It was party time at Westfield Banks on Saturday as a bumper crowd watched Goole deliver a five-star performance against a competitive Rishworthians side, running in nine tries in a thoroughly entertaining encounter.
Once again, injuries and unavailability forced changes to the lineup. However, such is the squad’s development that Goole now consistently field a matchday 18 capable of competing across all aspects of the game.
Kicking off into a stiff end-to-end breeze, Rishworthians had the advantage of the conditions in the first half. Despite this, it was Goole who dominated the early exchanges, keeping play tight and building through multiple phases deep into the visitors’ half. Their pressure paid off after 15 minutes when the returning Luke Cooper collected a deft kick from Rhys Moore inside the Rishworthians 22 to score. Moore added an excellent touchline conversion into the wind to make it 7–0.
Moore soon extended the lead to 10–0 with a well-struck penalty, but Goole briefly switched off at the restart, gifting possession that allowed Rishworthians to cross for an unconverted try (10–5). The response was immediate. Goole returned to their structured, forward-driven game, gaining ground through strong carries, with Rishworthians largely relying on kicking long with the wind to relieve pressure.
Although the visitors had occasional spells in Goole territory, they were repeatedly repelled by tenacious tackling, with Townend, Chantry, and the Malcolmson brothers particularly prominent in defence. With five minutes left in the half, Goole’s dominance was reflected on the scoreboard. James Chantry powered over, followed shortly by a try from Moore, who converted his own score to give the hosts a deserved 22–5 lead at the break.
With the wind now at their backs, Goole wasted no time asserting control in the second half. A superb take from the restart by Chantry launched an immediate attack, with Will Devenish held just short. Sustained pressure followed, and Will Townend crossed for the bonus-point try—the first of his second-half hat-trick—to extend the lead to 27–5.
Rishworthians responded with a strong 12-minute spell, dominating territory and showing good skill with offloads in contact. However, they were again denied by committed Goole defence and, crucially, came away without points. Once Goole regained possession and cleared their lines, the momentum shifted decisively.
A penalty into the corner set up an attacking lineout, and after a few controlled phases, Moore released Josh Malcolmson with a clever pass, allowing him to round the final defender and score. Moore’s conversion made it 34–5 with 20 minutes remaining.
From there, Goole moved through the gears. A pinpoint Moore kick to the corner set up another attacking platform, from which Townend powered over for his second try, quickly followed by his third from a similar lineout drive (44–5). With Rishworthians reduced to 14 men following a yellow card, Goole capitalised further as Andy Barrass finished off a move created by Ollie Pearson (49–5).
The ninth try came in style—Townend charged down the restart and surged through the middle before quick hands released Luke Cooper to score his second of the afternoon, with Matty Lill providing the final pass (56–5). To their credit, Rishworthians kept battling and were rewarded with a late consolation try, bringing the final score to 56–10.
There were plenty of positives for Goole. The impact from the bench was significant, while the versatility of Moore, Josh Malcolmson, and Chantry—each operating effectively in multiple positions—proved invaluable. Several standout individual performances were on show, with Chantry earning Man of the Match honours, though this was very much a complete team performance.
The victory extends Goole’s winning run to six matches, with two challenging away fixtures against Wensleydale and Yarnbury remaining to close out the season.