Harrogate Pythons RUFC 'stuck to the process' during victory on the road at Hullensians RUFC

Tom Baxter credited his Harrogate Pythons RUFC players for sticking to “the process” during Saturday’s Yorkshire One success at Hullensians RUFC.

After back-to-back narrow defeats, the men from the Jim Saynor Ground got back to winnings ways courtesy of a 34-24 success on the road.

In a contest which saw the lead change hands on several occasions, the Pythons produced some good rugby, but were also guilty of making life difficult for themselves at times.

But, they stuck to their game-plan, and, much to Baxter’s delight, managed to get the job done in the end.

“I am delighted with how we managed and controlled large parts of the game,” the club’s director of rugby said.

“We made it difficult for ourselves at times, which allowed Hullensians into the contest, but the lads kept their composure and made sure they stuck to the process.

“We have a week off before the next block of fixtures start, and it’s important we recover well, stay fresh and revisit one or two areas to make sure we hit the ground running again in our next match.”

Hullensians registered the first try of the game after a quarter of an hour to leave the Pythons 7-0 down, but they responded fairly swiftly through a Ben Pryor penalty.

The visitors then took the lead following a superb try, that began with Adam Button gathering the ball and feeding Marcel Kaminski, who offloaded to Max Sharp.

A deft kick ahead was gathered on the bounce by Dylan Wepener, who found Joe Rowntree. The ball was then moved back into the hands of Wepener then to Kaminski, who raced under the posts.

Pryor converted for 10-7, though it wasn’t long before Hullensians reclaimed the ascendancy following a catch-and-drive move.

‘Gate would however have the final say of the opening half as they seized a 13-12 advantage thanks to a second Pryor penalty.

Early in the second period, the Pythons won a line-out 10 metres from the home line. With their pack rumbling forwards, Jordan Payne chose the perfect moment to peel off and touch down in the corner.

The hosts responded with a second try of their own to edge back in front at 19-18, however it was not long before Pryor was slotting another penalty between the uprights to restore the away lead.

Again, Hullensians came straight back at their visitors and crossed the whitewash once more to make it 24-21, only for Pryor to dissect the posts once more and level things up.

The match’s decisive moment then arrived as Wepener spotted the pacy Josh Horrocks in space on the wing and released him to register a try that the ever-reliable Pryor converted for 31-24.

With time almost up, the Pythons were awarded another penalty and Rowntree stepped up to do the honours from close to halfway, rounding off the scoring in the process.

Victory lifts Baxter’s team up to fifth place in the Yorkshire One standings after seven rounds of fixtures.