Just about what might have been expected. Up against a team sitting fifth in the table Beverley RUFC arrived here with a heavily depleted side which contained no substitutes and not surprisingly went down heavily. So another disappointing day. Relegation has been certain for some time and all Beverley can now hope for is to overtake Westoe who sit immediately above them.
Today as with so many games this season there was plenty of spirit and endeavour but quality was lacking. Given the makeshift nature of the side the lack of fluency was perhaps not surprising. Cleckheaton are a settled side and it showed while Beverley this season have seldom, if ever, fielded the same team two weeks running.
Cleckheaton got off to the perfect start. After only three minutes a high cross kick to the Beverley line looked like going dead until home full back Ross Hayden outpaced the Beverley defence and touched down as the ball was about to cross the dead ball line. He added the conversion and then scored a second try with an easy run-in at the corner. Despite being under constant pressure and seldom getting out of their own half Beverley then somehow held out without conceding any further scores until ten minutes from halftime.
Converted tries by centre Danny Vento and a third by Hayden took Cleckheaton to 26-0 as halftime approached but Beverley did enjoy a brief spell of dominance just before the break. Jake Marin who again had a spirited game on the wing pounced on a home error and raced clear to the corner for a consolation try. They might have had a second while Cleckeaton were a man down following a yellow card. Alex McPeake twice went close and a lovely break by Sam Atiola nearly brought a score while a neat chip through by Junior Tupai almost brought another.
Poorly executed kicking throughout the first half when they had better use of the crosswind had cost Beverley dear. Cleckeaton in the second half made more of it. Fly half Michael Piper went over for a fifth try early in the half and the home pack drove over for a sixth after a catch and drive on the Beverley 22. Vento dropped a goal to take Cleckheaton over the forty points mark and ten minutes from time number eight Richard Piper rounded off the scoring with a converted try following a series of shambolic Beverley errors on their own line.
Despite the heavy defeat it was not all gloom for Beverley. The pack as it has done almost all season gave as good as they got. Several times they drove the heavier home forwards back and one drive from their own 22 took them thirty metres upfield. The lineout worked reasonably well but throwing was difficult in the windy conditions. Dave Brant made several powerful forays and Lewis Starbuck was unlucky not to score when he kicked upfield from a Cleckheaton dropped pass only to see the ball veer over the touchline as he sprinted clear.
There was plenty of ambition in Beverley’s open play and the backs looked far more dangerous with ball in hand than when kicking it away, but in the second half the handling became increasingly erratic and they seldom looked like threatening the home line. It was a brave effort but in the end the margin of victory probably just about summed up the difference in quality between the two sides.
With so many senior players unavailable for various reasons Beverley’s season cannot now end soon enough. Today’s state of affairs was partly exemplified by Luke Hazell, one of their younger players who had played well the previous week, being omitted from the side in order to play in a Colts match. Whether the decision to attach more importance to a Colts league game than to a First team National League Three fixture is entirely appropriate, especially when you are already short of players, must be regarded as a moot point.
Final Score: Cleckheaton 48 Beverley RUFC 5 | Reported by John Nursey
