Game won before kick off.

Yorkshire One table toppers Heath RUFC under 17’s fought hard in unforgiving weather conditions to once again prove their worth to the rest of the league. Having made the lengthy journey down from Middlesbrough, the opposition fielded a side mainly consisting of under 18’s players; Middlesbrough failed to raise a team with enough under 17’s to make the fixture legitimate, resulting in Heath being awarded a 25 - 0 victory before the game had even started. However, with Middlesbrough fielding an older, and arguably stronger side, Heath knew that a strong performance in challenging conditions was still required. Aware of the importance to guard against complacency, the home side appeared to have adhered to coach Hetherington’s pre match advice; within just 5 minutes a precisely aimed chip from fly half and captain for the day Ezra Hinchliffe bounced perfectly for winger Sam Talbot, whose clinical finish racked up his first points in Heath colours. Hinchliffe’s following conversion sent Heath to a 7-0 lead, and shortly after the restart Heath were on the attack again, this time Ben Coney-Critchley showing his raw pace around the outside, slipping his way through numerous flailing Middlesbrough tackles to dive over the whitewash. 12-0 up, Heath continued to attack with flare and strength, and quick ball out into the backs found its way to Luke Matthews, who picked a perfect line to power his way through Middlesbrough’s last defence and over to score. Hinchliffe was once again unlucky with the conversion, however Heath were relentless in continuing their purge on the Middlesbrough line, Matthews bettering his first score with an unstoppable break, running hard onto a crash ball to break Middlesbrough’s initial tackles, before a drastic final change of direction left the opposition fullback for dead. With Hinchliffe converting, Heath led 24-0, and it wasn’t long before they once again added to their point tally, Talbot hacking the ball forward down the wing and pouncing for another opportunist try. Conversion successful, Heath’s 31 point lead looked unassailable. Nevertheless, Middlesbrough fought their way back into the game, proving their strength and skill in the tackle on several occasions, warranting a try at the end of the first half which left the score 31-7 at the break. Despite making changes at the break, Heath resumed their attacking rhythm immediately, and were rewarded with yet another score from Matthews, sniping over the line from close range to earn a hatrick which encapsulated his man of the match performance. Middlesbrough, however, refused to give in, and battled hard to win territory and possession. The away side ran in three unanswered tries throughout a purple period of play, and it took a strong effort from the Heath side to keep their lead intact; notable efforts in the tackle from hooker Brad Davies, and flanker Jonathan Porritt were vital in ensuring Heath edged to a 36-28 victory. With a healthy lead at the top of Yorkshire One, Heath head into the lengthy Christmas break in pole position to continue their title challenge.