Battle with Barny
After a week of horrible weather, Saturday couldn’t have been any better for rugby. The 1XV welcomed league leaders Barnard Castle to Mackinlay Park for what was always going to be a tough fixture.

The opening 10 minutes set the tone — a physical battle with both sides matching each other blow for blow. Barny’s first score came from a well-executed lineout, their forwards setting early and using their size to drive over the try line. Their second followed from another strong set piece, as a solid scrum platform allowed their backs to run a strike move through the Redcar defence.

Redcar created opportunities of their own but couldn’t quite find the finishing touch. The best chance came when young AJ burst through with a huge line break, only for the final pass to fall just out of reach of James Toward. Redcar eventually opted for the points and took a penalty in front of the posts to get on the board.

HT: 3–12

The second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams battling hard in the middle of the park. Tempers began to flare and, after a few “rugby cuddles,” Redcar found themselves down to 14 men while Barny were reduced to 13.

With the extra space, Redcar spent long periods camped in the Barny half, but despite sustained pressure they couldn’t convert their possession — credit to Barny’s stubborn defence. A couple of unfortunate decisions gave Barny the field position they needed to add two more tries as the game wore on.

At times it felt like men against boys: Redcar’s entire back line was under 21, and around 80% of the team had fewer than a full season’s worth of 1XV caps. But the lads stood firm, matching Barny’s aggression and physicality throughout. Full credit to the boys — many would have predicted Barny to rack up 50+, but the squad set out to do themselves proud, and anyone watching would agree they achieved exactly that.