AIREBOROUGH climbed back up the table in Yorkshire Division Three after an impressive 26-20 win against top of the league Harrogate Pythons on Saturday.

The epic encounter saw the Yeadon-based side bounce back from a string of defeats with an exceptional 80-minute performance, securing a well-deserved victory.

Despite a slow start to the season, and one man down to due illness, the team brought a strong game to their opponents, demonstrating skill, commitment, teamwork and above all, a burning desire to return home with that elusive win.

Man of the match Nick Holdsworth was the first to get a score on the board with a penalty.

This was followed by Jonny Mackey and Mikey Dolan setting up a fine try for scrum half Stuart Wilson, who put Aireborough up 10-0 shortly into the first half.

Thanks to three more penalties and a great individual converted try, courtesy of Holdsworth, Aireborough went into half-time 26-8 up.

Despite the opposition scoring 12 more points in the second half, Aireborough played strong defence throughout, and finished 26-20 up as the final whistle blew.

Harrogate Pythons, who went into the game expecting their tenth win in a row, were gracious in their defeat and complimented the team for bringing a fantastic challenge to the table.

Aireborough's head coach Si Davies said: “There were many outstanding performances in today’s game and I am extremely proud of each player.

“However, Mikey Dolan, who is new to senior rugby, deserves recognition for his immense performance playing out of position, as does Ollie Catherall for his overall control of the game, and Christopher Chapman, who led the pack well and tackled everything that came before him.”

The win moves Aireborough off the bottom of the table as they head into this Saturday's game against Sheffield Medics at Nunroyd Park.

Kick-off is at 2.15pm.