Sandal 13 - 12 Cleckheaton

The aim of a 'friendly' game is to give players a run out with little pressure and a chance to improve their fitness in game conditions. Someone forgot to give the script to 30 players and a referee last Saturday in one of the most bad tempered and ill disciplined matches I have watched for some time. There was certainly no festive goodwill neither were there any wise men especially on the Cleckheaton side. Both sides mixed their squads, Cleck lacking seven regular starters but the early exchanges showed no lack of intensity.

Sandal, playing down the considerable slope opened the scoring with a try after 10 minutes which was converted by fly half Tom Smith. Smith missed with a penalty attempt before Sandal extended their lead with a breakaway try by the left wing. Cleck replied when Tinus Venter was given the space to go over for a try which was converted by Ross Hayden. A further try by Lance Hamilton on the stroke of half time was unconverted, but the score had given the visitors a welcome lead at the break.

Throughout the half tempers had become increasingly frayed as Cleck appeared to incur the wrath of the referee who regularly penalised them for an array of offences whilst Sandal lived on the edge of legality and managed the officials idiosyncracies better. The stark facts were that Cleckheaton talked to the referee too much, allowed the opposition to get under their skin and ultimately lost discipline and structure.

Sandal won the game in the second half with a further penalty by Smith, but Cleckheaton's tale of woe was reflected by a sum total of three yellow cards for Blackburn, Matthew Piper and John Dudley and to really rub salt in the wounds, a second yellow card for Piper and injuries to Tinus Venter and Ed Chappelow.

Saturday sees the return to league action with a visit to Beaver Park Beverley, kick off 2-15. This is a vital game at a difficult venue and a win will provide the impetus for a further improvement of the team's league position.