Yeomen top Irish to move into top spot

Playing a disciplined game that stressed ball retention, York beat the ICRC 33-10 on Saturday at York.

After squandering two golden opportunities on the Yeomen line in the first 10 minutes, the Greens made error after error, finally succumbing to the pressure after trailing 14-3 at halftime.

Captain Jon Ashley and lock Seb Orsi were sorely missed in a pack that held well in the set, but lost much possession in the loose through the hot afternoon.

"We were beaten by a more disciplined, fundamental side," said Irish coach Mark Winokur after the loss, first for the lads since October 28, 2000. "An insistence on making the clever, rather than the sound decision, combined with a more lax attitude than I would like, resulted in a pretty strong wake-up call."

Kyler Petrie scored the only Irish try well into the second half.  The win leaves York with 16 points from four games, the Irish with 15.

The Development side, with a grittier effort that was spoiled by some questionable refereeing decisions, also lost by 24-8, while the Timberwolves (3rds) rescued some Irish pride with a resounding 49-5 win in the noon fixture.

Next up are three home fixtures vs. Markham on Saturday.  "We will be looking for players who respond in a positive manner to this affront-I am sure we have some," noted Winokur.  Training shifts to Newtonbrook on TUESDAY AT 7 PM.

Developmental Squad (1-15):  Rob Galbraith, Mark Cosgrove, Ryan Carr, James Berry (Jay Lemon - 60 minutes), Chris McCannel, Alex Gawel, Mark Rotman, Simon Jackson (Captain), Jaime, Andy Harrison, Shane Vardy (Mark Power - 30 minutes), Henry Miers, Rene Leclerc, Jan Gawel (Ian Van Kerrebroeck - 40 minutes), Glenn Howard (Mark Robinson - 40 minutes)