Derwent overcome UYRUFC 3rds

 

 

 University of York 3rd XV succumbed to a harrowing 13-5 defeat against Derwent on a foggy 22 acres, leaving the college side overjoyed.

Individual tries from Charlie Clark and Oliver Wessely gifted the Derwent the win, however a late try from Manuel Sarmento had the game in the balance until the final whistle.

The foggy forecast added a mystic backdrop to a match which posed a lot of intrigue to the spectator. The well-drilled University side, playing on their home pitch, were up against a close knit Derwent side, who were followed by their vociferous sideline support.

Jacob Deppe got the proceedings underway, however most of the opening phases were to be played in his own University half.

Derwent put their possession into points early on with a well-struck penalty from fly half Wessely to give the Blues an early lead in the match.

UYRUFC 3rd team were penned back in their own half again from the restart. A self-believing Derwent side were beginning to string together their rehearsed moves to great effect.

This pressure was to show as Deppe’s clearance kick found Derwent’s Charlie Clark. The speedy winger beat his opposite man before evading the claws of the University pack to score in the corner. Wessely couldn’t intersect the uprights this time; with 25 minutes gone the score was 8-0.

The introduction of prop’s Fifi and Rishi Naidoo as well as Jordan Abbott added extra ballast to the University attack. Through a host of crash balls and well-positioned kicks UYRUFC 3rds found themselves on Derwent’s 5 metre line. However, they could not break the well- marshalled Derwent defence, tackles in particular from Dominic Munns kept the score at 8-0 going into half time.

The physical encounter was taking its toll on both sides, Abbott feeling the full force of a Tolga Necar tackle had to be sidelined, before the Derwent Captain Necar pulled up with a knee injury of his own.

Cometh the hour mark in the match, the game was to witness a try out of nowhere. Derwent’s Ollie Wessely fended off his tackler to split the University midfield with a decisive run. Thirty metres out still, the Derwent fly half, to the astonishment of most of the crowd, jinxed to the line, stepping a number of University players to clear his path and go over for his first try of the season. His resulting conversion though was blasted wide, but at 13-0 to the good his side had taken a step towards a final victory.

UYRUFC rallied and were to get a try of their own. Numerous phases lead to winger Manuel Sarmento touching the ball over the Derwent try line. Deppe missed the following conversion and Derwent were able to hold out for the final minutes to record a defining victory.

Derwent Captain Necar, who has overseen Derwent’s unbeaten start to the season, was absolutely ecstatic with the result.

‘I’m so proud of the way the boys are playing right now. It was a quality show all round’