A win for Beverley RUFC but a disappointing afternoon. On a lovely autumn day crying out for a fast open game it materialised into a ponderous and spluttering affair. In truth the match as a spectacle never really stood a chance. There were seldom more than two minutes unbroken play before the referee Martin Ellis found some reason to intervene.
The penalty count alone averaged out at a penalty awarded nearly every two minutes. Add into this the numerous set scrums and four yellow cards in a game that was never dirty and you have it all. Beverley RUFC got home in the end but they made heavy weather of it. They looked nothing like the side that had taken Morpeth apart the previous week and they could do nothing more than breathe a sigh of relief at the end.
They made a stuttering start with some sloppy handling and a good deal of unnecessary kicking in the backs. Up front they had their work cut out coping with the big physical home forwards and they never wholly came to terms with them all afternoon. After a fairly even first quarter in which he had already made his mark with his whistle Mr. Ellis issued yellow cards to Beverley RUFC’s Goran Jelencic and Pocklington’s Matt Davies for what looked like a distinctly minor skirmish on the touchline.
By then it had become clear that Beverley RUFC possessed the greater edge in the backs. Several good chances were created but sadly all were squandered by poor handling or poor decision making. Pocklington had a lively fly half in Josh Britland but generally they lacked Beverley RUFC’s penetration and it was Beverley RUFC who always looked the more likely to open the scoring.
After creating and wasting numerous chances Beverley RUFC’s opening score eventually came, ironically, from the charging down of a home clearance kick. Junior Tupai charged down and reacted quicker than the home defence to pick up and sprint over for the game’s first try. The try and Lee Birch’s conversion ought to have settled Beverley RUFC but they continued to struggle to find any rhythm. Pocklington came back strongly at them and five minutes before halftime full back Nick Bennett reduced the lead with a penalty.
Whatever strong words might have been said in the Beverley RUFC camp at halftime they were to no avail. Within a minute of the restart Pocklington had taken the lead. Beverley RUFC fielded the kick off, dithered in their own 22 and lost the ball, and Pocklington wing forward Jack Holbrough crashed through some flimsy tackling to touch down. Now 8-7 behind Beverley RUFC needed to find some inspiration from somewhere but a second Bennett penalty shortly afterwards put them further adrift at 11-7.
Beverley RUFC always looked to have the wherewithal to turn things round but their play was uncharacteristically frenetic and lacked control. Their lineout work too was often untidy and not helped by some wayward throwing in. Late on things did improve noticeably with the introduction of Jonny Stephenson from the bench. With twenty minutes remaining Beverley RUFC at last cut loose. Defending deep in their own 22 they moved the ball right and burst away with a lovely counter attack. Sam Atiola made good ground before releasing Birch who sprinted forty metres down the touchline for his sixth try of the season. He converted the try himself with a fine kick from the touchline and Beverley RUFC could breathe again.
Pocklington gave it everything in a tremendous finish but Beverley RUFC held firm to maintain their unbeaten record. Despite the unremitting intrusion of the referee’s whistle it had been a hard fought game with an exciting finish that could have gone either way. However if Beverley RUFC are to achieve their aim of making a swift return to National League Three they cannot afford too many performances like this. Still, a win is a win however it is ground out and if nothing else this game will have served as a useful wake-up call.
Final Score : Pocklington 11 Beverley RUFC 14 | Reported John Nursey
Photos by Paul Linton
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