YORK Groves gave a never-say-die display of pure grit against unbeaten Pennine League division four leaders Newsome Panthers before losing 38-12 at Oaklands.

The Terriers have suffered through injuries and work commitments over recent weeks and Saturday's game was no different with Groves only able to field the bare 13 players, including player-coach Simon Moat, who was not 100 per cent fit.

However, the team were never overawed or particularly outplayed despite the scoreline, with man of the match Ben Rule, Steve Whattam, John Thompson and Jimmy Owene particularly impressive.

The Terriers' tenacity held the Panthers at bay for 20 minutes before the visitors went ahead with a disputed penalty. Gradually, Groves' non-stop tackling took its toll and Panthers went 12-0 ahead before scrum-half Thompson kicked a deserved goal for the hosts.

Thompson had to go off with a head cut, leaving Groves with 12 men for much of the game, but they fought on and Rule scored a fine solo try.

Not holding the ball was Groves' downfall throughout, however, and constant tackling wore them down for the visitors to add further scores to make it 22-6 just after the hour mark.

John Rushworth hit back with a fine try, converted from the touchline by Paul Watson, and although more gritty tackling kept the visitors at bay for long periods, the Panthers did add to their tally.

Updated: 11:07 Monday, November 04, 2002