WITH less than 15 minutes to go, it looked as if Yarnbury’s smash-and-grab raid would propel them into the final of the Papa Johns Community Cup North Plate final.

The Horsforth-based club were leading their Counties Two Yorkshire rivals Ripon, who had finished the league season level on 59 points in sixth and fifth, 8-5.

A try by full back, former Old Grovian Max Kennedy, and a penalty by fly half Max Lee somehow had Yarnbury ahead in front of a healthy crowd of around 200 as Ripon had only scored a try by centre Will Barrett.

The prospect of playing Wath (who finished fourth in Counties Two Yorkshire, 24 points ahead) in the final at Darlington Mowden Park on Coronation Day was looming ever closer as Ripon continued to mess up scrums, line-outs and pots at goal amid a more than occasional knock-on.

It seemed as if Ripon would never score but finally winger Tom Graham went over in the 67th minute, followed by a penalty by fly half Ollie Williams six minutes later, which meant that the right result was achieved for the visitors’ dominance.

Yarnbury’s head coach Steve Lee said: “It wasn’t a close second half with all the territory and possession that they had, but it was a one-score game and we didn’t have any chance to win it in the end.

“Fair play to Ripon. They controlled possession, controlled the game for large parts and made it very, very difficult for us to exit but leading 8-5 at half-time we had gained a bit of control in the last 20 minutes of the first half and started to apply a bit of pressure.

“But unfortunately we couldn’t get a foothold in the second half.”

Lee added: “Our game-plan was to be attack off the top of the line-out, attack them down the middle and then try and find the edge but their defence was pretty solid so we never really got any quick ball or strung a lot of phases together.

“I looked at the clock and there were 12 minutes to go and we were still 8-5 ahead and I thought ‘Their goal-kicker is making this rather interesting’ but by the weight of chances for them I have no complaints.”

Yarnbury second row Oliver Payton had to leave the pitch in the second half for a prior engagement, and Lee said: “There was no issue with that as we had seven on the bench.

“We did bring on four or five colts before the end and they gave a good account of themselves, while colt Mason Baker, who started in the centre, was making his 15th first XV appearance this season and will therefore get a club tie.

“Also Sam Yewdall came on for the last 10 or 15 minutes and gave a good account of himself, and the colts have their Yorkshire Plate final next Sunday against Harrogate at West Park Leeds.”

As for the Papa Johns, Lee said: “We have played at home and we have travelled but we have embraced the competition.”