Although Beverley was ready to take on the Tigers it was Cottingham who were the stronger side from the whistle and they held possession well. When the Braves finally got the ball they did not capitalise as they have in previous games despite Jamie Branton taking the ball into the pack well.
Beverley threw the ball around but they could not keep hold of it in sticky conditions. There was some good solid play from on form Bailey Foulston and Conor Egan came in off his wing to make some much needed tackles.
The Tigers continued to press and thwarted Braves attempt at move forward, falling short of the line on several occasions. Excellent defence from Cottingham kept Beverley at bay and although the spaces were there the Tigers seemed to wrap all efforts up.
Callum Officer had a magnificent run edging them closer and this seemed to give Beverley the confidence they needed to turn on the pressure. Some fluent passing play finally came off and quick hands down the line made it all the way to winger Dan Norman to score in the corner.
This was the break Beverley needed to get back into their game. From the off Jay Black made a superbly timed pass drawing the player to release Owen Harrison down the wing for a strong, fast run and only an excellent tackle from Cottingham stood in the way of a certain try. Beverley continued to attack and a fantastic long pass from Harvey Lazenby released Harry Gray out wide to stretch the Braves lead to 12-0 at half time.
The Braves started the second half with more passion and determination and the resulting play saw Dylan Clifford run from his own half, twisting and turning to break free of the Tiger’s clutches, go down then pick himself up to storm over between the sticks. Cottingham never gave up though and continued to press forward.
A high kick saw Will Dodds take cleanly with safe hands and a strong run from newcomer Harry Bullyment battered the Tigers on his first run out for the Braves. The pressure paid off again as fast hands down the line through James McGahey, Kurt Pelham and then Branton released Joe Wardill to touch down out wide.
Callam Bielby deserves special mention as when he came on his tackles and runs were outstanding. The final try of the day was from a pass from McGahey which released Gray to show his speed as he pulled away from the defence to score his second try and finish the match 26 – 0.
Beverley recovered well from a first half where they never completed a set of six but Cottingham deserve praise for their excellent defensive play. Deserved man of the match Kurt Pelham. Top tackler again to Jamie Branton.
Final Score: Beverley Braves 26 Cottingham Tigers 0
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