Yate Rugby 1st XV 13–3 Chipping Sodbury 1st XV

Rugby Riley reporting

Yate Rugby 1st XV maintained their unbeaten record against local rivals Chipping Sodbury in league fixtures with a hard-fought 13–3 victory at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex.

Before kick-off, both teams and their supporters observed a perfectly respected minute’s silence to honour and remember our past and present service personnel.

Sodbury had an early opportunity to take the lead with a penalty directly in front of the posts, but the kick drifted wide. Both sides defended well during a tight and competitive opening period, with neither team able to establish control.

Sodbury eventually opened the scoring with a penalty, but Yate responded with one of their own to bring the score level at 3–3.

Yate then thought they had scored the first try of the afternoon when Rhys Summerville appeared to ground the ball successfully. However, much to the amazement of the home crowd, the referee ruled that he hadn’t seen the grounding.

Yate continued to apply pressure and were rewarded when Summerville added another penalty to put the home side ahead.

The second half saw Yate return to the pitch with renewed energy and determination. Both teams continued to put in some massive tackles, much to the delight of the spectators, as the physical contest intensified.

Yate extended their advantage when their forward pack produced an excellent driving effort, pushing the Sodbury defence backwards and creating the opportunity for Stacy Price to ground the ball for the first try of the game. Summerville added the conversion to make it 13–3 to Yate.

The match continued to provide an entertaining spectacle, with both sides testing each other across the pitch. A brief cameo from local rugby veteran Lee Ralph ended in a red card after just five minutes on the field, making Sodbury’s task of getting back into the game even more difficult.

Yate continued to create opportunities to extend their lead, but Sodbury’s defence held firm. Ryan Halford put in an impressive defensive performance, with some excellent tackling throughout.

Powerful carries from Yate’s Max Anstey, Evan DeMonick and Matt Starr continued to test the visitors’ defensive resolve, but Sodbury refused to give in.

With the final action of the game, Summerville kicked the ball into touch to bring proceedings to a close.

It was a thoroughly competitive local derby and a great advert for local rugby.

Final score: Yate Rugby 13–3 Chipping Sodbury.

The result extends Yate’s unbeaten record against Sodbury in first-team league fixtures.

Well done to both sets of players for an entertaining and competitive afternoon of rugby, and a big thank you to everyone who came along to support the teams.