Beverley RUFC first match of a new season. The earlier rain had eased up and playing conditions were ideal. Sadly the game did not quite live up to the anticipation. Morley got off to a blistering start and were seventeen points almost in as many minutes. Beverley never really recovered from it although at one stage they did narrow the gap to seven points and until late on were never completely out of the game.
Morley ended last season strongly and on the evidence here will probably do well again. Beverley have lost a clutch of senior players this summer and they started today with several of their current players either absent with injuries or unavailable. Consequently it was perhaps not surprising that they looked somewhat disjointed and lacking in cohesion. It will probably all come right eventually but at the moment there are several areas where their resources do look pretty thin.
Their situation was not helped by losing scrum half Rob Smith with an injury after only six minutes. He had started brightly and had just made a lovely break, but he now joins his half back partner, skipper Phil Duboulay, on the sidelines, possibly for some time. Morley had all the early pressure and it was no surprise when winger Bradley Marshall burst away down the left and scored in the corner after a forty metre run. Three minutes later Tom Clough went over on the opposite wing and Tom Moody then waltzed round the substitute Beverley winger for a third try. With Mark Chester adding one conversion Morley were already 17-0 up.
It looked like being a calamitous afternoon for Beverley but they started to get themselves together and gradually clawed their way back into the match. Their pack, it must be said, gave a good account of themselves all afternoon and pressure on the Morley line led to a well worked try for centre Anthony Maka which Jamie Gill converted. Gill then kicked a penalty and as halftime approached Beverley were surprisingly right back in it at 17-10.
A red card for Morley prop Dave Wightman on the stroke of halftime gave Beverley the prospect of a one man advantage for the whole of the second half. After their improved second quarter they might now have fancied their chances. Sadly they never really made the most of it and Wightman’s absence was barely noticed.
Two minutes into the second half Chester kicked a penalty to take Morley ten points clear. Beverley immediately had the chance to respond with a simple penalty and stay in touch but unwisely opted to kick to the corner instead of taking the three points. After that they were never again in the hunt. Chester kicked another penalty and a second yellow card for Martin Shaw not only ended his match but gave Morley a converted penalty try.
Beverley in their disjointed sort of way stuck at it but could seldom find the fluency of the Morley play although Morley themselves were not totally immune from basic handling errors. A penalty lineout in the corner did eventually bring a second try for Beverley touched down in the corner by Alex Ogilvie. It brought some reward for a wholehearted effort and at 15-30 the score had a more respectable look about it. Sadly Beverley’s old habits began to emerge – sloppy throwing at the lineouts, indiscipline, and careless handling and Morley were able to romp away in the later stages with another two converted tries from their impressive flanker Luke Watts.
Morley will be well satisfied with their afternoon’s work. For their part Beverley will be disappointed to have suffered a relatively heavy defeat. But all is not lost. They had something of an untried line-up here playing together for the first time. It was good to see David Worrall, Matty Adams and Sam Atiola back and when the side is up to full strength and settled there seems no reason why they should not start to make an impact.
Final Score : Beverley RUFC 15 Morley 44 | Reported by John Nursey
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