OTLEY’S second-half revival was not enough to win their National League Two North match at Chester, but the 22-19 defeat did bring them their first losing bonus point of the season.

However, had the match continued for another ten minutes, the visitors may have come away from Hare Lane with more than a point.

The opening 30 minutes suggested that it was a comfortable afternoon for the hosts as they stormed into a 22-0 lead.

Otley had their moments and, while their set-pieces were good, they found it difficult to get into Chester’s 22.

After three minutes, flanker Kyle Joseph crossed over in the right- hand corner, with James Robins converting.

Hooker Alick Croft then crawled over after 17 minutes before former Otley and Bees No 8 Guy Ford added a third just before the half-hour.

Robins only converted the second of those tries, but added a penalty after 35 minutes to extend Chester’s lead.

Otley came back straight away and, having made the home 22 for the second time, were awarded a penalty just inside it.

Rather than go for the posts, a quick tap set up Henry Roberts, who ran to the line through an unprepared Chester defence, with Joe Rowntree adding the extras.

Otley put Chester under a lot of pressure at the start of the second half, and with seven minutes gone, Henry Watson dived over to score after another well-executed tap penalty.

The visitors continued to harry, but their keenness meant that they held onto the ball too long for the referee’s liking and lost momentum.

However, their persistence paid off when, after some very flat passes, down the right flank from halfway, Jack Scott-Paul crashed over with four minutes to go, but, although Otley still had the upper hand, they ran out of time and had to settle for that losing bonus point.