Beverley RUFC preserved their place in League Three North with a fine win in this dramatic relegation showdown. Beverley RUFC needed two points to ensure their survival; only a victory would do for Middlesbrough. In the end it was all fairly emphatic once Beverley RUFC had got the bit between their teeth.
Early on they looked distinctly edgy and for twenty minutes they struggled to get their act together. Graham Currigan kicked two penalties for Middlesbrough while Beverley RUFC were squandering several good scoring opportunities at the other end. Delivery from the scrum was too often delayed and after a bright opening possession became hard to come by. Eventually with a fine surge up the middle John Stephenson sent Sam Atiola over for a well worked try and Beverley RUFC immediately looked a different proposition.
Despite another Currigan penalty for Middlesbrough Beverley RUFC were now in the ascendancy and on the stroke of halftime Junior Tupai went over for a second try which Phil Dale converted to give them a 12-9 interval lead. After that they never really looked back. In the second half the backs started to cut loose with Tupai and Atiola a constant threat. The lighter Beverley RUFC pack had its work cut out to contain the beefier Middlesbrough forwards whose driving mauls proved hard to contain. But they several times won the ball against the head and provided plenty of good possession which Phil Duboulay at stand-off used to good advantage.
Five minutes after the re-start Beverley RUFC stretched their lead with a fine converted try by Atiola who sprinted through the Middlesbrough defence from thirty metres out. At 19-9 this was perhaps the killer blow. Middlesbrough attacks afterwards looked increasingly less threatening and there was a sense of growing acceptance that the match was slipping away from them. Beverley RUFC by now looked capable of scoring whenever they attacked. After making a mark in his 22 Dale set up a counter attack which was carried on by Tupai then Glen Walden and ended with a try in the opposite corner for Chris Harding. Dale’s conversion from the touchline took Beverley RUFC to 26-9 and it was all as good as over.
After two early misses Dale kicked beautifully and had a splendid game at full back. This was his last game for Beverley RUFC before moving away from the area and when Beverley RUFC rang the changes late on he received a well deserved ovation as he left the field. Middlesbrough stuck at it and did come back with a converted try by winger Jack Bircham but Beverley RUFC still had the last word when Chris Infield rounded off a fine piece of work by Walden to cross under the posts. Duboulay banged over the conversion and at 33-16 it was mission satisfactorily accomplished for Beverley RUFC.
Had the outcome been different relegation would have been hard on Beverley RUFC. On their day they have been as good as any other side in the Division and at its best their rugby has been of high quality. It was probably no coincidence that the barren spell which saw them slip into the relegation zone occurred during the absence of Duboulay and Chris Infield their regular halfbacks. There is much they can take satisfaction from.
They have developed a solid workmanlike pack which has invariably held its own and their backline with Junior Tupai the hub has looked liable to cut loose against anybody. John Stephenson and Matty Adams have proved excellent acquisitions up front while Glen Walden in the backs is fast developing into a fine winger. Adams did not miss a single game and his steady grafting week in and week out in the second row deservedly won him the Player’s Player of the Season award. David Worrall’s contribution as both player and skipper has again been unmeasurable. All in all with the quality that now exists in the club there seems no reason why Beverley RUFC should not look forward to next season with optimism. And happily it will still be in League Three North.
Final Score: Beverley RUFC 33 Middlesbrough 16 | Reported by John Nursey | Photos Matthew Linton
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