Hull took the points as 13-11 victors, but York earned the plaudits despite the Humberside club's win in this Yorkshire One league contest at Haworth Park.

It was a robust encounter as Hull have a pacy and physical pack supported by powerful outsides directed by coach Gary Pearce, who used to be with rugby league outfit York Wasps.

It was no surprise that the hosts gave every appearance of justifying their position as League leaders.

However, York countered every attack and ended up putting Hull so much on to the back foot that is was one of those occasions when a side might claim that it should, rather than could, have won.

That York didn't enjoy victory could be laid at the door of Lady Luck, the referee and their own inability to convert opportunity into reward.

The opening exchanges were fairly even, but York took the lead within ten minutes when Mike Ford kicked a penalty goal.

But, within a couple of minutes, York conceded an offside penalty to allow Pearce to equalise.

The pace, urgency and strength of the Hull attacks were forbidding with number 8 Jim Nicholson and New Zealand centre Brad Hepi to the fore.

However, York managed to resist the seeming irresistible force by determined defence and committed support.

A chance for the lead came after 15 minutes but Ford could not convert a penalty award. Then, York centre, Stu Davies, charged down a Pearce kick and booted for the line but the dead ball line arrived too soon.

Hull responded in force with a series of forward drives at the York line and finally hooker, Adam Atkinson, a mighty force throughout, broke through for the touchdown which Pearce converted to give Hull a 10-3 lead.

York narrowed the gap when scrum half, James Arkle, was punched by his opposite number and Ford added the penalty.

A try for York appeared likely when Andy Kay broke from the scrum and fed Lee Denham, but Hull had the pace to regroup.

After the interval, the hosts Hull set out to control the game by sheer forward power and their domination earned them a further Pearce penalty goal.

The prospects for York appeared tough as their lineout was not functioning well but, as the final quarter approached, York's grit began to show through and Hull felt the anxieties of pressure.

This led to a dropped ball which Ford gathered to take York into the Hull half. New recruit Billy Cakadnitabda on the wing showed pace and power first on his own and then, when Kay and Denham combined to send him on a lengthy run.

With ten minutes left York got their reward as they ran a penalty down the left and the ball was recycled to the right where York's man of the match, Kay, picked up a messy pass to cross the Hull line. Unfortunately, Ford could not add the conversion.

Despite losing fly-half, Crag Ventress, to the sin-bin for over-advising the referee, York kept up the pressure and appeared to have secured victory right on full time.

From a five-metre scrum Denham fed Cakadnitabda who touched down in the corner only to find the referee had, somewhat controversially, adjudged the pass forward.

In injury time, a final York flourish saw York spin the ball out only to find their centres mown down from what looked like an offside position but the referee made the award to Hull and Pearce cleared to the safety of the final whistle.

York now know that they can play as well as any side in the league and need to demonstrate their ability and conviction when they play lesser opposition.

Hull now lead the league with 19 points from 11 games, while York, in seventh spot, have nine points from the same amount of matches.

Old Brodeians won 23-13 at Pontefract.

Updated: 11:32 Monday, December 31, 2001