MALTON RUFC put their defeat at Bridlington earlier in the season behind them, running out somewhat controversial 17-13 winners on home soil in their Regional 2 North East clash on Saturday.

Malton kicked off towards the town end with the low sun in their eyes, with the week’s wet weather providing a testing surface and a variable bounce which played their part in proceedings.

Camped in Brid’s half for the opening ten minutes, Malton displayed their wares, winning the battle up front and running back at high tempo.

On fourteen minutes, the third scrum of the game saw the Malton eight shove the Brid pack, who had lost a prop to a yellow card on ten minutes a full fifteen metres towards their line.
A perfectly timed pick-up at the base by Sam Triffitt was fed to Paul Angus, who passed for a swiftly moving Will Bell to cross. James Bulmer added the extras.

Malton then reverted to form and gave away three penalties within the space of three minutes to put themselves in their own red zone, but the visitors failed to capitalise.

Excellent work by the home pack helped to place Malton back in the Brid half and a clever, chip kick to touch from Bulmer put them in prime position for an attacking line-out. 
However, the visiting defence was solid, earning them a penalty that was duly converted in the 32nd minute.

From the kick-off, courtesy of an excellent chase, Malton earned a penalty 25 metres out, but chose to kick for touch in coffin corner. However, the ball was ultimately kicked dead, and Brid cleared their lines. 
Moments later, a two-on-one went begging when Ali Fothergill charged for the line only to be brought down five metres short, leaving his side with a slender four-point lead at half-time.

The second half got underway with a loose ball hacked through by Bulmer placing Brid under pressure and winning a penalty for the home side. 
Skipper Triffitt duly dispatched the kick, stretching his side’s lead to six points.

From the restart, the visitors pressured Malton into a dangerous blocking manoeuvre, with Liam Vaughan earning 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Malton’s discipline, or rather lack of it, was starting to rear its ugly head, with an increasing penalty count which on a firmer surface might have counted more against them.
Tensions soon boiled over, with the players coming to blows following a tackle on Jacob Stephenson.
Tearing through ground on the clubhouse side of the pitch, and with one man to beat 30 metres out, and no support close to him, Stephenson put a perfect kick past the lone defender on the touch line and was barged into touch.
The referee, who had initially decided on a touch line penalty, proceeded to a position under the sticks and raised his arm, and as a result, Malton were 11 points clear. 
With penalty tries rarely awarded that far out, the decision incensed the visitors committee, who made their feelings plain to the referee.

On the pitch, Brid worked a copybook try after a period of sustained pressure, with their winger driving over seven metres in from the touch line on the stand side. A well-struck conversion closed the gap to four points with 10 minutes remaining.

But Malton displayed their grit and closed out the game to hold on for what could prove to be a crucial win.
The win sees Malton remain third ahead of their first visit to Dronfield RUFC on Saturday afternoon (2:15pm kick-off).