Keighley at home to Yarnbury on Saturday.
Sowrey said: “Pythons were playing well and putting us under pressure, but it was just a case of working with intent and running with intent, which we lacked a bit in the first half.
“Our shape was a little bit off but when we started running with go-forward, things opened up for us a bit more and Pythons were unlucky with a couple of injuries whereas everyone on our side came off the pitch fit.
“Our continuity was good in the second half and once we worked through a few phases in their half Pythons broke down a bit.
“Also fitness potentially came into it when they suffered their injuries, maybe slowing them up a bit whereas our lads kept going.”
Sowrey added: “Pythons looked very tidy in the first half, they had good leg drive and had some powerful boys and were making far too many inroads, so we said to our lads at half-time about making first-up tackles.
“Also Lucas Uren and Andy Kemp, who came on, changed the impetus for us so fair play to them. Lucas kept coming up with the ball and Andy made good yards.”
As a former hooker, Sowrey admitted that he was delighted with the second-half tries by props Sam Booker and George Altham, showing that he is still a member of the front-row union.
As for playing after a three-week break, Sowrey said: “The lads have been shovelling Christmas pud down and all the rest of it, so the first game back is never easy, but the lads have been switched on this week, and being at home there was never a worry.
“Our Stags game on the top pitch was postponed due to a frozen surface and the last thing that we wanted was to have a first XV game postponed after the festive break.”
After a minute’s silence in memory of Keighley RUFC member Ian Walkden, whose funeral service is today (Thursday) at Oakworth Crematorium (11.30am), Pythons kicked off towards the clubhouse.
The visitors started promisingly, but soon lost Sam Rowntree to an unspecified injury and trailed to a penalty by home full back Alex Brown in the 13th minute.
Pythons full back Jack Whiting was looking lively and they went ahead five minutes later when replacement Joel Misseldine scored, centre Ben Pryor converting for 7-3.
But Keighley hit back just before the half-hour with a try by fly half Charlie Hartley that was improved by Brown.
Too often, however, moves broke down in and around the Pythons 22, such as when lock Jordan Yaxley broke away ten minutes later.
However, there was no first-half lead for the hosts as Tatlow went on that run down the left-hand side of the pitch to score four minutes into stoppage time, Pryor’s fine conversion making it 14-10.
Things got worse for Keighley in the second half, Pythons fly half Harry Smith intercepting a pass near halfway to score in the left-hand corner.
The home side then won a penalty but lost the subsequent line-out, and an off-the-ball melee in the 49th minute resulted in referee Tom Howard (Central Yorkshire Society) sin-binning a player from each side - flanker Jake Parkinson for Keighley and prop Jordan Payne.
A minute later, Booker rumbled over for Keighley, Brown converting but soon after they again won a penalty only to mess up the subsequent line-out.
In the 59th minute, Kemp showed strength and determination, as had Booker for his try, to put Keighley ahead at 22-19, Brown extending the margin with the conversion.
Another try followed in the 63rd minute by Sam Blakeley, flanker Max Wild going over from distance a minute later, showing that same strength and determination, Brown again converting to make it 38-19.
And Pythons were finished off with a try by Altham a minute before time, giving them a 24-point winning margin that seemed to be a fantasy for most of the contest.
Keighley remain third, but are now only eight points behind second-placed Wath, who have played a game less, while Yarnbury, who also won at home on an artificial pitch, are now fourth, having deposed Pythons.
Sowrey said: “The Pythons game marked the end of the first half of the season, so we have played everybody once.
“We have a lot more home fixtures coming up, which should put us in good stead, and the main thing for us is to stay in touch with the top two, which is a bit more down to fate than being in our control, but it is still there and we are up for it.”