York 23 Yarnbury 21

GEORGE Oldridge’s audacious long-range penalty attempt came within inches of snatching an unexpected last-gasp win for Yarnbury.

The narrow margin between success and failure was further illustrated when the visitors discovered that North Ribblesdale had beaten Hullensians 15-5 to push them back to the bottom of Yorkshire One.

Yarnbury were depleted for this fixture, without several forwards and Kieran Davies at stand-off and centre Connor Moreton.

They also lost influential back row Joe Bennett on the day so drafted in John Dodgson off the bench as prop and switched second row Ian Maycock to the back row, bringing James Falgate in to replace him.

With Oldridge at fly half, Tom O’Brien on the wing and Jarrod Huss in the centre, the line-up had an unfamiliar look against an in-form York side pushing for second spot.

Yarnbury were up against it after ten minutes when York attacked down the slope after a poor clearance kick, right wing Will Atkin scoring in the corner after an overlap.

A penalty under the posts for over-enthusiasm in the ruck meant the visitors were already eight points down.

But Gary Walker’s idea to start his big guns in the scrummage paid off as York were forced back up the slope as the Horsforth side gained the initiative.

Full back Will Marshall stroked a close-in penalty after York were deemed offside and then a one-handed interception by stand-off Oldridge saw him run 40 metres and pass to supporting winger Jack Brown to touch down on the right, Marshall putting Yarnbury in front with the conversion.

With captain Jimmy Cryan – back on as a substitute for the injured Huss – making his presence felt at inside centre after a long injury, Yarnbury were on top against a bemused York side.

Second rows Pete Kernick, James Falgate and Ian Maycock made some great runs before hooker Harry Mincella broke the line and fed Brown, who outstripped the cover to score an unconverted try and give Yarnbury a deserved 15-8 interval lead.

Yarnbury went further ahead after the break with a Marshall penalty after early forward pressure.

But York, to their credit, stormed back with a second try for Atkin.

They then took the lead when substitute back row Dan Coe slipped through strong tackling to ground the ball on the line for another York score. George Davies converted to put the hosts 20-18 ahead.

Davies pushed York further in front with a penalty from a rare attack. Yarnbury were still pushing for the win and closed the gap with a penalty from Marshall.

The impressive Maycock and York centre Tom Newitt both limped off in the final quarter before Oldridge’s final-minute penalty attempt from the halfway line dropped onto the post just below the crossbar.

Nevertheless, this was an excellent effort from the Horsforth side and will give them confidence for Saturday’s clash at home to leaders Bridlington.