Beverley Braves under 12s consolidated their mid table position with a fifth league win of the season away at a damp Hull Isberg.
With a large squad to choose from the Braves looked to rotate their players and give everyone a chance to show what they can do, and they came away with a solid, if not spectacular victory.
Turning possession over with a knock on in their first set of six, Beverley were forced to defend their own line from early in the game, but with the usual defence effort from Oliver Loney and Ethan Rowbotham assisted by Mathew Brown and Oliver Gresswell, they could hold out the Isberg attack.
Quick distribution from hooker Jack Turner and elusive running from Ryan Deane helped Beverley move up the field well and when Isberg were penalised for ball stealing Bennett-Teare charged over from the resulting tap, Turner adding the extras to make it 0-6.
Archie Murdoch scored again just a few minutes later for the Braves racing 60 metres down field from a scrum, evading several tacklers on his way to score out on the left. Marcus Walker adding the extras this time and Beverley were well on top at 0-12.
This dominance was underlined a few minutes later when Walker had all the time in the world to put in a cross field kick which William Wallis jumped highest to pat back into the open arms of Loney, who powered his way over under the sticks. Turner’s second conversion made it 0-18, and the game looked all over.
Hull Isberg did not have this view. However, with the second row racing through the Braves defence to score under the posts on the stroke of half-time and the conversion making it 6-18.
Half-time allowed some changes to be made in the Braves ranks with Ewan Morton, Dylan English, Matthew Hutchinson and the Newton brothers all part of the changes and also a first start for new boy Ben Hodder, who showed some nice touches.
Beverley started the second half in the worst possible way allowing Isberg to score in the initial set. At 10-18 Hull Isberg were now the team on top, and Beverley had to work hard to steady the ship. Once again, they worked their way down field, Lewis Egan probing off the back of strong forward drives allowing Wallis to squeeze over from acting half-back.
With William Kirkup’s goal, it was now 10-24 and the Braves were back in control. The conditions were greasy meaning the whole game was littered with handling errors, but it was nonetheless, an entertaining game with some great scores.
Beverley’s fifth coming from Murdoch again, a carbon copy of his first score from the scrum goaled by Walker.
There were also some great defensive efforts, Murdoch twice tackling Isberg players into touch on their left, Henry Hughes making a try saver in the left-hand corner, Rowbotham’s usual high work rate and Walker and Loney combining to put the strong running second row into touch on Isberg right. Loney’s work rate in defence being recognised with the man of the match award.
As good as some of the defence was it was poor defensive lapses that let Isberg into the game and once again the were found wanting at a scrum with Isberg’s speed out wide enough to make it 14-30 with a well-taken try and that is how the score remained to full time.
Final Score: Hull Isberg 14 Beverley Braves 30 | Reported by David Walker
