Pocklington came from behind to beat North Ribblesdale 12-8 and preserve their unbeaten Yorkshire Two record.

It was always going to be a battle between the big Ribblesdale pack, who pummelled the hosts in the first half, and the pacey Pock backs, and the constant rain, plus a whistle-happy official, played into the visitors' hands.

Pocklington, though, went ahead inside two minutes as they twice took play wide before fly-half Henry Mitchell cut a diagonal and his long pass saw wing Tim Nixon go outside the cover.

However, Ribblesdale's ten man rugby soon saw then pound the home line. They had four lineouts or scrums five yards out which Pock repulsed, but eventually the pressure told as they crashed over from close range.

Man of the match centre Guy Hope made vital interventions to keep Pock afloat, but the hosts remained on the back foot as their lineout was below-par and they conceded penalties in the loose.

Their defence, though, kept Ribblesdale at bay until they took the lead with a drop goal with the last kick of the half.

Pock's pack won more ball in the second period and the scrum and lineout improved, while Ribblesdale began to give away penalties. The hosts continued to go wide, and after Charlie Allen sliced through, Mitchell dummied to the line but was held short.

Pock were then unlucky not to go ahead when a professional foul from an offside prevented a try, the miscreant being sin-binned. But, with ten minutes left, scrum-half Graham Pickering squeezed through a two-foot gap on the blind side of a ruck 30 yards out and sent full-back Allen clear, Mitchell converting.

It was end-to-end stuff late on, and Pock, after seeing Hope sin-binned for the bulk of the 11 stoppage-time minutes for trying to steal the ball in the tackle, held firm up front against late pressure.

Updated: 10:26 Monday, October 10, 2005