In the Battle of Yorkshire, the Mustangs came out on top in what turned out to be a good hard fought game where neither team gave up until the final whistle. The game could have gone either way in the first half with both teams on equal points, but Doncaster took the advantage with scores in the third and fourth quarter to take Yorkshire bragging rights.

The Mustangs received the kick and made good yardage in the opening stages with some good runs by Scott Goddard, awarded the Ram’s Opposition MVP for an outstanding game, which led to an early score when quarterback Mike Hibbert went in from the eight. The kick by Paul McKintosh split the sticks and the visitors were up by seven points. Ram’s Chris Kuc returned the ball 43 yards on the kick to give his side good field position. Yorkshire took a chance on fourth down with Rob Tingle running through the middle to get deep into the Mustang’s half. Adam Purcell kept the ball on the next play to go 15yards for a spot on the one yard line and though his next attempt was short he finally got in to make the score 7-6. Yorkshire went in front late in the quarter following more gains by Tingle and Purcell with Tingle adding the TD on an 18yard rumble. Kuc added the point to to increase the lead to 13-7.

The second period saw Yorkshire pressing hard to add to their tally with good performances on both offence and defence but the Mustangs were also showing spirit. A bad bounce on a Doncaster punt gave the Rams a good advantage but a sack on Purcell by David Spencer and penalties pushed the home side back and they had to punt. Yorkshire got the ball back quickly when Andi Holden intercepted to get possession. Phil Fitzpatrick thought he had scored when he boke a tackle to go in from 17 yards but a yellow flag brought the play back Another good run by Fitzpatrick moved the ball upfield with the Rams looking for the score but they felt hard done by when Purcell’s pass was intercepted and the Doncaster player ran back into the endzone where he was tackled but the ruling was a touchback. The Rams were once more on the march late in the half after some good plays between Purcell, Tingle and receptions by Kuc. A breakaway run by Paul Goodward very nearly brought the six but after racing 38 yards he was caught at the Doncaster five yard marker where the Mustangs gained the ball on a fumble. A slip up by Yorkshire’s ‘D’ allowed the visitors to pull back in the closing minutes when they had Doncaster backed up on their own two yard spot with Paul Tiggerdine running behind his line looking for a way out. Two missed tackled gave him the chance and he scampered away for a 78 yard TD run. The two pointer failed and the score was level at 13 apiece at the break.

Yorkshire started the third quarter well with Dale Hoggan returning the kick off into Mustangs territory. Some more powerful runs by Tingle helped keep the ball moving but the Mustangs defence started to hold and caused a fumble with Chris Swinbourne coming up with the ball. Good Ram’s defence held tight forcing Doncaster to punt but a slice of bad luck for Yorkshire gave the ball straight back to the opposition with Brian Long gaining the ball. Hibbert started a drive by throwing a long pass to Pete Davies at the Ram’s twenty one. Steve Egbury helped keep the ball moving with a good run finally being brought to ground by Rob Kent at the one yard line. Rob Parker and Gareth Self stopped the next rush just inches from the line but Hibbert went in on the next play to make it 19-13 to Doncaster. Hibbert ran round the end to add two points for the score 21-13. The period closed with the Mustangs on the move down field, with a tackle by Ben Walsh saving what would have been a touchdown when Goddard was on he run.

Yorkshire’s defence stopped the continued Mustang’s attack with a good open tackle by Simon Vardy and a sack from Rob Parker but once again the Gods of Football were not looking down on the home side. Following loss of yardage by a sack on Purcell the Rams were forced to punt, Doncaster swarmed in on the kick and blocked the ball recovering it just short of the endzone. Tiggerdine went in from the one on the next play to make the scoreboard read 27-13. The remainder of the game saw the Ram’s trying their best to get another score with some good plays by Goodward and Josh Warehime, in at quarterback, with Lloyd Olpherts, Andy Hill and Self on the defence. Doncaster on the other hand were making sure that the win was firmly stuck in their grasp…which they did and took the game with no further scores by either team.

The Mustangs now move into the play offs and Yorkshire wish them all the best in their quest for a berth in the D1a final. This was the final game of the season for the Rams but they have already started preparing for 2006 with some changes which will be announced shortly.