In the end this was a disappointing scoreline for Beverley. In recent weeks despite not winning they have been playing increasingly well and a comprehensive victory has looked to be just round the corner. They might have expected it to happen here against a team which had won only two more games than they had. Instead they found themselves disrupted by injuries and up against the slickest attacking outfit they have met all season. No victory then, but this was none the less an enjoyable game full of good rugby.
The scoreline rather belied what had been a mostly close fought match played under floodlights on a bitterly cold Pennine afternoon. Beverley started well and if Huddersfield had not kicked a penalty with the last acion of the first half the teams would have turned round all square. Beverley’s play in the early stages was scintillating and after ten minutes they deservedly led 8-0 from a try by David Worrall and a penalty from Phil Duboulay. Could this be the day, we wondered, when Beverley’s fortunes were going to change?
But urged on by a vociferous home crowd, for whom Chris Binnie, the referee, is clearly not their flavour of the month, Huddersfield gradually got more into it as the half progressed. Their number eight Josh Lumb touched down under the posts for a try converted by Gavin Stead. Despite a second Duboulay penalty Huddersfield then took the lead just before halftime with a converted try by lock James Bell. There was still time for Duboulay to respond with another penalty to draw Beverley level but direct from the restart Stead kicked a penalty to nudge Huddersfield 17-14 ahead at the interval.
The second half opened with all to play for. It was clearly not going to be easy for Beverley because Huddersfield had been looking increasingly threatening and a try looked likely whenever they got within striking distance. It was not hard to see why they had accumulated eight four-try bonus points already this season. In the event the second half proved to be all rather calamitous for Beverley.
Worrall was yellow carded within five minutes and the resulting penalty took Huddersfield to 20-14. Huddersfield were awarded their second yellow card of the match but it made little difference as fortune increasingly turned its back on Beverley. They had already lost wing Mark Harling through injury and they then lost the influential Junior Tupai who limped off midway through the half. Craig Hancock had departed earlier but returned to soldier on with flanker Dave Hodgson pressed into action on the wing. It was now all too much for Beverley to be able to withstand a confident side running at them with pace and power.
Despite their plight Beverley never looked like giving in. Further tries by wing James Tindall and Stead, one converted, took the game beyond their reach at 30-14, but Beverley fought back fiercely. The pack was heavily out muscled but stuck at it. Worrall and Lewis Starbuck in particular were outstanding not least in their tackling and covering. Alex Ogilvie, Alex McPeake and Kris Renwick gave nothing away in the front row, and the lineout work, as it now regularly is, was flawless. George Sayer too is slotting in well with Starbuck in the second row.
Although generally overrun Beverley deservedly got some reward when Rees Powell touched down in the corner for a converted try following a nice break by Ian Archibald. But once again Beverley were kicking too much possession away. Huddersfield merely ran the ball back at them from anywhere and it more often than not led to a score. Scrum half Josh Willans, Tindall, centre Adam Ryder and Lumb all scored tries as Huddersfield turned on the style. Ogilvie got over for a third Beverley try as the pack drove to the line and Duboulay converted. Beverley fought hard to get a fourth try but could not breach the home defence again and the deserved consolation bonus point eluded them.
Final Score : Huddersfield YMCA 56 Beverley RFC 26 | Reported by John Nursey
