Driffield keeping fingers crossed

Driffield 24 Wheatley Hills 5

Driffield ended their league season with a flourish at Kellythorpe with victory over high-flying Wheatley Hills, but they may still be relegated depending on other results with teams below them having three games in hand.

Driffield again beat a higher placed side but were denied a four-try bonus point. However, the win put them ahead of Morpeth.

Driffield took the lead with a penalty from full-back Lee Birch, who was forced to leave the field with concussion midway through the first half.

The Woldsmen went further ahead after 25 minutes when scrum-half Chris Gray scored a try which replacement kicker Harvey Harding failed to convert.

Wheatley replied on the stroke of half-time when No 8 Gareth Burns touched down from a rolling maul.

Driffield dominated the second half but were restricted to three penalties from Sam Firbank before they were awarded a penalty try which Firbank converted.

Old Brodleians 27 Northern 20

Battling to avoid relegation, Northern started much the brighter and took a 20-3 lead early in the second half.

Although Brodleians had eight regulars missing, they worked their way back into the contest, two tries from Tom Hanson, converted by Tom Booth adding to Matty Hoyles’s first half penalty.

Luke Scrimshaw scampered over to put them in front for the first time but they suffered a setback when prop Dave Skinner was red carded. Joe Armitage eased any worries with their final try.

Pontefract 28 Durham City 21

Pontefract’s third win in a row puts them in a group with Driffield and Carlisle on 47 points, just one above Morpeth, who fill the third relegation spot.

Simon Spears gave Pontefract the perfect start, going over after five minutes with Andy Dean adding the first of his four conversions.

Pontefract should have been out of sight but twice they dropped passes with the line at their mercy and when Chris Planchard went over in the corner, the referee ruled it out saying he had gone into touch.

Instead, the visitors drew level but still Pontefract were on top and tries from Glen Boyd and Michael Bateman gave them a 21-7 lead.

City would not give up and managed to pull level until, in the closing stages, Nick Dykes managed to force his way to the line to clinch the win and a vital bonus point.

Old Crossleyans 81 Morpeth 0

Leigh THOMAS grabbed 31 points, including two tries and a club record 10 successful kicks as Crossleyans secured their status by hammering fellow strugglers Morpeth.

They ran in 12 tries, including one each from the Hammond brothers, Tom, Jack and Ryan.

Although Crossleyans might have expected a tough relegation scrap, they dominated throughout and put 31 points on the board by the break with tries from Manny Riaz, Thomas, Tom and Ryan Hammond.

Gareth Ott, who masterminded the win, touched down early in the second half with Thomas and Riaz grabbing their second tries before Kiwi Dan Temm charged over for two. Kevin McGill and Jack Hammond went over and captain James Wainwright finished things off in the last minute, prop Mark Palmer missing the conversion on his farewell appearance.

West Hartlepool 49 Cleckheaton 5

DEPLETED Cleckheaton were forced into six changes and it showed as West Hartlepool went on to clinch the title.

Despite a competitve first half when Cleckheaton fought gamely for parity in the forwards, West ran away with the game in the last quarter, scoring six tries only two of which were converted.

Cleckheaton’s deserved score came in the final minute when the forwards created position and the ball was moved swiftly to the wing where Martin Woodhead dived over in the corner.