8:54am Tuesday 9th February 2010
SHAKING off poor form, New Earswick All Blacks ARLFC ‘A’-team advanced to the Pennine League Supplementary Cup quarter-finals.
The hosts saw off White Rose Avenue visitors Queensbury ‘A’, and though it was a far from vintage performance from the home side they did enough to see out the triumph.
Confidence has been lacking within the New Earswick team and that continued to show against opposition who had not played for the last eight weeks.
However, New Earswick coaches Carl Pallister and Dave Carling were pleased by a much improved defensive display.
Danny Battle scored the first try bursting through on an angled run to take a superb pass from stand-off Pallister.
Loose forward Dan Fairclough added the goal.
Queensbury ‘A’ took the next try but failed to convert and the hosts led 6-4 at half-time.
Early in the second half, All Blacks full-back Declan Malarkey crossed for an unconverted try only for Queensbury to reply in kind.
Boasting only a slender two-point advantage, a lack of confidence with ball in hand made for a lot of errors until Fairclough scored an unconverted try.
At last, this had the effect of lifting the team who started to play some solid rugby.
Jack Carling put in a kick along the ground, then outpaced the Queensbury defence, followed up to kick the ball on again and score a well-deserved try.
Fairclough added the conversion to seal the 20-8 conquest.
Prop Ben Fairburn put in another powerful display in the forwards, as did fellow youngster Dean Layton, but it was scrum-half Dan Elliott who took the man-of-the-match award.
Meanwhile, there was also an impressive cup success for York Acorn ‘A’.
The Blue and Golds’ second-string toppled hosts Upton 18-0 to advance to the third round of the ACE Insurance Barla National Cup.
Selby Warriors were without a game after their scheduled Andrew Bennett Memorial Trophy tie against Dudley Hill ‘A’ was postponed.
However, the Warriors’ ‘A’-ranks lost 26-22 at home to Clayton ‘A’ in division seven of the Pennine League.
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