Yorkshire League Three: Hessle 14, Malton and Norton 50

A YOUNG and enthusiastic Hessle side were no match for Malton, who showed they have developed a killer instinct to go with their undoubted ability.

Too often in the past, Malton have gone through the motions in similar circumstances to either only just win or throw away golden opportunities. There was none of that on display though as, from the first whistle, they set about demolishing Hessle with powerful forward play allied to sensible and forthright threequarter play.

With props Tom Eddy and Carl Rushworth at the fore, the pack soon gained the upper hand. With scrum half Jon Newsome revelling in the quality of possession, Hessle were under constant pressure. After ten minutes Malton opened the scoring when Rushworth finished off a series of forward drives with a try close in, converted by Ian Cooke. Apart from a rare lapse in concentration, when Hessle fashioned a score of their own, Malton dominated as tries came at regular intervals from Cooke, Eddy, David Webster and Ian Mansell to give the visitors a 31-7 interval lead.

In the second half, skipper Chris Creber, having arrived back from the Dubai Sevens earlier the same day, and Richard John used their guile and skill to keep Malton on the offensive for long periods. They were ably supported by fellow threequarter Matt 'Mr Reliable' Richmond. More tries came as Cooke and Mansell added to their tally and substitute prop Steve Riddolls touched down for his first of the season.

Hessle scored again but by this time the points were in the bag. There were many good performances on the day but the unsung heros Steve Hayhurst and Phil Ryan got through a tremendous amount of work to set up the win. With difficult games ahead, Malton are starting to take games by the scruff of the neck. They have developed a more ruthless attitude towards winning these type of games whereas in the past they have appeared lethargic.

Malton and Norton will be hoping for a similar result this Saturday, when they face Bradford Salem at home, having a full squad to choose from. Neil Gilbertson returns to the fold after scoring four tries for the reserves last week (see below). Liam Cowton drops down to the seconds. Twickenham hatrick man Tim Chapman finds himself on the bench, having been unavailable last week.

Updated: 10:35 Thursday, November 15, 2001