IT was the sweet taste of victory that was supped in the Cross Green clubhouse after the Tigers finally ended a run of five games without victory against Otley with a mature performance in which every player used played either at or close to their best.

OTLEY                          14

SEDGLEY PARK           25 

National League Division One  

FROM the second minute, when hooker Jonny Roddam crashed over for the opening try of the game, the Tigers never looked like losing, beating the Yorkshiremen at the sixth time of asking to claim this particular battle in rugby’s ‘Wars of the Roses.’

From a penalty on the Otley 10-metre line, Phil Jones kicked for touch and the Tigers won call-ball at the resulting lineout 15 metres from the Otley line; a simple catch-and-drive followed and was rewarded with a lightening fast touchdown, with Roddam claiming the glory to give the Tigers a 0-5 lead.

With their kicking game having suffered recently, the task of gaining the Tigers field position was switched for the most part to Matt Riley at fullback and former Otley wing, Chris Hall, and overall they were very effective, with Riley in particular gaining valuable yards.

The home side pulled three points back on seven minutes when outside centre Chris Briers threw in a high tackle on opposite number Kyle Dench on his own 22 and Jon Benson, on-loan from Doncaster Knights, kicked the penalty to make it 3-5.

Having been out-muscled by Exeter the previous week, the Tigers looked determined to win the physical battle and were much more ruthless, particularly in the tackle, although it was to result in three yellow cards.

Within seconds of the restart Craig almost went over by the right corner flag before play was swiftly moved back down towards the Tigers’ goal line.

The first of those yellow cards arrived on 12 minutes when Riley took out an Otley player, again on his own 22, and was duly dispatched to the sideline, while Benson stepped up to kick the three-pointer to put the home side in the lead on 13 minutes.

Yet despite being a man down the Tigers regained the lead with a second try four minutes. They moved the ball left to right where Phil Jones’ superbly timed pass inside to Briers sent the centre on his way to the line to give the Tigers a 6-10 lead. Before the Tigers could return to full strength a third penalty on 24 minutes was easily slotted over by Benson to narrow the gap to one point.  

On the half-hour it was back down to 14 again after Ian Voortman’s tackle was adjudged high and at first it looked like referee Mr. Martin Fox had brandished a red card, but fortunately it was only yellow and the Tigers had to battle with a man less for the remainder of the half.

It took the home side just two minutes to make the most of the advantage and following a rolling maul Number 8 Matt Stockdale popped up as the extra man to claim the touchdown. Benson’s conversion attempt then bounced back infield of an upright but Otley nevertheless led 14-10.

That confidence that has started to shine through the Tigers’ ranks recently was again evident when they grabbed the lead going into the break. Intense pressure from the 14 Tigers ended with Phil Jones launching a high kick which an Otley player dropped. Briers pounced on the loose ball to hack downfield and managed to grab the bouncing ball and sprint for the posts. Showing good awareness he off-loaded in the tackle 10 metres short of the line to Phil Jones, and the fly-half skipped over to make it 14-15 to Sedgley at the turnaround.

The Tigers are no longer a pushover away from home and again they gave as good as they got at the start of the second half, as the Yorkshiremen returned to the fray all fired up. Despite being on the back foot and having to concentrate of defence, Sedgley continued to look organised, and determined, with Riley’s huge relieving kicks becoming more and more a factor. From one of these huge kicks play was forced down towards the Otley 22 and this time it was a home player who incurred Mr. Fox’s wrath and the home side were reduced to 14 men when Dench was yellow-carded, giving Jones the opportunity to bang over a 25-metre penalty to extend the Tigers lead to 14-18.

Otley were still intent on turning things around and drove straight back and on 64 minutes the Tigers picked up their third yellow of the afternoon with Ben Lloyd, the second row on loan from Sale Sharks receiving his marching orders and for a brief period it was 14-men apiece. Although they spent long periods in the Sedgley half Otley were unable to turn pressure into points, due mainly to a well drilled and effective defence.

Seizing on another opportunity Briers again thumped another loose ball downfield before gaining possession and passing inside to Chris Hall who raced in between the posts. With Jones supplying the conversion it pushed the score to 14-25 to the Tigers.

Wave after wave of Otley attacks subjected the visitor’s defence to severe scrutiny, but they managed to shut Otley out in a second half performance characterised by grit, determination and an eye for an opportunity.

A sixth win of the campaign – the second away from Park Lane – pushes the Tigers further and further away from the relegation dog-fight and closer and a closer to mid-table respectability, something that could only have been dreamed of back in October after nine straight defeats. 

OTLEY: Shuttleworth, Phillips, Dench, Whatmuff, Smith, Benson, Chivers (Brown 70), Turner, Sayers (Steele 57), Fear (Livesey 75), Tomes, Tiffany, Bland, Hyde, Stockdale (Irwin 52). Replacements not used: Back, Monks and Andre. Tries: Stockdale (31). Penalties: Benson 3. Yellow cards: Dench (56). 

SEDGLEY PARK: Riley, Hall, Briers, Voortman, Craig, P. Jones, J. Albinson (Leck 58), Evans (Roberts 68), Roddam (M. Jones 58), Du Plessis (Gazzola 79), Fourie, Norris (Lloyd 53), Newton (Jope 79), Ponton, Skurr. Replacements not used: T. Albinson. Tries: Roddam (2), Briers (16), P. Jones (38) and Hall (69). Conversions: P. Jones 1. Penalties: P. Jones 1. Yellow cards: Riley (13), Voortman (30) and Lloyd (63).