Another lovely day at Grange Park welcomed a top of the table, Goole, with an easterly wind gently breezing across the turf the conditions couldn’t be better for flowing rugby. It was even noted that the meat raffle prize was the best yet with extra thick sausages – surely another motivation to get the W and back into the clubhouse sharpish!

The visitors kicked off from right to left, with wind behind and started the brightest, quickly putting pressure on the Wetherby defence. With an early penalty they punted the ball in to the Weth 22 and there they camped for about 15 phases of forwards pressure. But Wetherby were seemingly up to the challenge and managed to engineer a turnover and clearance that relieved the initial pressure. The first 13 minutes were a mix of Goole forward pressure and Weth giving away penalties although many on the sidelines were left wondering if the RFU had yet again changed the laws and knock-ons were no longer infringements (for the away side at least). But despite the red and white hoops best efforts they weren’t going to keep Goole out and eventually succumbed to a converted try.
0-7.

The early stages of the game were littered with errors and it was questioned if the players had indeed got fat sausages for fingers today as the backs fumbled seemingly straight forward passes. Although you can’t keep the class down that is Jack Kaye who was often able to make some impressive runs and gain much needed yards. And with Goole using the wind to launch some very good territory kicks, Sam Little was equal to them and returned with interest. But despite the best efforts of Hoather, Mason and Woodworth, the Goole forwards found a way through and Weth were left looking at a 0-14 scoreboard.
From the restart Weth began to look a bit more like their usual selves, with turnovers in the ruck by Mason and Acland and some crunching tackles by McCleary who we will no doubt miss as he schmoozes the bourgeois families on the ski slopes of Europe for the winter. But facing a 0-14 scoreline there were a few nerves and with a series of mixed tackles, Goole hacked through with Little and Yates covering but deciding to dribble the ball between them so far in to our dead ball area that they could have gone for an early half time pint in the clubhouse.

As seems to be our recognised style the back three were a bit quiet but there’s talent across Parrish, Little and Beeson and they all had opportunities to make progress with Beeson having the best opportunity to break through, but it wasn’t to be. And with more sausage fingers from the usually telepathic Kaye brothers, a yellow card for Acland (although not sure what such an innocent looking lad could possibly have done) the Goole lads took advantage and Weth were 0-19 down. Half time, Please!

Enter Mylo, Mylee-poo, Myles Oates, The Moat (that doesn’t really work does it) on his second game after life changing surgery (at least that’s how Shannon describes it). Coincidentally his Dad also turned up for the 2nd half so we are so far unsure which Oates actually made the difference. But a great start to the second half and, with Hoather and Reid combining effortlessly in the lineouts, Yates accepts the ball in the middle of a melee and in what can only be described as a training ground move, chips the ball over the defence, bounces off the back of a Goole player, accepts the rebound and races in to almost open ground, setting loose the young stallion, Beeson to score. But Goole had other ideas and Yates had to step in yet again to accept the offload from Beeson to score Weth’s first try. Converted from the sideline. 7-19

And further good fortune was to present itself, maybe with the wind behind the red and white hoops, Weth pushed on and with the ball in the backs, Myles engineered an opening, off loaded to Jack Kaye who, with eyes focussed and cheeks puffed out, evaded all but the full back, but Oates was there, by his side, like a loyal Cockerpoo to accept the final pass that allowed him to score Weth’s second try. 14-19 – The Oates effect (father or son) was working.

But Goole weren’t the sort of team to roll over and after more trading of kicks and more sausage fingers from the Weth lads, Goole were again on the front foot. And despite defending valiantly, the pressure was just too much and Goole ran over their 4th try with only 14 men on the pitch.

With Hoather needing a rest, Cox Rawnsley joined the melee and Goodall in his lavender coloured scrum cap relieved Blakey (not in that way lads). But despite some fresh legs, and great contributions from the subs, Goole were just too clever and scored again with conversion leaves the score 14-26.

Having berated the team on the sidelines for a good 15 minutes it was time for Hoather to return and for Woodworth to take a rest. Yet Goole’s pressure was unrelenting and they score again – 14-33.

As Greenwood got redder and redder, DoR Brown, who was not happy with the way the game was progressing, pulled him off (no lads, don’t even go there) and brought Blakey back on for some final impact. But despite a yellowetheeb for the Goole 8 for a no arms tackle on Little and some frenetic attacking, it was too little too late and the final score finished 14-33.

Goole were the better team but again, Wetherby were left feeling that the gap between the two teams could be bridged as the season progresses.

Team: Woodworth, Hoather (c), Mason, Acland, Greenwood, Reid, McCleary, Blakey, Youlden, Kaye, Parrish, Yates, Kaye, Beeson, Little. Subs Cox-Rawnsley, Goodall, Oates