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Yorkshire Silver Trophy Semi-Final

OLD OTLIENSIANS 26 pts vs WATH-UPON-DEARNE 10 pts

  2007.05.05 Wath 019

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Otliensians produced one of their best displays of the season to comprehensively our play Wath from Yorkshire Division 3, and progress to the Final of the Yorkshire Silver Trophy for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The game began brightly with Otliensians attacking from the start, moving smoothly through phases and creating space on the left for Hayward to be held up in the corner. The subsequent scrum was set, and with the home front row of Percy, Hanogue and Myers dominant, the Wath pack were pushed off the ball for No 8 Duggan to pick up, drive through two defenders to score on the left, with Foster adding the extras, the first crucial 5 minutes belonged to Otliensians. From the restart Otliensians again made hard yards, and open side flanker Tom O'Donnell collected the ball and charged 50 metres down field with a trail of defenders in his wake, he was eventually pulled down, but the ever present Hanogue gathered the ball and sent Matt Tenniswood racing to the left for a second excellent touchdown, Foster hit the post with the difficult conversion, but the die was cast with the visitors looking a little perplexed, maybe becuase they might have underestimated the talent at Otliensians disposal.

Wath came back, with their big centre and blindside flanker hitting the ball up the middle and around the fringes, but the well organised defence held firm, with only one breach which was eventually subdued some 15 metres from the posts. Bonner, Smith and Markus Keinhorst were providing the yards, with Duggan, Hanogue and O'Donnell maintaining the continuity, for Birch and Kristian Keinhorst to be able to press the home side forward, via strategic kicking and well constructed back moves with Foster and ratahi taking the lead.

Otlienesians comfortably came through the middle phase, and in the 33rd minute produced a text book rolling maul, hanogue came off the back, feed Tenniswwod in to space who released winger Jon Woods who proceeded to mesmerise the defence with some dazzling foot work to score by the posts, for Foster to goal and Otliensians arrived at half time with a healthy 19-0 lead.

The second half started with pressure from Otliensians, and following another great break from Markus Keinhorst, the visitors were penalised but Foster was just short, another break out from the 22 saw a similar outcome after 52 minutes, and it was then that the hard working and determined Wath side had their own purple patch, putting together some excellent phases and pressuring the home defence all over the park. After an hour a clever kick to the corner saw the Wath attacker win the race for the touchdown in the
left corner, and this was followed 5 minutes later by a charge down from an Otliensians defensive line leading to their second try, which closed the deficit to 19-10 and all the prospects of a thrilling finish.

However these set backs brought the very best out of the Otliensians players, and the reposte was immediate, with a line out on the left, leading to excellent hands from virtually the whole team, Hanogue drawing the last man for skipper Smith to romp in for the decisive score, Foster once again converting for the 26-10 lead. Although this was to be the final result, the last 10 minutes confirmed Otliensians superiority with the pack driving the Wath eight off every scrum, and the final act a great crossfield kick from Kristian Keinhorst which was caught on the left by Hayward who was stopped just short, completing an inventive and complete display by all the squad.

The Final is provisionally scheduled for Sunday 20 May, with Hessle the formidable opponents.

Report supplied by the coach, Gary Walker.

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