When these two teams met just two weeks ago at Saltend, the Braves missed out on a one-point victory when a drop goal attempt with the scores tied at 16 all sailed agonisingly wide.
This time at Beverley Leisure Centre Skirlaugh Bulls were on target with a drop goal to snatch victory 6-7 in another tight game.
Defences were on top throughout the game as the score line suggests and the theme was set from the very first tackle when Will Wallis, playing in the unfamiliar role of prop put in a huge tackle on the Skirlaugh player. Once that set was complete, and the Braves gained possession they began to play where they left off last week with flowing passes along the line.
One such move resulted in Ryan Deane putting Archie Murdoch into the gap. He used his blistering pace to race down the left before cutting inside to score for the tenth consecutive game.
With Marcus Walker’s conversion, it was 6nil after just four minutes.
This Bulls side playing with the bare 13 was not going to let this set back change anything, and they began to dominate the game on the back of good forward work and several Braves errors giving them possession in good attacking positions.
This meant the Beverley defence had to work hard and at times like these you need the second-row combination of Oliver Loney and Ethan Rowbotham. The gruesome twosome knocked down everything that moved meaning the Bulls had little to show for their growing dominance. Going forward George Bennett-Teare worked hard repeatedly driving the ball up.
The two Toms, Cohen and Newton helped out their forwards to clear their lines, but the game was increasingly being played in the Braves half. Such pressure would eventually take its toll and sure enough when Skirlaugh kept the ball alive well on the last tackle, they eventually got the score that tied the scores up, after the conversion, at 6-6 although there was a suspicion of a double movement.
Six all it remained at halftime and the Braves talked of sticking to their game plan of expensive rugby and making fewer errors. The second half started well with Loney fielding the ball behind his own line before being pulled down 35 metres further up the field. Such space to run was increasingly rare for Beverley though as Skirlaugh had the lion’s share of territory in the second half. Defence had to be on top.
Therefore, with full back Ben Hodder, pulling off a great one on one tackle when the first line of defence was breached and George Lees bundling another attack into touch. Hooker Jack Turner had one of his biggest stints in defence, and this typified the work the Beverley lads had to do.
The half backs, therefore, struggled to make an impression at times – despite some mature decision making – playing so much in their own half. Lewis Egan showed the way forward with his jinking runs finding the odd half break and Marcus Walker’s kicking game saved a huge amount of work for his team mates.
Time and again, as they were under the pump trying to get the ball out of their own 20 or 30, his long kicks turned the Skirlaugh full back. This combined with a good chase, particularly from William Kirkup and Murdoch meant that the Bulls regularly started their own sets well inside their own half.
Ollie Gresswell and Ewan Morton were introduced at half-time to help give their team-mates some time for a breather, and it seemed this hard work in defence and the stubborn resistance taking the ball up field would be enough to get another draw. With the arm wrestle entering its latter stages the Bulls stand off popped over a delicate drop goal from close range to give the slenderest of leads to the visitors.
The Braves finally managed to get possession in the Skirlaugh half with just two minutes on the clock, but this long overdue pressure on their line was not enough, and the whistle blew for full-time as a Braves kick went dead leaving the score 6-7.
Another great game between two evenly matched sides and it is pleasing to see both sides over their last two meetings looking at other ways to win a game. Men of the match were Rowbotham for his huge contribution in defence and Walker for the relieving kicks.
Final Score : Skirlaugh Bulls 7 Bevelrey Braves 6
