Ripon RUFC fight back to snatch draw with Baildon RUFC thanks to last-gasp try
Ripon RUFC's underwhelming start to the 2025/26 season continued as they were held to a 16-16 draw on home soil by Baildon.
Trailing 16-6 at one point, the Blues looked to be on course for a sixth loss in nine Yorkshire One outings this term, but managed to avoid defeat thanks to Adam Newcombe's last-gasp try, which was converted by Morgan Clark.
In dire weather, two sides desperate to escape mid-table, produced a fiercely-contested game of rugby. Neither side really did enough to say that they deserved to win the match, though both will feel that they could have done so had they been more clinical at key moments.
The first half was an uneventful affair, with Baildon eventually breaking the deadlock on 26 minutes, however they were the only points scored before the interval.
After the break, playing down the infamous Mallorie Park Hill, Ripon began brightly, but a tackle infringement saw the visitors awarded another penalty, which was kicked to double their lead to 6-0.
Clark responded in the 48th minute with a penalty of his own, though Baildon's six-point cushion was soon restored.
A high tackle by a visiting player afforded Clark another opportunity to dissect the posts, which he did once again to make it 9-6.
With less than 10 minutes remaining and both teams looking incapable of scoring a try, Baildon then managed to do exactly that when their inside centre wrong-footed the Blues' defence and touched down under the posts.
The resulting conversion saw the away side pull 10 points clear and left Ripon staring down the barrel.
Down, but not out, the Blues dug deep and utilised their replacements' bench to good effect, continuously bringing fresh legs onto the pitch as they attempted to generate and then sustain some attacking momentum.
And they were rewarded for their efforts and intent with an 81st-minute penalty, which Clark booted over once again to seemingly earn the home team a losing bonus points.
Unbelievably, the match continued and from the restart, Ripon began to exert some serious pressure on their visitors.
A penalty for offside followed, and skipper James Pearce opted for a scrum, from which Elliot Davies-Taylor picked up from number eight.
His break sucked in several defenders, and from the breakdown, Blues scrum-half Harry Drane switched the direction of the attack for veteran prop Newcombe to crash over.
A respectful hush fell across Mallorie Park while Clark prepared for an extremely difficult-looking touchline conversion attempt.
Just as was in the case during his pre-match practice, the most impossible of kicks flew over, and the shrill blast for full-time signified the end of an epic contest.
Saturday's result leaves Ripon seventh in the table ahead of this weekend's trip to Huddersfield Laund Hill.