Leeds Tykes kicking themselves as Harrogate withstand fightback

Full-back Andrew Lawson got the Yorkshire side off to a great start with two tries in the first four minutes, but neither were converted and the Cheshire side soon opened their account.

Second-row Tom Sanders crashed over on eight minutes and Ben Jones converted, and when No 8 Josiah Dickinson touched down on the half hour Mark Jones again added on the extras to put Caldy 14-10 ahead.

Leeds narrowed the gap to one point on 39 minutes with centre Charlie Venables kicking a penalty, and when replacement Connor Lloyd scored the Tykes’ third try on 45 minutes they were 18-14 ahead.

However, that lead lasted just five minutes with prop John Parker going over on 50 minutes to make it 19-18, and when replacement Nick Royle added their fourth try on 64 minutes, Jones converting, the Cheshire side were 26-18 up.

Lawson completed his hat-trick on 73 minutes to close the gap to 26-23, but again the conversion was missed.

Royle added his second for Caldy on 75 minutes to leave Leeds shy of a losing bonus point, but when winger Harry Jukes went over on 79 minutes they closed to 31-28 to ensure they left with two points.

But the poor kicking performance and five missed conversions proved the difference between the two sides and was Leeds’s downfall.

Leading 33-5 shortly before the break, Harrogate survived a second-half fightback from hosts Tynedale to record a 38-31 away win in National Two (North).

Left-winger Will Yates and right winger Harry Barnard both dashed in for early tries, scrum-half Kit Keith converting both for a 14-0 lead with just five minutes on the clock.

Tynedale pulled one back, but the Yorkshire side continued to find ways through the home defence and hooker Steven Maycock, second row Fraser Kitching and Yates again added further tries, with Keith converting two to put the scoreboard on 33-5. But the North East outfit weren’t finished yet.

Winger Seamus Hutton and wing forward Robert Stanwix both had tries converted by Cameron Grant to close the gap to 33-19.

No 8 Declan Thompson’s 51st-minute try put Harrogate 40-19 ahead, but Tynedale dominated the final 30 minutes.

Replacements Adam Moloney and Joe Mills both crashed over, Grant converting one, to make it 38-31 and ensure Tynedale took a losing bonus point as well as another for scoring four tries.

Hull continued their push up the table with a 41-8 win over Wharfedale, thanks largely to a second-half purple patch.

Ben Boothman and Ryan Hamilton traded early tries, and Will Hall scored Hull’s second to put them 10-8 ahead at half time.

But after the break Mike Adlard scored twice, with other coming from Steve Johnson, Keane Naylor and Loma Kivalu to seal the win.

Hull Ionians also secured a big win, the East Yorkshire side beating Blaydon 51-19.

They ran in nine tries on their way to victory, with hooker Ben Stephenson, prop Josh Thundercliffe and full-back Jack Townend claiming two each, while others came from replacement Ben Bell, centre Josh Britton and winger Nathan Hill.

Huddersfield lost out narrowly at Loughborough Students, 33-29, and remain second from bottom with just one win to their name.

Tries came from hooker Liam Stapley, winger Kian Stewart and No 8 Lewis Bradley, but it wasn’t enough.

Right-winger Robert Davidson and replacement Connor Scott scored tries for Sheffield Tigers, but they proved consolations as they went down 43-12 at home against high-flying Fylde.