Malton and Norton RUFC

Driffield 4ths 10 - Malton & Norton 3rds 5

Pat Lane

In their first outing of 2022 Malton 3s narrowly missed out in another very competitive fixture at Driffield. On this occasion Driffield managed to narrowly hold on to claim a victory but great credit to the Malton squad who were so close and battled throughout. Maltons forwards were excellent and well led by North supported by Thompson, Wilkes, Hickes, Stephenson, and man of the match Knaggs.

Maltons lineout was very effective with accurate throw ins from Humphreys mainly to the excellent Skaife who was dominant and managed to steel four Driffield throw ins. But it was again the defensive effort which stood out by forwards and backs alike. Malton backs were starting to find some space with scrum half Midgely and outhalf Finlinson moving the ball well, a great break from defence by Stu Collins should have been rewarded with a try. Both defences were committed, and it took 30 minutes before the first score was registered when fly half Adam Finlinson went over for a try. The first half continued at a frantic pace with Malton continuing to pile pressure on however just before half time a mix up in Maltons defence allowed Driffield through with a pacey finish from the Driffield back row which was converted to give the host a narrow lead at half time.

The second half started off with the same frenetic pace, but it was Driffield who were making ground, yet Malton were up to the task and the game ebbed and flowed with neither side able to convert possession into scores. Hooker Humphreys who had an excellent game with ball in hand went off injured which meant Skaife moving to back row and replaced in the second row by Jake Newsome who got stuck in right from his introduction. John Ordidge then replaced Stephenson who had another fine game at No 8. Replacing two forwards did not in any way reduce Maltons competitiveness. Driffield continued to test the Malton backs who were more than a match for them with strong tackling from Armitage, Collins and some great cover tackles from Marshall, O Shea and Tumman. Malton lost captain Collins with a leg injury and was replaced with the elder Finlinson who joined his son Adam in the backs. In the dying minutes relentless pressure from Driffield resulted in a yellow card for man of the match Knaggs so to keep eight players in the forwards young Tom Turnbull made his debut with winger Berkashe coming off. In the final play of the game Driffield converted the penalty in front of the posts to give them a five points win.

This was another spirited team performance, and this side will only get better by playing competitive fixtures like this. The next outing for the 3s is 29th January at Pocklington which will be another tough game but not beyond this team if they continue to play with the same commitment.