DISJOINTED and at odds with itself and the Otley pack for the first 40 minutes, Saturday's Sedgley side were 22-3 down at the turnaround.

However, a much improved second-half performance, in which the Park midfield began to find some consistency, saw them claw their way back into the game and, but for some interesting rule interpretations from Italian referee Carlo Damasco, the Tigers could even have won this game.

It was supposed to be the best time to play Otley, especially at Cross Green.

The sun was out; there was a lush surface to play on instead of the usual mud bath; but most importantly the Otley pack was missing two of its vital cogs.

With props Kris Fullman (broken hand) and Justin Wring (twisted knee) out injured and the Yorkshire side still looking for its first win of the new season after a draw and three defeats, now was the time to catch them.

Unfortunately, no one told Otley that.

In Steve Trethewey and Ben Fear, the home side had more than ample replacements for Fullman and Wring, and Sedgley had injury problems of their own.

Phil Jones returned to the stand-off birth, releasing Arno De Jager to drop back to fullback. Unfortunately outside centre Shaun Woof was missing due to a calf injury, replaced by winger Richard Hopkinson, whose number 11 shirt was filled by utility back, Danny McGee.

In addition, scrum-half Chris Wilkinson as also injured, so on the bench were two more products of the club's burgeoning junior set-up, brothers Tom and Jamie Albinson.

Midfield selection is all about balance and utilising the strengths available.

In Jones, Sedgley have an attacking pivot whose extensive passing and kicking game can bamboozle any side.

However, with inside centre Ian Voortman deprived of partner Woof, Sedgley's midfield lacked cohesion and familiarity.

As a result it suffered, with Jones and scrum-half Dave McCormack getting in each other's way, blunting their attacking options.

It wasn't helped by a pack that had no answer to Otley's well-honed and drilled tight eight.

They formed a relentless juggernaut, intent on racking up points with match winning regularity.

The first of 16 penalties conceded by Sedgley in the first half arrived after just 35 seconds and was exploited by Otley in ruthless fashion.

Not even contemplating the easy three-pointer on offer from the visitor's 22, it was kick to the corner; win the five-metre lineout, catch and drive, with scrum-half Dave Scully getting the final touch - simple if unadventurous. Result, 5-0.

Five minutes later, same again, with Scully grabbing his second try, 10-0.

Jones slotted over a penalty to cut the deficit, but on 15 minutes it was time for try number three fashioned in exactly the same way as the previous two, this time flanker Nathan Bland touching down, after Sedgley hooker Paul Keys was yellow carded. Simon Binns this time added the extra two points to make it 17-3.

Sedgley put together one threatening move involving Ponton, Hopkinson, Keys, Skurr and Lund, but it came to a halt when Otley forced a turn over.

Three minutes before the half-time whistle Scully claimed his hat-trick with a try exactly the same as the first two and the visitors found themselves trailing 22-3.

Sedgley led the penalty count 10-4 at the break, but Signor Damasco was nothing but even handed, with Otley edging the count 10-6 in the second half.

Binns extended Otley's lead to 25-3 within two minutes of the restart, with Jones cancelling it out on 53 minutes.

Just when Sedgley thought they were beginning to make in-roads into Otley territory, Bland scored his second try of the afternoon, finishing off a move in the left corner which Binns added to, to make it 30-6.

But on the hour Otley made four changes that for a while stifled their momentum and Sedgley took advantage.

With Scully yellow carded and Otley down to 14 men, Sedgley took a leaf out of the home side's book.

Jones kicked a penalty for touch; the Tigers won the resulting five-metre lineout and performed a text-book catch and drive, with replacement Richard Senior getting the all important final touch. Jones did not disappoint with the conversion and Sedgley were back in the game at 30-13.

Scully then celebrated his return with a successful penalty kick, but a superb piece of individual brilliance from Sedgley winger Jon Feeley cut the deficit even more.

Fielding a 22 drop-out just inside his own half, he set off on a meandering run straight down the middle, with a few sidesteps and body swerves thrown in to wrong-foot the Otley defence before going over to the left of the posts to give Jones an easy conversion to make it 33-20 with ten minutes remaining.

Minutes later Jones launched a huge punt down field. An Otley player tried to catch it but only succeeded in deflecting the ball to fullback Tom Rock, who knocked-on.

Hopkinson, following up the kick, pounced to gather up the loose ball and touched down. However, Referee Damasco saw it differently and awarded Otley a penalty, having previously turned down a Tigers' plea for a penalty-try, when McCormack tapped and ran a penalty less than 10 metres from the Otley line but was tackled within two metres of where he took it from.

But with a losing bonus point up for grabs, Sedgley plugged away and the pressure finally told on the home side.

After a second penalty in 10 seconds, Jones once more kicked for touch and possession from the lineout was turned into a driving maul, with Sedgley's Kiwi Number 8 Sam Anania rounding the move off over the line by grounding the ball.

Jones duly supplied the extra two points with a pressure kick from the left touchline to make it four from four, with the final scoreline guaranteeing the Tigers a point.

SEDGLEY PARK: De Jager, Feeley, Hopkinson, Voortman (T. Albinson 71), McGee, Jones, McCormack (J. Albinson 80), Roberts (Gazzola 67), Keys (Oxley 58), Evans (Du Plessis 58), Fourie, Lund (Rowe 49), Skurr (Senior 49), Ponton, Anania.

P W D L F A Diff BP BT Pts

Harlequins 5 5 0 0 164 54 110 0 3 23

Bedford 5 4 1 0 168 82 86 0 4 22

PCornish Pirates 5 4 0 1 164 105 59 0 3 19

Nottingham 5 3 0 2 124 111 13 1 2 15

Newbury 5 3 0 2 163 170 -7 1 2 15

Rotherham 5 3 0 2 115 137 -22 0 2 14

Plymouth 5 2 0 3 142 146 -4 1 4 13

Birmingham & Solihull 5 2 1 2 110 112 -2 0 1 11

Exeter 5 2 0 3 83 122 -39 1 0 9

Coventry 5 1 0 4 105 123 -18 2 2 8

Otley 5 1 1 3 105 133 -28 1 1 8

Sedgley Park 5 1 1 3 112 155 -43 1 1 8

London Welsh 5 1 0 4 98 129 -31 2 0 6

Doncaster 5 1 0 4 92 166 -74 1 0 5