YORK RUFC paid a perfect tribute to former honorary secretary Brian McClure after a 10-8 victory against Middlesbrough saw them reach their first Yorkshire Cup final.
Graham Steadman’s side had, on paper, been expected to win comfortably against their Regional 2 North opponents, however injuries and unavailability left them without 26 players and the fixture’s result unpredictable.
York’s back line took on a new look with Shane Goulding and Henry Du Bouley slotting in from the back row and Zac Burlingham taking the reins at stand-off. Jonty Atkinson debuted at full-back whilst a new back row of Louie Hare, Chris Hardie and Jordan Layne completed the forward line up with a familiar looking front five.
A minute’s silence preceded the match in honour of McClure, who tragically passed away earlier this month.
Middlesbrough kicked off against the wind, initiating a first half in which the visitors’ urgency and appetite were palpable.
They retained possession and territory for the majority of the half, with their forwards recycling well, Burlingham looking comfortable at stand-off, and Hardie and Layne, both eager to carry the ball up, were prominent.
York’s pressure though was met by a tenacious Middlesbrough defence, who tackled pretty much everything thrown at them.
Despite Burlingham missing an early penalty, York kept up the hunt and took the lead on the quarter-hour when Sam Croft crossed unopposed underneath the posts after some good approach play by the forwards. Burlingham converted.
10 minutes passed before the visitors carved out their next chance after good pressure on the Middlesbrough throw secured them back possession on the right.
Building on forward carries in the channels, the ball was released out wide, but though it was carried over in a melee on the line, the referee was well-positioned to disallow what had seemed a second try for double movement.
York, increasingly frustrated in their attempts to secure their second score, displayed a lack of composure, and coupled with Middlesbrough’s appetite for tackling, it started to create unforced errors that allowed their opponents back into the game.
A brief spell in the York half and some hard work by the Middlesbrough pack gave them the opportunity to pull the scoreline back to 7-3 at half time.
The second half was a fraught and frustrating affair, and with both sides making a lot of errors that prevented the flow of the game, much of the play came in the middle third of the field.
Knock out rugby added its own pressure, but both sides had their opportunities to win the game.
York squandered a glorious opportunity from a lineout five metres from the Middlesbrough line, and after Croft secured the ball, they set the driving maul and were over the whitewash but somehow couldn’t get the ball down.
The hosts instead nudged themselves ahead for the first time when Matthew Marsay came into the line and threw a subtle dummy to break his way through. Once behind the tacklers, Middlesbrough straightened up nicely and combined well down the left-hand side to score from 70 meters out.
Ste Jones couldn't convert, with the narrow 8-7 scoreline setting up a grandstand finish.
York fought their way back into the match, but unforced errors and some questionable options impeded their progress.
Eventually they won a penalty 30 metres out, and opting to go for goal, Burlingham teed up the ball, composed himself and waited for the wind to drop before slotting it neatly between the uprights to take the score to 10-8.
Frustrations increased, particularly for Jones who was shown a yellow card for swearing at the referee.
York opted for the scrum five metres out, but though a try seemed inevitable, a loss of control at the base resulted in a knock-on as they crossed the line.
Middlesbrough had their own chance to settle the match in the dying minutes, but the visiting defence created enough pressure to force an error and a penalty, which, with time up, Burlingham casually kicked over his dead ball line to end the game.
