Beverley ARLC received a double boost ahead of this game at the Beverley Leisure Centre last Saturday.
Ben Calvert decided to remain with the club and opt out of a proposed move to Skirlaugh, and they made a new signing in the shape of Sam Roe. Sam had played for the junior section since the under 8s but had moved to West Hull.
He, however, decided to return to his roots. This should prove to be a step in the right direction for the club as there has been much debate at monthly meetings about the numbers of players who live in Beverley but play for clubs in Hull.
Calvert and Roe formed a centre partnership in a side picked from a fully available squad with only the injured Phil Hill unavailable for selection. This made defeat a difficult pill to swallow.
The opening quarter of the game saw both defences on top with the visitors enjoying more possession, mainly due to handling errors by the hosts. Pressure finally told when Bilton got on the scoreboard with a try in the 20th minute.
The visitors continued to press, but a long pass went straight into the hand of Sam Roe, who sprinted 70 meters to score behind the posts for Watkin to convert. The home side now had their tails up with Watkin and Cooper buzzing in midfield.
Gavin Proctor but Beverley in the lead with a typical try from close range and Watkin added the extras. Beverley went into the interval 12-6 up.
Beverley continued to defend well early in the half as handling errors close to their own line handed their opponents a lions share of possession. In between times there were flashes of danger in attack with a number of strong bursts from Tim Niccolini, Mike Cooper and Lee Stevens.
The scores were locked at 12-6 until the hour mark and the hosts still looked capable of victory. However there were at least 4 very strong runners for the visitors and Beverley were beginning to miss one on one tackles on these players and they paid the penalty in the end.
The visitors crossed the line in the 60th minute and added a further 3 unanswered tries plus a drop goal to seal the win. It proved to be a very disappointing end to an afternoon that had begun with such optimism.
This Saturday Beverley are at home to Haworth Park Rangers who are anchored firmly to the bottom of the league with no wins thus far this season.
Kick off is 2pm at the Beverley Leisure Centre.
Final Score: Beverley ARLC 12 Bilton Sully’s 29 | Reported by Nick Robinson
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