The blue and golds had to concede that they were second best on the night in this final at Heworth. A good following of supporters made the short trip to York last Friday but saw their side give it their best shot but struggle to break down very well drilled Acorn defence.
Howdle and Taylor had the rare luxury of being able to select from a virtual full squad with the only injury being Matt Liggins. The side on paper was perhaps slight favorites to lift the cup. Beverley almost took the lead with one of their first visits into the Acorn 20. A gentle kick into the in-goal area by Lewis Poskitt saw Louis Hubbard pounce and claim a try. The referee in consultation with his touch judge ruled that the ball had not been grounded. It proved to be a chance gone begging as scoring opportunities were at a premium all night. Beverley gave the ball plenty of air, but the movement was more lateral and struggled to penetrate.
Lewis Poskitt who was well marked by his opponents all night frequently attempted kicks, which sometimes force line drop-outs but so often the resulting extra set saw Beverley come away empty handed. Acorn took the lead in the 16th-minute courtesy of their winger Danny Lazenby outpacing the chasing cover down the left flank to score. The extras were not added.
Both defences were on top for the remainder of the half with the penalty count weighing heavily in the favor of Acorn. One further chance went begging on the stroke of half-time when Jack Howdle’s long ball looked to have found Tom Radley in space but the ball went to ground, and it appeared that Radley was taken out off the ball.
Acorn extended their lead just two minutes into the second half when Beverley spilled possession close to their own line. The resulting set then saw Joe Porter score for Acorn. The conversion was again missed. Beverley’s response was immediate. The short re-start kick saw Louis Hubbard snatch the ball and charge up-field to set up a dangerous position. The ball was then moved to the right for Alex Calvert to dive over wide out. The extras were not added. Beverley enjoyed their best spell of game early in the second half. Forwards Jake Hart-Fisher and Chris Johnson got a spring in their step and began to make inroads.
Beverley were unable to convert the pressure into points as Acorn continued to defend well. Acorn made Beverley pay 15 minutes into the second half. They worked their way up-field aided by a succession of penalties for Joe Budd to force his way over from close range. They struck a killer blow five minutes later when Mike Embleton went over for a try which was again converted. for a 20-4 lead. With the game rapidly going away from them, Beverley through caution to the wind.
Jack Humphries and Josh Pooley almost forced their way over for tries but were kept out by sheer weight of numbers around them. As full-time fast approached Tom Shires finally crossed for Beverley latching onto man of the match Jack Howdle’s long pass. Beverley continued to press in the remaining minutes but could not add further points.
This Saturday Beverley ARLC return to league action and are away to Mirfield (2.30pm kick off). Furthermore, the newly formed ‘A’ team will take on Heworth ‘A’ at the Beverley Leisure Centre again kicking off at 2.30pm.
Final Score : York Acorn ‘A’ 20 Beverley ARLC 8 | Reported by Nick Robinson
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