Fylde 74 Harrogate 5: Twelve tries take Fylde top of the table

Having beaten Chester on the opening day, they followed it up with victory over Preston Grasshoppers but made two changes to the starting line-up from that game.

Joe Higgins replaced Zach Barrow, who picked up a knock against Hoppers, while Henry Higginson made his first start.

England U18s star Tristan Woodman was among the replacements, which also included the returning Pete Altham, former Fylde captain Adam Lewis, Olli Parkinson and Tom Forster.

After both sides paid their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a minute’s silence and the national anthem before kick-off, it was Harrogate who got the match underway.

Having failed to collect their own lineout and losing possession near the Harrogate line, Fylde quickly made amends.

After winning a lineout on halfway, they moved the ball out to the left where Adam Lanigan broke the line and found Tom Grimes, who went over to score in the corner with Greg Smith converting.

He scored again moments later, producing a delicate chip into midfield before Matt Sturgess nudged the ball forward and Grimes dived on the loose ball for his second try and a 12-0 lead.

Harrogate had a spell in the Fylde half, albeit without breaking down their defence, and the hosts then turned defence into attack.

Sam Stott broke clear from halfway and, when he was tackled, found Sturgess who raced under the posts with Smith converting.

It took Fylde a while to approach the Harrogate line again but, when they did, they scored as Toby Harrison found a gap to cross with Smith’s conversion making it 26-0.

Harrogate then dug in defensively to keep Fylde at bay until half-time, after which the home team set off on the front foot.

Stott scored two tries in as many minutes, spotting gaps in the Harrogate defence and racing through to touch down.

Smith converted one of the tries before Fylde increased their lead further as Jordan Dorrington got on the end of a slick passing move to make it 45-0.

By now, Fylde were starting to play some excellent expansive rugby and went over as another passing move was finished off by Lanigan, bringing up Fylde’s half-century.

Harrogate didn’t give up and got their reward when, after a period of sustained pressure on the Fylde line, Will Yates scored in the corner.

Fylde skipper Ben Gregory kept up his record of scoring in every game so far this season before David Fairbrother backed up a break and touched down in the corner.

Leading 62-5, Fylde saw Harrison back up another break for his second try before Smith’s pinpoint kick found Grimes, who walked over the line for his hat-trick.

Smith was unable to convert but the full-time whistle sounded to herald another Fylde victory.

Next up for Fylde is Saturday’s trip to Hull Ionians before Blaydon visit the Woodlands on October 1.

Fylde: Dorrington, Lanigan, Wilkinson (Forster 55), Stott, Grimes, Smith, Sturgess, Higgins (Lewis 52), Gregory (Higgins 65), Ashcroft (Altham 52), Corrie (Woodman 47), Garrod, Harrison, Higginson, Fairbrother (Parkinson 69).

Harrogate: Macnab, Pearson, Kennell, Mercer, Yates, Fox, Raubitschek, Derbyshire, Maycock, Baxter, Fenn, Brady, Jones, Hill, Spencer-Jones. Replacements: Elsayed, Jackson, Booth, Olley, Scrase.