YORK kept alive their title ambitions as they enjoyed a 36-10 victory against Old Crossleyans.
It would be easy to say that the margin should have been wider but York would have settled for that score before the kick-off and Crossleyans contributed enough to the match not to deserve a greater defeat.
After a scrappy start, both teams settled down with York producing a series of incisive moves, all of which collapsed either at the whistle of the referee or their own indiscretions.
First, centre Sam Arkle seared into a gap only to find himself in a vacuum with no support to hand. Then, fly-half Mark Roberts broke through into the Crox 22 but the final pass went to the floor.
Arkle had another burst but the referee adjudged holding on. Roberts kicked to the corner and, just when the inevitable cricket score appeared to be a mirage, Roberts released centre Sean Bass on a surge into the Crox 22 and he slipped the ball inside to flanker Stu Davies for a score. Mike Ford's conversion hit the post.
York had now hit the zone and Roberts put Bass through and he enabled Davies to penetrate the opponents 22. Roberts broke blindside, drew the centres and the ball was flung out to Ford who raced in behind the posts to give himself and easy conversion.
Crossleyans came back strong to threaten the York line but their only reward was a penalty for offside which fly-half/coach Jamie Grayshon converted.
The relief was shortlived for Crox as York continued their offensive.
The final pass from Roberts' break may have gone astray, but from the resultant scrum, a badly controlled Crox heel allowed York scrum-half Gary Cassidy to pick up and dive over for a try which Ford converted to give his side a 19-3 interval lead.
York started the second half in a style that promised the threatened avalanche of points - with former Hull No10 Roberts at the forefront.
He put in a deft kick to the Crox corner. York won the line out and Roberts strolled through untouched to score .
But then the script went wrong as Crossleyans got more ball.
Grayshon missed a penalty attempt but he began to orchestrate some imaginative moves outside the scrum.
York's defence, Crox lack of pace and poor final transfer thwarted these moves but the hosts looked distinctly second best for a sustained period and their 24-3 cushion was a real comfort.
Crox's reward finally came when their scrum-half shot into space behind the York defence and fed his flanker, James Wainwright for a try which Grayshon converted.
York finally came back to reality when Brad Macdonald took a fine lineout ball which was flung out to Bass who sliced through to score. Ford converted.
On injury time, Cassidy set up a move by cunningly slipping down the line to be the recipient of a Roberts switch pass which set him away in the corner.
Updated: 10:32 Monday, January 13, 2003
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