Dearne fought both the opposition and the extreme weather conditions this weekend to extend their lead at the top of Yorkshire Counties 4 to six points, and extend their 1st XV winning run to four games unbeaten since the October break. Since the October break, the 1st XV have managed to claim a total of 19 points from the 20 available, showing that the hard work players are putting in on the training ground is coming to fruition.

The majority of the game thankfully avoided the predicted rain showers in the area, however the pitch had clearly taken a battering over the last few days and the wind, with gusts of up to 55mph, was causing havoc. Prior to kick off, players and spectators from both sides took part in a minutes applause for a Knottingley club member who sadly passed away last week. On behalf of Dearne Valley RUFC we would like to yet again extend our condolences to the players and members of Knottingley RUFC and the family and friends of said individual.

From the kick off the visitors, playing into the wind this first half, struggled to exit. This gave territory and possession to Knottingley who used their forward pack around the close fringes to make easy yards. Dearne tackled hard but some mis-timed tackles along with a bit of laziness and complacency from some players around the ruck area meant Knottingley worked their way from outside the Dearne 22 to the try line before barraging over for the first score of the afternoon. The difficult conversion missed, the home side had an early 5-0 lead.

From the kick off, Knottingley immediately used the wind to their advantage and a sailing kick by their fly half travelled almost 90 metres before going out just inside the Dearne 22 for a 50-22 and a Knottingley line out. Dearne, under the cosh again, failed to gain any advantage and conceded a penalty for not rolling away which the Knottingley fly half converted to extend their lead to 8-0 within the first 10 minutes.

Some stern words from DoR Callum Emery and captain Ben Hartley during the water break gave Dearne the lift they needed. Having finally found some territory and extended periods of possession inside the Knottingley half they began to manage to play the conditions better and get the ball into their wide players hands. Multiple breaks from Sam Holt, Steve Mason, and Jack Duggan resulted in Knottingley being under pressure in their own "red zone". Dearne showed how clinical they can be in attack and shipped the ball to the left hand channel for Sam Holt to crash over for his 5th try in four games. Stephen Shaw missed the conversion into the wind and the visitors were back in the game at 8-5.

Dearne had now calmed themselves and became much more composed. They used the conditions well and managed to exit their half (finally) without fault. They quickly regained possession again before Arron Kite, as threatening as always with ball in hand, made carry after carry to push Knottingley back inside their own 22. Smart hands from second rowers Callum Young and John Williams meant Steve Mason was on the receiving end of a promising passage of play to dot down under the posts for the visitors second of the afternoon. Shaw converted from in front of the sticks to take the lead 8-12.

Dearne had now found a way to counter Knottingleys threatening attack around the fringes, consistently causing scrappy ball from strong counter rucks by Ant Hamilton and Callum Young. This resulted in turnover ball and further periods of pressure inside the Knottingley half. Again, strong forward carries and accurate passing skills in extremely tough conditions resulted in a further overlap on the right hand side for Steve Mason to grab his second of the afternoon. Shaw converted and the half time score was 8-19.

The second half began how the first half ended, with Dearne dominating territory and possession. Andrew Thorpe managed to crash over from close range for the visitors bonus point try and Shaw converted the extras to extend their lead to 8-26. Knottingley then fought themselves back into the game. Dearne, at times beginning to over play and force the pass or offload, gave them easy possession and their strong ball carriers turned that into territory. They had multiple opportunities to score further tries however the final pass would often go wayward or get caught in the wind and ultimately gift possession back to the visitors.

The final 10 minutes saw Steve Mason round off his afternoon with a hat-trick try, before Sam Oxley dotted down in the right hand corner for the final score of the afternoon. Both unconverted in the tricky conditions, the game ended with the final score 8-36 with the visitors taking all 5 points and both teams making a dash for the changing rooms and to more warm and dry conditions in what was a horrendously cold and wintery affair!

"Credit to Knottingley, you could tell they were playing for something a little bit bigger today and they didn't stop until the final whistle. Had a few final passes made it to hands, the scoreline would've been much closer and they caused us some real trouble around the fringes in that first quarter of the game" said Director of Rugby Callum Emery. He continued, "it took us a little time to adapt to the conditions and find a way to counter against their dominant forward play around the ruck area, but it was great to see players come up with solutions in that first 20 minutes and then as usual we know if we get the ball into the wide players hands with a sniff of the try line not many people in this league will stop us."

Man of The Match was awarded to scrum half, Alex Roebuck, who was the unsung and silent hero of the day with his accurate distribution skills in tough conditions as well as his game management. "Alex could've been Man of The Match in many games this year, and he has been a real game changer for us at scrum half with his skillset and his game management. He is becoming a real leader on the pitch" said Callum Emery.

The men in blacks attention now turns towards next weekends fixture against Sheffield Medics at home. Not only is it the teams final game before the christmas break, but an opportunity for them to extend their lead at the top of the table as well as put a few wrongs right after their horrendous and unlikely display in the reverse fixture back in October.

The players and coaches really hope as many spectators as possible head down to watch, as having that 16th man on the touchline will make a huge difference in what is set up to be a proper Christmas cracker.