The Beverley Braves under nines cruelly missed out on a victory against Skirlaugh Bulls in the pouring rain at Longcroft but were second-best in the score line only after a pulsating, end to end tussle.
What the young Braves lacked in size they certainly made up for in courage and guts as they took the game to their opponents from the first whistle with a series of charges from the likes of Owen Miller, Mathew Shirley and Lewis Bradley working off great acting half play from Shamus Blades in his first outing at hooker, a role which he shared with Bryan Usher who was equally impressive.
Cain Robb (two tries) and MOTM Josh Hamlyn (one try) were very impressive, driving forward at every opportunity and at times taking up to four defenders to bring them down inspiring their team whilst also very busy off the ball.
William Cohen, Mark Peacham and Rhys Wallan all returned to the side after holidays and looked like they have never been away, with Cohen, in particular, going very close to scoring on a couple of occasions from his darting runs.
Defensively, all the Braves deserve a massive amount of credit but two, in particular, warrant a special mention in helping keep a good side to just four tries; Charlie Gay worked his socks off for his teammates and Ellis Gaden, who remarkably still qualifies for the year below continues to put in hits that defy his stature. A good team performance with many positives. Coach Craig Collins said ‘‘Failure is only an opportunity to start again’’
