YMCA win again but could soon pay the penalty

IT is becoming increasingly apparent that YMCA are in greater danger from their own indiscipline than they are from any Yorkshire I opponent.

Yet again the penalty count was so heavily against YM, that either the the whole refereeing panel having taken out a moratorium on the club, or perhaps their knowledge of rules, and/or basic exuberance needs some urgent attention.

Time and time again, attacking opportunties were stymied by either penalties against them, or dropping a whole clutch of passes which cost them dearly, or merely by hanging on to the ball when the poor wingers were crying out for a worthwhile pass.

Dave Holmes made a try-saving tackle as early as the second minute, when Sandal's winger Simon Frewin showed excellent pace down the touchline, while YM's best efforts were grounded by two dropped passes with gaps there for the taking.

Midway through the half, the visitors showed YM how it should be done, by straightforward passing down the line leaving Frewin a simple run-in at the corner.

Fortunately, the score stung YM into life, and within a minute they were in front, when the ball went through several pairs of hands to flying full-back David Rees to race in for his 10th try of the season, and Holmes struck a brilliant conversion from the touchline.

Rees then quickly turned try-saver as Frewin again threatened down the flank before Sandal scrum half Max Whittingham knocked over a penalty to put the Wakefield side back in front.

Second rower Luke Hannan, who took a lot of line-out ball - plucking off several Sandal throws too - set off on a run, but unfortunately passed straight to the opposition, a not uncommon occurence, which perhaps could be explained by the similarity in strips.

Rees continued to be YM's most lethal attacking force, and it was he, who was again on hand when No8 Mark Eastwood blazed through inside the 22 and off-loaded to the full-back to score his second, this time going behind the sticks to give Holmes an easy conversion.

The Laund Hill forwards, who have on occasions struggled this season, began to take the game to Sandal, who having lost prop Sam Tee in the first half, then also lost his partner, Johnny Dix, in the second, leaving referee Stuart Clayton to award uncontested scrum - a ridiculous ruling, which completely nullified YM's domination at the set-piece and allowed Sandal to stay in the game.

A mixture of dropped passes, forward passes and no passes at all hampered YM's second half progress, until finally Holmes put the game beyond doubt when he scored in the left corner, after a good break and defensive-splitting pass from James Bracken.

The winger was unable to add the extras this time, and he finished in the wars after a violent clash of heads with teammate Steve Anderson left him with a badly gashed scalp, while the wing forward needed stitches to a head wound which must make both men doubtful for next week's EDF Vase fourth round tie with Hoylake at Laund Hill.