Crocs’ big finish pays off

The sides started the day on nine points, with only Selby and West Park Leeds below them, and things looked gloomy for Crocs when they trailed 16-9 with the 80-minute mark approaching.

However, Kiwi stand off Zane Sanders raced through to score. Ryan Sweeney added the conversion and then a penalty after two minutes of added time to snatch the spoils.

It was a huge lift for the Broomfield men following their 95-27 humiliation at Bridlington in their last game a fortnight earlier.

Crocs had several players back yesterday, including Chris Vine, Will Travis and Sanders, who had lasted only 10 minutes before picking up a chest injury on his debut.

However, prop Reuben Pollard was an absentee through injury.

Referee Jason Brian had watch problems, meaning the second half appeared to be longer than the first, but Crocs weren’t complaining.

Yarnbury started the better and took the lead with a pushover try.

The conversion was missed and goal kicking turned out to be a key factor.

The visitors tried three kickers during the course of the contest and they missed two penalties before the 30-minute mark while the sure-footed Ryan Sweeney slotted both his attempts to give the home men a 6-5 lead.

Crocs had hardly got out of their half in that time as they clung on to possession but the game was not much of a spectacle.

Hooker Declan Hampson was yellow carded at the start of the second period and Yarnbury’s second choice kicker hit a post with the penalty.

Yarnbury then turned to replacement Davies, who gave them an 8-6 lead on 49 minutes.

As the heavens opened Yarnbury lost a player to the sin-bin and Sweeney made it 9-8 after 56 minutes.

Jack Hammond was yellow carded for a neck tackle and David restored Yarnbury’s lead shortly after.

Sanders was distributing well but he had a kick charged down which led to a try from Childs and a 9-16 scoreline on 67 minutes.

Hammond returned to make some weaving runs but Yarnbury missed a chance to make the game safe with a penalty on 72 minutes.

With time running out, a crash tackle on Gareth Ott sparked a brawl and a Yarnbury player was sin-binned.

Sanders scored following a scrum in front of the posts and Sweeney levelled the scores.

There was still time for Crocs to attack again, another Yarnbury player to be sin-binned and the cool Sweeney to land the winning penalty from in front of the posts.