Tykes enjoy their run out in Otley to seal gritty win

■By NICK DOYLE

Otley…………………….. 20

Leeds Tykes………..24

LEEDS Tykes were made to work for their narrow win against neighbours in an enthralling game yesterday against Otley.

Joe Rowntree opened the scoring for Otley with an early penalty.

From a line-out in Otley’s 22, Leeds’ pack set up Ewan Laughton, who scored in the corner. He doubled their lead after 17 minutes, James Watts adding the extras.

With a lot of possession and kicking a penalty into a corner,

Leeds worked the ball across the pitch with Ben Turpin arching around a defender to touch down, Watts again on target.

Some 30 minutes in, Otley came to life with some good phases, Eddie Crossland dummying his way to the line and Rowntree getting the two points followed by another penalty four minutes later.

Leeds were finding it hard to keep hold of the ball, and from an Otley scrum on their 10-metre line, Callum Irvine set up Crossland for his second of the afternoon, Rowntree’s conversion ten minutes into second half giving Otley the lead.

They held on for it for ten minutes until Tom Williams’s 40-metre run was touched down by James Magee, the conversion going wide.

For the remaining quarter of the encounter, both sides continued to battle hard for a further score, but neither could find another breakthrough.

REFEREE: Nikki O’Donnell

ATTENDANCE: 498

Star man Tom Williams -Leeds Tykes