A dynamic first-half display and a hat-trick of tries from Will Sharp propelled York to an impressive 35-13 victory over Leeds Met 2nds on 22 Acres.
Sharp capped off two first-half tries, the second a run from deep inside his own half, with a powerful third ten minutes from time, and Hugo Watson scored either side of half-time to secure a well-deserved victory.
The flair and pace on show in the backs was the highlight of what was undoubtedly the strongest UYRUFC performance of the season, and a huge improvement on last week’s defeat away at Bishop Burton College. Leeds struggled to deal with the pace of Sharp on the left wing whilst Hugo Watson made several line-breaks at inside centre.
With Sam Lord out of action Adam Gaskell took over the captaincy for the day and produced a typically top performance at second row whilst Tim Ross covered the park at open side flanker and made good yardage with numerous carries.
Leeds Met started the game on the front foot and forced York fly-half Tom Chadwick into two kicking errors in the opening minutes, but he made amends by finding touch with a long penalty to give his side a line-out just outside the 22.
The forwards followed up with a drive that left the home side metres from the try-line. Chadwick, Kirkley and Watson all pushed for the line but were kept out by stout defence, before Harry Pampiglione was held up minutes later.
York made their pressure pay from the resulting scrum however. Alex Cormack threw his pass wide down the blind side and Will Sharp finished well. Chadwick slotted the conversion to make it 7-0.
Quarter of an hour in and York had doubled their lead. After an exchange of kicks Sharp capitalised on a poor effort from the Leeds centre, running from deep inside his own half down the blind side and picking out Conan Osborne in support.
The full-back offloaded stylishly to Matt Thorpe who in turn found Hugo Watson, and Watson finished off a superb flowing move before Chadwick added another successful conversion to make it 14-0.
Leeds Met hit straight back with a penalty and came close to adding a try 25 minutes in. Their left-winger seized on a loose York pass and made ground before his side were awarded a penalty just outside the 10m line.
They knocked on in the centres from the resulting play however, and York made them pay the dearest price with a try down the other end.
They spread the ball wide to Will Sharp who ran from deep inside his own half and used his pace to break through two tackles before finishing an 80-yard try under the posts and giving Chadwick an easy conversion to make it 21-3.
Once again Leeds responded with a penalty but York continued to apply most of the pressure. Sharp and Gaskell combined well to engineer an opportunity down the blind side only for a knock-on to thwart the white rose’s progress. Will Powis touched down minutes later only for the try to be ruled out for a marginal forward pass.
The home side’s intensity began to drop off as the half drew to a close and Leeds took advantage in the closing minute of the half, spreading the ball wide and scoring in the corner with the York defence severely stretched.
The conversion meant that York held an eight point lead going into the second-half, with the scores at 21-13.
York continued to be the better side in the second-half but couldn’t quite replicate their first-half form. More mistakes crept into both sides’ play and York made several changes before increasing their lead on the hour mark.
Replacement scrum half Will Ward, who looked good as he continued his return from a long injury lay-off, passed to Watson off the back of a scrum and the centre powered over for his second try of the match.
Chadwick converted once again to make it 28-13 before Leeds Met responded with a short period of pressure, knowing they were in need of three scores to get back into the lead.
A penalty sent them deep into York territory but they were thwarted by Hugh Draycott who ripped the ball away from his opposition forwards and allowed Chadwick to clear well.
York and Sharp went on to put the finishing touches on a top drawer performance ten minutes from time. A flat pass from Chadwick allowed Sharp to blast through the middle and score under the posts. Chadwick ensured a 100% success rate with his final kick and rounded off the scores at 35-13.
“We’re really pleased, obviously. We put right a lot of what we got wrong last week,” said York captain Adam Gaskell. “The forwards gave a really good platform for the backs, and they converted really well.”