Nottingham Rugby’s Championship Cup campaign got off to a stuttered start when they were comfortably beaten by Yorkshire Carnegie 38-19 at Huddersfield YMCA RUFC.

Six tries from the hosts overwhelmed the Green and Whites, whose defence has been among the best in the league so far this season. Tries from Will Millett and Harry Graham were not enough to topple Yorkshire, who sit in 12th place in the Greene King IPA Championship.

Yorkshire Carnegie registered the first points of the afternoon when flanker Keiran Frost scored a try. Jade Te Rure’s conversion was good, giving the hosts a seven-point lead after six minutes.

Nottingham replied with a try of their own from Will Millett, who rounded off a period of Green and Whites pressure with a darting run through the Carnegie defence. Gearoid Lyons’ conversion put the sides at 7-7 after 20 minutes, with the match seemingly in the balance.

However, a period of dominance from Yorkshire followed.  A spell of three tries gave the home side a strong lead of 24-7 as the teams left the field for half-time. Nottingham needed to find the form they had shown in previous weeks to fight a way back into the match.

But it was Yorkshire who would be the first side to score in the second half. Thomas Hill was the scorer and Te Rure converted to give the home side a 24-point lead in the early stages of the first half.

One minute later and the game looked to be put to bed when Antonio Kiri Kiri scored a try. Te Rure’s conversion solidified the host’s already commanding lead.

But with over half an hour to play and the score at 38-7, Nottingham fought back. On the 54th minute, Will Millett scored his second try of the match, breaking through the Carnegie defence at pace to run around 40 metres before touching the ball down. Lyons’ conversion was missed.

Nottingham battled hard throughout the remaining minutes but could not break down the resolute Yorkshire defence.

Despite a result being out of reach, Nottingham scored a fantastic try from their own five-metre line to end the match. Coming off the back of a scrum, the Green and Whites passed the ball quickly along the line to find Harry Graham, whose blistering pace was too much for the Yorkshire defenders. Scoring beneath the posts, Lyons converted to end the match.

Nottingham’s next match sees them face Doncaster Knights in the Championship Cup on Friday 16th November. Advance tickets for the match can be purchased via the club’s ticketing website here.