Alnwick 28 – 3 Driffield : Saturday, 16 November 2024

The 1st and 2nd XVs made the 320 mile round-trip to Alnwick.

Alnwick had not had the best start to the league season and sat second from bottom in the table with one win and one draw from the opening eight games.  They picked up a losing bonus point the previous weekend away at league leaders Scunthorpe, showing how competitive the league is this season and that Alnwick are no push overs.

Greenfield has not been a happy hunting ground for Driffield over the years.  Since 1995 they have played there 12 times, and only won on two of them.

Alnwick kicked off, and early exchanges were even, with Alnwick perhaps just having the edge.  This paid off after fifteen minutes when they made good ground following a penalty which took them into the Driffield 22.  A further infringement gave them another penalty which was kicked to touch to the left.

The lineout was won, but the catch-and-drive was going nowhere, so the ball was quickly made available and spun right for the centre to crash through and score to the left of the posts.  The conversion was good.  A 7 – 0 D

Driffield returned straight to the attack from the kick-off, and a high tackle ten out, and in front of the sticks, gave Murray a straightforward penalty shot, converted.  A 7 – 3 D

Now it was Alnwick’s turn to attack, earning them a penalty which was kicked to touch on the left, five out.  They won the ball, and brave defence meant that they were held up over the line.

For the rest of the half, Alnwick had most of the possession and territory, and Driffield’s role was to defend, defend, defend.  With 30 gone, they were camped in Driffield’s 22.

Just five minutes later, the Alnwick 10 broke from 30 out, slipping tackles to score left of sticks. Converted.  A 14 – 3 D

With just three minutes left in the half, Alnwick crossed the whitewash once again, but lost the ball forward in the attempt, to the relief of the travelling support.

Driffield attacked as the half time whistle beckoned, but were unable to break through the solid defence.

Driffield kicked off the second half, and started well with a 30 yard break by Rix, perhaps the only bright moment from the game so far.  He shipped the ball left when tackled and, with two on two, a try looked possible but the final pass was forward.

Alnwick responded straight away, and another try was only spoiled by a knock-on five out.  Driffield cleared their lines, but well-placed kicks by Alnwick kept them pinned back in their own half time after time.  Driffield seemed reluctant to keep the ball in hand, repeatedly kicking the ball straight to Alnwick defenders who just returned the compliment.

By now the faltering Driffield line-out got worse, with rarely a clean ball taken, making penalty kicks to touch an opportunity for scrappy ball, or to lose it.  Against this background, travelling supporters wondered why the tap-and-go option didn’t seem to occur to anyone.

The next facet of Driffield play to come under scrutiny was the tight, when Alnwick shoved Driffield off their own ball, allowing good pressure. Not long after, their 13 wriggled through to score under sticks, converted.  A 21 – 3 D

With twenty gone in the half, there was a moment of hope for Driffield when they mounted a rolling maul that made over twenty yards.  When it was finally halted, the ball was spun left, and the Alnwick winger was given ten in the bin for a slap-down interception.

Alnwick dug in, repelled the attack and ground their way up the park.  Now it was Alnwick’s turn for a rolling maul, followed by a penalty.  Another rolling maul took them to the Driffield line, where Furbank was shown yellow.

The injured Pettinger returned to the field to make up the front row for the scrum option and the resulting Alnwick drive ended up held up over the line again.

Alnwick camped on the Driffield line for the next 10 minutes, and only brave defence kept them out.  But finally the pressure told and a penalty was given away, kicked to touch five out on the left.  The catch-and-drive was stopped, but the ball was quickly made available and spun right for the bonus point try, converted.  A 28 – 3 D

The final whistle went a minute later, to the joy of the home supporters who were able to forget that Alnwick could have had a further four tries.

The only crumb of comfort for the travelling support was that the 2nd XV won 30-35 on the adjoining pitch.

The result means that Alnwick remain in eleventh, while Driffield drop to seventh and next play Heath play in two weeks.

At Kelleythorpe, the 3rd XV won 46-26 against Barton, and the 4th XV lost 21-59 against Beverley 2nd XV.

 

 

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