Dominant Harrogate Pythons RUFC run in 13 tries as they demolish Doncaster Phoenix RUFC
A third win in four Yorkshire One outings for Tom Baxter’s team as strugglers are put to the sword
Harrogate Pythons RUFC showed Yorkshire One basement boys Doncaster Phoenix no mercy on Saturday afternoon as they ran in 13 tries during a dominant display.
Tom Baxter’s team began their 2026/27 campaign brightly and won both of their opening two fixtures, before being undone by Goole last time out.
But they delivered the perfect response to that setback by putting their struggling visitors to the sword at the Jim Saynor Ground.
A final score-line of 83-14 did not flatter the Pythons, but rather than getting carried away with the margin of victory, their director of rugby insisted post-match that his players must use this result as a platform to go on and get better over the coming weeks.
“Whilst there were plenty of positives to take away, and a reminder of what we can do when we get things right, we know we have to use this performance to keep on building and improving,” Baxter said.
“The second half allowed us to look at different combinations of players, which will be key in the coming weeks to ensure we have versatility in the squad.
“We have three more fixtures before we go into the rest week, and it is really important that we focus on these games one at a time make sure we are in a strong position going into that break.”
The Pythons took the lead with just three minutes on the clock following a scrum from which Joel Misseldine broke from the blind side for Ben Pryor to convert.
Baxter’s troops then won a penalty straight from the restart, allowing Max Sharp to drill the ball to Doncaster’s five-meter line.
From there, Marcus Fotherby secured line-out ball to set up a driving maul, and Misseldine peeled off to double both his own and the hosts’ tally. Pryor again added the extras for 14-0.
A third touchdown arrived following another attacking scrum that provided Andy MacKay and Sharp with the platform to release Harry Jackson, who rounded the visiting defence to run in from 20 metres out.
From an Adam Button turnover, the Pythons stretched their advantage on 25 minutes as an attack involving numerous players ended with Rhys Cory scoring in the corner for Pryor to boot over the extra two points.
Another penalty line-out move then led to Sharp carrying the ball into the Phoenix half, from where he delivered a deft pass into the hands of the supporting Dylan Wepener, who ran clear to dot down.
Straight from the kick-off, Jordan Payne carried into the Doncaster 22 and then fed Will Milnes, who raced over the whitewash next to the posts.
Pryor dissected the uprights once more to make it 38-0, though it was Phoenix who had the final say of the opening half as they grabbed a converted try to reduce the deficit to 31 points.
Normal service was however resumed almost immediately after the resumption. Cory bounced off a would-be tackler and found Wepener, who didn’t need a second invitation to do the rest.
Pryor again converted to make it 45-7, and the home side just kept on coming.
Following some good work by Pryor, Jackson lobbed the ball to Hugh Tatlow, who was never going to be stopped from just 10 metres out.
Pryor added the extras, then immediately from the restart, Payne, Misseldine and Tatlow combined to release Sam Rowntree, who went over out wide.
Moments later, the Pythons struck again following some slick interplay between Tatlow and Wepener, which set up Wepener to complete his hat-trick. Pryor once again kicked the extra two points to make it 64-7.
The charging Fotherby then found the increasingly influential Wepener, who threw a perfectly-weighted pass for Connor Spence to run on to and finish in the corner.
Rowntree then turned the ball over immediately from the kick-off and kicked through for Misseldine to score his third of the afternoon. Again Pryor converted, nudging the score along to 76-7.
The 13th and final Pythons try of the match arrived following some powerful play from Button, who took the ball close the Doncaster line then set it perfectly for Wepener, who applied the finishing touch to take his personal total to an impressive four.
There was just enough time left for Phoenix to grab a second consolation score to round things off at 83-14.
Next up for the men from the Jim Saynor Ground, who now sit third in the Yorkshire One standings, is a home showdown with struggling Wensleydale.