Charlie Harris impresses after stepping into key role for Pontefract RUFC

​Selby have struggled this season, but were in no mood to lie down and give Ponte an easy win in their promotion quest.

The talk before the game in the Ponte camp was the absence of captain Liam Kay and the decision to replace him with inexperienced Charlie Harris, but he excelled on the day with dazzling footwork and solid defence.

Ponte had the best of the early skirmishes but a mixture of good defence from the opposition and a lack of patience at certain times stopped a score.

With Selby down a man to a yellow card, a try came as the constant bullocking drives from the likes of Brodie Matthews and Steve Reynolds paid dividends. A half-break and offload from Harris allowed Richard Dedicoat to put Andy Coleman in at the corner.

A brilliant break from Reynolds straight from the restart put the visitors back on the attack, with Leo Harrison getting tackled just short.

The second try soon followed, though, as forward drives from Josh Hough and Reynolds sucked in the defence and allowed evergreen centre Craig Fawcett to make a break. He offloaded to winger Linden Metcalf whose lightning quick hands found Brodie Matthews lurking out wide for a score behind the posts.

Dedicoat converted and it was 12-0 at half-time as resolute defence kept Selby at bay before the interval.

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With Tad Nyanjowa getting a yellow card early in the second half, it was backs to the wall for a spell and Selby struck an early blow with a well struck penalty.

Tremendous cover tackles from Tim Pickersgill and Sam Millard stopped a certain looking Selby score, but from then on it was all Ponte.

Two Selby yellow cards allowed them to exert pressure and a quick tap from excellent scrum-half Harry Woolastan allowed Ethan Potts to put Coleman over for his second try, converted by Dedicoat.

A yellow card for Bailey Matthews gave Selby position to score an unconverted try, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished as Ponte scored a fantastic bonus point winning try to seal the game. Great interplay between backs and forwards allowed Fawcett to roll back the years and magic his way to the line, with Dedicoat adding the extras.

There was still time for Nyanjowa to collect his second yellow, but it was a pleasing win at a ground Pontefract traditionally struggle.

Man of the match for Ponte, in a game everyone fronted up, was Sam Millard, closely followed by Ethan Potts, Brodie Matthews, Reynolds and Woolastan.

Pontefract, who remain in second place in the table, face another West Yorkshire derby this Saturday when they travel to play Morley (2.15pm).