NEWLY-promoted York RUFC began life in North East Two with a 13-11 victory

over Horden at Clifton Park.

Ben Quick's remarkable long-range drop goal midway through the second half gave the home side victory in a scrappy match.

The visitors had just snatched an 11-10 lead when York's next attack in the middle of the field appeared to have broken down. But the ball was played back to stand-off Quick, standing just inside his own half, and he thumped a

glorious drop kick between the posts.

It was nip and tuck after that but had York taken their first-half chances they should not have been sweating on the outcome of the match.

York penned Horden back from the start and should have scored in the fifth minute but No 8 Andy Kay spilled the ball with the line in sight.

Mike Ford was prominent in the opening stages and his break set up a 15th minute penalty which Quick slotted over.

But inside five minutes the North East visitors got their noses in front with a penalty and a drop goal from influential stand-off Andrew Turner.

York, who included new signing Russell Venter at scrum-half because James Arkle had to pull out because of a bout of diphtheria, dominated the latter stages of the first half.

Horden, who opened their campaign with a victory over Northern the previous weekend, looked to Turner's tactical kicking to get them out of trouble and

gain field position, but Ford was rock-solid at full-back, taking one

towering effort cleanly under great pressure.

York blew a couple of chances to score, Nick Taylor delivering a poor pass with an overlap on the card then hooker Rob Allen, supplementing the back-line, dropped a pass with York having men on the outside again.

The stop-start game was littered with mistakes, but Sean Bass and Stuart Davies drew applause when they combined with two surging runs down the right

to set up another good position.

York turned round 6-3 in arrears but deservedly moved ahead when Taylor intercepted a pass and set up Ford for a try which was converted by Quick.

But the Clifton Parkers were unable to build on that platform and Turner made a superb break after three York men failed to deal with a high kick.

Although the Horden No 10 was held short of the line, a dust-up followed resulting in Davies and Horden's Paul James being sin-binned.

The visitors had the put in at the resulting scrum and scrum-half Darren Greenlaw went over but, crucially, Turner missed the conversion.

Minutes later Quick sent over his match-winning drop-kick but both sides had opportunities to score after that.

Quick missed a penalty and a couple of other drop goal efforts went wide, while Ford produced a stunning last-man match-saving tackle on Turner, who had a two-man overlap, to ensure victory.

Updated: 12:16 Monday, September 15, 2003