1XV Match Reports  
02/09/06
(Yorks Cup) Redcar 10 v 57 Malton & Norton    
09/09/06
Old Brodleians 18 v 18 Malton & Norton    
16/09/06
Malton & Norton 10 v 36 Pontefract    
23/09/06
Sandal 30 v 22 Malton & Norton    
30/09/06
Malton & Norton 11 v 10 Scarborough    
07/10/06
Wheatley Hills 12 v 9 Malton & Norton    
14/10/06
Malton & Norton 20 v 22 Bradford Salem    
21/10/06
Bridlington 16 v 0 Malton & Norton    
28/10/06
Malton 17 v 10 Ryton (Cup: 3rd Round EDF Senior Vase)    
04/11/06
Malton & Norton 34 v 30 Huddersfield YMCA    
11/11/06
Ilkley 29 v 10 Malton & Norton    
25/11/06
Malton & Norton 17 v 10 Keighley    
 
Yorkshire Cup Rd 1: Redcar 10 v 57 Malton & Norton
 
02.09.06

The beginning of a new season opener for Malton was a 1st Round Yorkshire Shield tie at a windswept and rain soaked Redcar. However, fielding a number of talented teenagers from the very successful youth conveyor belt, Malt. made light of the conditions to run in a total of eight tries.

The deadlock was broken after fifteen minutes when Ian Cooke converted a penalty award from fifteen metres out. Despite playing into the rain and wind Malt., superbly marshalled by skipper Chris Creber, gradually made inroads into the home defences. With the pack providing a more than solid platform the backs began to show their skills. Creber broke from defence in his own 22 metre area to feed Cooke who made another superb break to put fullback Cameron Madden away. The Aussie made good ground before drawing the last man in defence and passing on to another debutant, wing Ben Martin who scooted over beneath the posts. Cooke added the first of his seven conversions. Five minutes later another piece of skilful work saw Cooke scythe through to touch down himself and add the conversion. Redcar then seemed to lose all heart as Malton raised the tempo. The forwards, with Andy Mitchell and Paul Dobson to the fore, had drained the home pack of all energy and 17 years old debutant scrum half Dan Cattle was able to show why he is held in such high esteem at The Gannock. Apart from providing an excellent service to his threequarters he showed a willingness to cajole his forwards and make the odd sniping break himself to stamp his own authority on the game.

Needless to say the margin soon increased with left wing Elliot Richardson showing a clean pair of heals after more good work from the entire side. On half time Creber thought that he would have some of the action and cleverly outwitted the home defence to cross underneath the posts. Cooke added both conversions and Malt. were thirty one points up at the interval.

With the advantage of the wind at their backs Malt. took a while to settle into their game in the second period but once they did find a rhythm normal service was resumed. Madden, showing a liking for entering the threequarter line at crucial points added two more tries with some silky running, one of which was converted by Cooke, before the wily Creber again found enough room to cross for his second try. Malton then introduced another 17 year old to the fray in Guy Dolman who announced his presence at open side flanker with a crushing tackle on the home fly half to create loose ball from which Malton took full advantage for Cattle to register his first well deserved try in senior rugby. With a brilliant kick from the touchline Cooke added the conversion and Malton came away with a more than satisfactory result to put them into the second round.

Not only was this an excellent team display but the successful integration of so many home grown young players into the side was heartening to say the least and is testament to the hard work put in by those coaching and mentoring the stars of the future within the club.

Next Saturday sees the first league action of the season with Malt. travelling to Old Brodleians in Yorkshire 1. A coach will be leaving the clubhouse at 12.15pm for the team and any supporters wishing to avail themselves of it.



Old Brodleians 18 v 18 Malton & Norton  
09/09/06


Malton & Norton 10 v 36 Pontefract  
16/09/06
Games between these two sides in recent years have been thoroughly entertaining and high scoring affairs and this one certainly lived up to that reputation.  The main difference between the two sides was the organisational powers of veteran back row man Derek Eves, who has arrived at Pontefract in the twilight of his illustrious career  via England ‘A’ and Premiership rugby, to add his experience to a young and eager side.

Malton began well, keeping possession for almost the whole of the first five minutes.  However, Pontefract showed their intentions when they finally did get their hands on the ball.  Spreading the ball wide in mid-field an overlap was created on the right and speedy winger Tim Hargreaves crossed for the first score.  Fly half Andy Dean converted.  Five minutes later a similar move was well finished off by opposite wing Michael Bateman who touched down the first of his three tries.  Despite these set backs Malton were in command of the forward exchanges and managed to push the Pontefract eight off their own ball on a couple of occasions.  From a set scrum in centre field Malton set up a planned move in the backs which allowed Fly half Chris Creber to feed full back Cameron Madden who bust through to touch down and narrow the gap.  The score breathed new life into Malt. and another break in the backs put Madden away again with a two man overlap to his left.  Unfortunately the referee adjudged that the final pass was marginally forward and the score was ruled out.  Back came Pontefract and from a scrum five metres from the Malton line Eves picked up and drove over for a trade mark score to give his side a 14 point interval lead.

If Malton were to get back into the game an early second half score was essential.  Pontefract were the first to strike when they caught the home defence cold, Bateman getting his second score.  The game was still highly entertaining with Ponte’s strong running backs causing problems in the home ranks while the Malton pack were dominating most of the forward battles.  Andy Mitchell and John Dobson were to the fore in a number of drives and it was fitting that Dobson should get Maltons second try when he forced himself over in the corner.  Scenting a comeback, Malton then threw caution to the wind in an effort to salvage something from the game.  As so often happens in such situations the door is left open at the back.  With Malton spreading the ball wide and looking the more likely to score the inevitable happened.  A pass was intercepted by Bateman who rounded off his afternoon with a long range try and put the final nail into Maltons coffin.

Malton certainly missed the dynamism of injured prop forward Paul Dobson but an organiser in the mould of Eves would greatly improve the decision making of the pack.  Pontefract have the look of a side who will be in contention at the end of the season and, if Malt. can everyone fit and firing on all cylinders, they could well join them.

Team;-  C. Madden,  L. Cowton, I. Cooke, D. Webster, T. Pateman, C. Creber,  D. Cattle, E. Gwilliam,  C. Muscroft,  J. Richards (D. Humphreys 65 mins),  C. Robson, J. Dobson,  A. Mitchell,  G. Dolman  (D. Cooke 60 mins), R. Webster. 

Sandal 30 v 22 Malton & Norton  
23/09/06
Once again Malton came second best in a contest in which they held the upper hand for most of the game.  A failure to turn pressure into points and basic mistakes at crucial times are proving to be very costly. 

The Malton forwards quickly made their mark by pushing the Sandal eight off their own ball to surge upfield.  Flanker Guy Dolman burst away from half way to make an impressive break into the home 22 metre area.  As was to happen several times during the game, the ball was lost in the tackle  and Sandal quickly moved play out to the left wing where the winger showed a clean pair of heals to race away for an eighty metre converted try.  Malton kept up the forward pressure and were looking quite impressive at times with a number of assaults on the line.  Indeed, with a little bit of good fortune, Malton could well have crossed on a couple of occasions.  They finally did cross when after a spell of constant forward pressure they released the backs and good inter play between centres Liam Cowton and Ian Cooke created the opening for fly half Chris Creber to touch down.   Cooke converted and the scores were level.

Although Malton were applying most of the pressure they were always susceptible to a break from defence by Sandal.  One such break lead to the next Sandal try.  Malton again surrendered possession at a crucial time for the home side to break free of the shackles.  Poor tackling in the Malton ranks meant that a sandal prop forward was able to saunter through two or three tackles to score his sides second try of the game.  Malton were still looking the more threatening side as Sandal were constantly penalised for offences at rucks and mauls, finally culminating in a yellow card being shown for persistent offending.  As a result Malton, through the boot of Cooke, narrowed the gap to four points at the interval.

Despite the conditions being perfect for handling the catalogue of errors continued into the second period.  A needless hand in a ruck gave Sandal a further three points and when the backs were caught off side at a maul the hosts again increased the lead.  As in the first half, Malt. were making much of the running but Sandal always looked dangerous on the break.  Another fine effort from the Sandal backs, assisted in no small measure by some woeful tackling, gave the home side a further try.  This seemed to spur Malton back to life.  Carl Muscroft and Andy Mitchell were to the fore in most of the forward exchanges with Ed. Gwilliam offering strong support and it was fitting that Muscroft should get the next score with a powerful burst to touch down in the corner.   Two minutes later Malton were firmly back into the game when Cooke gathered in his own 22 metre area and set off on one of his mazy runs.  Baffled defenders were left floundering as he picked his way upfield to score a remarkable try under the posts to bring his side within five points.  Malton were now on the crest of a wave and Sandal appeared to be finished.  However, a ten minute delay,  because of a serious neck injury to Maltons Ben Martin,  gave Sandal the time they needed to regroup and hold out for the final ten minutes.  A penalty on the stroke of full time put the final nail into Maltons coffin.

Having had an easy passage in the Northumberland/Durham league last season Malt. are finding the going much tougher in Yorkshire.  They have the ability to be a good side but must sharpen up their act and cut out the unnecessary mistakes if they are to succeed.  The news on Ben Martin after the game was heartening.  After a check up at Pinderfields Hospital he was found to be not seriously injured and released that evening.

MALTON:-  C. Madden,  B. Martin (D. Webster 50 mins), I. Cooke, L. Cowton, T. Pateman, C. Creber(Capt.), D. Cattle, J. Richards(J. Machin), C. Muscroft, E. Gwilliam, C. Robson, J. Dobson, A. Mitchell, G. Dolman (S. Triffitt 60mins), R. Webster.

Malton & Norton 11 v 10 Scarborough
 
30.09.06
The first East Coast derby went right to the wire and Malton only just claimed the bragging rights with a last minute penalty.  Neither side looked world beaters but the large crowd, boosted by match sponsors Kingspan, were treated to an exciting afternoon and the spoils could have gone either way.  A draw may have been a more fitting result but a very poor performance from an inferior match official meant that what promised to be a good game of open rugby was allowed to become a very scrappy affair.  It is to the credit of both sets of players that tempers remained relatively calm and sanity prevailed.

Malton started brightly and looked the more accomplished outfit in the opening exchanges but failed to capitalise on their territorial advantage.  Scarborough on the other hand looked nervous earlier on but gained in confidence as the minutes ticked by.  The first real danger came after 29 minutes when Malt. won a scrummage twenty metres from the line.  The ball was quickly transferred to the backs where a planned move opened up the Scarborough defence for Ian Cooke to cross in the corner.  

Malton are always vulnerable to the counter attack and very quickly they paid the penalty.  A similar move by Scarborough some forty metres out gave wing Reid Fairbairn the space he needed to cross under the posts.  Matt Jones converted and Scarborough had the half time lead.The second half was almost a mirror image of the first.  Malton lost skipper Chris Creber with a foot injury at the break which meant a shake up in the threequarters and No.8 Richard Webster soon had to leave the field with a shoulder injury.  Losing two such influential men so early would be a blow to many sides. 

However, Ian Cooke proved a more than able deputy for Creber and young Sam Triffitt revelled in the hand to hand combat against his fathers former side.  The idiosyncrasies of the referee were still baffling players and spectators alike and his constant call of  ‘sorry my mistake’ became something of a joke between players on both sides.  As a result the final outcome was always going to be a lottery. 

Firstly Malton were awarded a penalty for a Scarborough off side which Cooke converted, but the visiting contingent could feel rightly aggrieved about, and secondly when Malton were penalised having won the ball quite legally only to concede a penalty for handling in a ruck when clearly it had been won fairly.  So the score stood until the final minute with neither side looking like breaking the deadlock.  However, again the whistle came to Maltons rescue when Scarborough were penalised in front of their own posts.  Cooke stepped up to place the ball firmly between the posts and win the game for Malton.  Not a showcase game by any stretch of the imagination but when do derby games ever live up to their billing. 

Both sides will have to dig deep this season but both have spirit and youth on their side allied to some excellent skills in important departments.  Hopefully, all will be well in both camps.

Malton team:  C. Madden, I.Cooke, D.Webster, L.Cowton, T.Pateman, C.Creber(G.Mosey 40 mins), A.Newsome, J.Richards, C.Muscroft, E.Gwilliam, J.Dobson, C.Robson, A.Mitchell, D.Cooke(J.Machin 40 mins), R.Webster(S. Triffitt 45mins)

Wheatley Hills 12 v 9 Malton & Norton  
07.10.06
Once again Malton failed to capitalise on early pressure and eventually paid the penalty against a side containing a large percentage of veterans who were very adept at spoiling Maltons free flowing game.  On the other hand Maltons youthful contingent were unable to adapt.

The early play was almost totally confined to the Wheatley half of the pitch as Malton started at a great pace.  However, yet again, the cutting edge was missing and too much possession was squandered either by way of conceding needless penalties or being stripped of the ball in the tackle.  The first score was an Ian Cooke penalty after 20 minutes when Wheatley transgressed at a ruck.  On the half hour the referee finally tired of Wheatleys persistent offending and produced a yellow card to a prop forward.  Cooke added three more points from the penalty award.  The advantage was short lived as another needless penalty against Malton pushed them back into their own 22 metre area.  From the resultant line out Wheatley set up a maul before feeding the ball to a forward racing up on the blind side to crash over and bring his side within one point.  Malton then produced the only piece of memorable rugby of the game.  Winning the ball on the Wheatley 22 metre line it was spun along the backs with some brilliant handling and movement before reaching left wing Tom Pateman who crossed in the corner but was prevented from grounding the ball by a last ditch tackle.   Malton turned round with a slim one point advantage.

A very scrappy start to the second half produced another Cooke penalty and a second yellow card to a Wheatley player for preventing release of the ball at a tackle.  Malton should then have gone on to secure the match but could not find the necessary thrust to gain the upper hand.  Mid way through the half prop forward Ed. Gwilliam was shown a yellow card fore entering a ruck from an offside position.  At this point Wheatley missed the first of three easily kickable penalties of the half.  However, with the Malt. pack a man short, a pick up and drive from a scrummage resulted in a try for the home back row.  The conversion was a formality and Malton were behind for the first time and with time running out Wheatley had too much experience to allow the points to slip.

On the positive side Duncan Foster made a welcome return and was and showed that he has lost none of his line out ability.  Cameron Madden, playing at fly half in place of the injured Chris Creber, can be pleased with his performance.  However, if Malton are to turn the corner, they must develop a way of matching their undoubted flare with a more aggressive approach.

Malton:-  I. Cooke, G. Mosey, D. Webster, L. Cowton, T. Pateman, C. Madden, D. Cattle(A. Newsome 65mins.), P. Dobson, C. Muscroft, E. Gwilliam (J. Richards 65-75mins), D. Foster, J. Dobson, A. Mitchell, L. Combes, J. Machin.

Malton & Norton 20 v 22 Bradford Salem  
14.10.06
Just what do Malton have to do to get a win under their belts?  After dominating almost the whole game they again handed victory to the visitors in second half injury time.

The home side opened brightly, despite a flurry of last minute changes owing to injuries, and could well have taken the lead when Ian Cooke, who had a fine game at fly half, split the Salem defence asunder to race clear.  As he was about to touch down an excellent covering tackle dislodged the ball from his grasp and the chance was spurned.  Malton held territorial advantage and monopolised ball possession for most of the opening quarter, but it was Salem who gained the upper hand on twenty minutes when, on their first visit to the Malton 22 metre area, they spun the ball wide to right wing Chris Savva who completely outstripped the Malton defence with his blistering pace. 

Fly Half Matt Booth added the conversion. Five minutes later another break from defence by Salem and hopeful kick ahead was followed up by Savva who needed no second invitation to add to his tally as he gathered and raced to the line.  The conversion was unsuccessful and Malton soon retaliated.  A well placed box kick from young scrum half Dan Cattle, who was excellent throughout, was followed up by another fine young prospect in debutant wing Phil Pateman who caused enough panic in the Salem defence for Cooke to seize on a loose pass and cross for Maltons first score.  Cooke added the conversion and Malton were now back on track.  However, their hopes were again dented when they were penalised for holding onto the ball after a tackle and Booth added the points to boost Salems half time lead to  8 points.

The second period again saw Malton making most of the running and making light of the injury crisis currently crippling the club.  As the pressure mounted the Salem defence was bound to crack and, when they were finally caught offside at a ruck, Cooke added the three points to narrow the gap after seven minutes. A similar award midway through the half narrowed the gap to two points.  A touch of brilliance then put Malton ahead.  Tom Pateman, playing at fullback because of the injury crisis, found himself in possession thirty metres out and close to the left touchline.  A quick glance ahead, a shimmy of the hips and footwork to put Rudolph Nureyev to shame put him in the clear as he passed several bamboozled Salem defenders and raced over to touch down beneath the posts.  Cooke added the extras and Malton were now in the lead with ten minutes to go.  Unlike last season in Durham/Northumberland 1, sides in Yorks.1 do not give in easily and Salem were no exception.  Awarded a penalty forty metres out Booth hammered the ball into the corner.  His forwards duly won the lineout and swift transference to the wing gave  Savva his third touchdown of the afternoon to level the scores.  With the result hanging on the conversion Booth made no mistake from the touchline to clinch the points in the fourth minute of injury time.

A much better display from Malton and though they failed to gain any points can be heartened that they dominated play for almost the entire eighty minutes, a fact conceded by Salem officials, and some sparkling performances were witnessed.  Dan Cattle was named as man of the match and another 17 year old, Phil Pateman, can be well pleased with his first performance at this level.  The forwards, with props Ed Gwilliam and Paul Dobson to the fore, showed that they have the fight for the job and will overwhelm less capable sides than Salem.  Malton are a whisker away from being a very good side and with the return of one or two of the senior injured players will soon turn the corner and cause a few upsets on the way.

Malton:- T. Pateman, L. Cowton, D. Webster, W. Jones, P. Pateman, I. Cooke, D. Cattle, E. Gwilliam, C. Muscroft, P. Dobson, D. Foster, J. Dobson, A. Mitchell, L. Combes (S. Triffitt 10-20 mins.), J. Machin 

Bridlington 16 v 0 Malton & Norton  
21.10.06
 
Malton & Norton  
28.10.06
When times are hard any win will do and that was certainly the position before this 3rd Round EDF Energy Senior Vase tie so far as Malton were concerned.  Having completed a comprehensive double over the Tynesiders last season a good win was expected for the beleaguered Malton outfit.  As it was they had to wait for a last ditch effort to seal their continued interest in the competition.

Malton started brightly enough, stringing together several phases of play but failing to make the breakthrough.  Both sides missed simple penalty chances before  the stalemate was broken on twenty minutes when Ryton fly half Steve Fudge converted a penalty when Malton were penalised for infringing at a ruck.  Malton soon responded when an Ian Cooke kick to the corner was fumbled by the Ryton defence and Maltons debutant winger Andy Thompson was on hand to swoop on the loose ball and race between the posts.  The early promise of some good flowing rugby was now evaporating fast and was not assisted by a referee who seemed intent on stopping the game at every opportunity.   Malton did show a spark of light when second row John Dobson broke from centre field to barge his way through the defence to take play well into the Ryton 22 area before handing on to wing Tom Pateman who raced over for what appeared to be a very good try.  However, the referee deemed that a Malton player had deliberately obstructed a defender and disallowed the score as well as sending Malton flanker Lucas Combes to the sin bin for the offence, a harsh decision on both counts as the Ryton player concerned later admitted to having ‘taken a dive’.   With a one man advantage for the next ten minutes Ryton took full advantage and centre Hal Convery weaved his way past Maltons depleted defence to touch down under the posts for a fine individual try which Fudge converted.

Then came Maltons finest moment of the game.  Quick ball on the right was swiftly moved across the field to full back Phil Pateman who sliced through the visitors line to score in the corner and level the scores at the break.

The second period was a scrappy affair with neither side showing any dominance and both being guilty of turning over possession far too frequently to establish any flow.  To their credit Malton did show some good touches with centre Steve Mosey and Phil Pateman both taking the eye with some good running.  With extra time looming and the lights about to be switched on Malton came back to life.  With veterans Pat Stephenson and Tim Casey now on the field they stole the ball at a Ryton line out and from the ruck hooker Carl Muscroft, who had just returned to action after a ten minute spell in the sin bin, took matters into his own hands.   Driving forward he swatted off two desperate tacklers before bursting away to cross in the corner for the all decisive score.  Ian Cooke converted and the spectators were spared the agony of extra time as the final whistle sounded.

Malton: P. Pateman, T. Pateman, S. Mosey, L. Cowton, A. Thompson (C. Madden 60 mins), I. Cooke, D. Cattle, J. Richards (P. Stephenson 50 mins), C. Muscroft (B. Dolman 55-65 mins), A. Turnbull, D. Foster (T. Casey 70 mins), A. Mitchell, L. Combes, J. Dobson. 

Malton & Norton 34 v 30 Huddersfield YMCA  
04.11.06
The score line may give the impression that this was a close game but for those present the reverse was true.  Malton dominated for long periods and, but for some strange decisions from a very weak match official, could well have run out convincing winners.

The Malton pack took control very early on and caused the visitors to concede a penalty in the 6th minute which Ian Cooke duly slotted between the posts.  Ian Cooke duly slotted his kick between the posts.  A period of stalemate followed but Malton were still in the driving seat and on the forty minute mark, after prop forward Paul Dobson had been held up over the line, a surge from the pack at the resultant scrum produced a try for No.8 James Machin as the Malton eight drove over the line for the first push over try for many a long year.  Cooke added the extras and Malton were on the road to victory.  Indeed Cooke was the shining light in a first half which can be best described as mediocre.  Huddersfields only reply was a penalty from centre Dave Holmes to give Malton a 10 points to 3 interval lead.

The second half was totally different with both sides playing some excellent rugby.  In the opening minute Huddersfield closed the gap with a penalty when Malton held onto the ball too long at a tackle.  The Malton pack were in good form and should have been killing the opposition off in that department.  Their reward came, with no small amount of advice from the sidelines, when they took possession in mid field and Paul Dobson, again, excelled to release Machin to cross for his second try of the afternoon.  Cooke again converted.  Huddersfield, were always going to come back and did so rapidly.  A break down the left wing caught Malton short handed and, using the overlap to full advantage, sent in wing Chris Cowling for a deserved score. 

Malton then showed what they can do.  George Mosey, on as replacement at full back, opened up a gap to put cousin Steve Mosey into free space to create havoc in the visitors defence before exchanging passes with his fellow backs to see George crashing over for a very well worked try.  Huddersfield again retaliated and a well worked move in mid field gave centre Neil Walker the opportunity to stroll over for his sides second try. Back came Malton, and another piece of sheer brilliance from Ian Cooke appeared to have sealed the game.  Receiving the ball some thirty metres out he set out on one of his long mazy runs to bamboozle not only the opposition, but many of his colleagues, to cross for a brilliant individual score.  Needless to say he added the conversion.  Next came the score of the game.  From mid field Malton decided to open out.  Some exquisite handling involving Cooke and both Mosey’s saw young scrum half Dan Cattle take an incredible pass to cross for a try which brought the house down.

With time ebbing away YMCA briefly rallied and score two tries deep into injury time to make the score line look like a very close game when in fact Malton were by far the better side on the day

There were some very good performances, notably from Paul Dobson, Ian Cooke, Steve Mosey and Dan Cattle, but above all was the team effort which if sustained will soon see Malton in a more favourable position.

C. Madden (G. Mosey 60mins), T. Pateman, S. Mosey, L. Cowton, P. Pateman,  Cattle, P. Dobson, C. Muscroft, E. Gwilliam (A. Turnbull 70mins), D. Foster, J. Dobson, A. Mitchell, L. Combes, J. Malton: C. Madden, T. Pateman, S. Mosey, L. Cowton, P. Pateman, I. Cooke, J. Machin (T. Hopson 70 mins)



Ilkley 27 v 10 Malton & Norton  
11.11.06

A gale was blowing and rain was travelling horizontally across the pitch for most of the game.  Unfortunately things on the pitch were little better as Malton slumped to rock bottom of Yorkshire 1.  Both sides had exactly to same conditions to contend with, the only difference was that Ilkley appeared to have a bigger urge to win.

Malton did start well and Ian Cooke converted a penalty in the sixth minute which should have led to better things.  As so often this season they dropped their guard and allowed the hosts back into the game.  Having safely won the ball at a scrum five metres out from their own line a total failure of communication and poor control at the base gifted a try to the Ilkley scrum half, who appeared more surprised than anyone to find the ball in his hands.  With quarter of an hour gone another basic error from Malton gifted the home side yet another score.  A speculative kick ahead landed in no mans land close to the Malton 22 metre line.  Malton were first to the ball but for some inexplicable reason failed to secure it and an eager opponent was allowed to hack forward and win the race for the touchdown.  The visitors were now firmly on the back foot and suffered a further set back when Carl Muscroft was sin binned for interference at a ruck.  Ilkley took full advantage of their temporary numerical supremacy and were rewarded with a try from the resultant scrum.  Malton held out for the remainder of the half without further mishap to turn round 17 points to 3 in arrears.

A wake up call was needed and the message seemed to have been heeded in the early stages of the second period.  The introduction of Paul Dobson at prop added more urgency and purpose to the forward battle which infected some of those around him.  From mid-field second row John Dobson was fed the ball from a set move.  After bursting through the first line of defence he set off for the line.  Leaving a wake of would be tacklers behind him he crossed beneath the posts for Cooke to convert and breathe fresh hope into their side.  Ilkley had other thoughts and raised their own game to ensure that Malton were firmly pinned back for long periods.  The pressure was bound to tell and the hosts rounded the game off with two very late unconverted tries to complete a thoroughly miserable day for Malton.

If Malton are to rise above the current low, and they have the capabilities to do so, they must become more street wise in tight situations and take the few opportunities that arise.  On the plus side, Adam Turnbull showed up well in his first full start of the campaign along with John Dobson and Andy Mitchell.

Malton: G. Mosey, T. Pateman, S. Mosey, L. Cowton, P. Pateman, I. Cooke, D. Cattle, J. Richards (P. Dobson 45 mins), C. Muscroft, A. Turnbull, D. Foster, J. Dobson, A. Mitchell, L. Combes (S. Triffitt 60 mins), R. Webster.   

Malton & Norton v Keighley  
25.11.06
 
Malton & Norton  
02.12.06
 
Malton & Norton  
09.12.06