A curiously flat affair. Given their league positions this was a game both sides desperately needed to win. Altrincham for their part went all out for it but Beverley RUFC after their recent good form strangely never really turned up here and in the end were lucky to get away with a draw.
Throughout the game they could hardly get their hands on the ball and when they did they invariably quickly lost possession. Had their ball retention been better they would undoubtedly have come away with an important victory. As it was, from being 8-0 up they carelessly gave away two late scores which cost them dear.
With a fierce wind behind them Altrincham attacked from the outset, getting plenty of possession and running hard at the Beverley RUFC defence. Fortunately for Beverley RUFC the one redeeming factor of their afternoon was their tackling which was excellent throughout. Despite numerous opportunities Altrincham simply could not breach the Beverley RUFC defence. Beverley RUFC had one lucky let-off when Altrincham full back Chris Stewart was well wide with a simple penalty kick in front of the posts. They immediately responded by sweeping up to the other end and almost snatched the lead with a try in the corner but the ball was lost forward.
On a disappointing day there were some positives for Beverley RUFC. Gavin Gibson had a fine match as did Fraley Hopa. Brendon Hannan at number eight had a good first half and it was good to see Jon Stephenson back in the side even though he looked a bit off the pace. When the forwards did drive upfield they did so with purpose but sadly they could not get enough ball to make much impression.
Hopa was yellow carded for entering a ruck from the side but with Altrincham also a man down Beverley RUFC took the lead totally against the run of play. Altrincham were penalised for diving over the top and were twice marched back ten metres for backchat which eventually took Beverley RUFC to within striking distance of goal. Phil Duboulay duly slotted the kick despite the strong headwind.
Turning round 3-0 up with the second half conditions in their favour was probably as good as Beverley RUFC might have hoped for. Eight minutes into the half it got better when Junior Tupai intercepted on halfway and raced clear for a try to put Beverley RUFC two scores ahead. Duboulay’s conversion attempt from wide out drifted narrowly wide, which proved a costly miss given the final score. Had Tupai run round to touch down under the posts the two extra points would have ultimately ensured victory for Beverley RUFC.
Despite being eight points ahead Beverley RUFC still could not get their game together. Virtually nothing was seen of the Beverley RUFC backs all afternoon whereas the home backs with almost unlimited possession were enjoying a field day even though they could not break through the solid Beverley RUFC defence. Altrincham did eventually get back into it when Beverley RUFC conceded a careless penalty in front of the posts and fly half Rob Holloway kicked the easy goal.
Chris Infield for the second successive match was yellow carded just when time was running out and with the game at a critical stage. With Beverley RUFC down to fourteen Altrincham equalised. It was a gift of a try. Instead of clearing their lines from a scrum on their own line Beverley RUFC picked up at the back of the scrum, fiddled about until they lost possession, and Altrincham simply moved the ball across field for winger Tony O’Connor to scuttle in at the corner.
Although they were outplayed all afternoon Beverley RUFC will ruefully look back on yet another win they let slip away after leading with only minutes to go. Five of their remaining seven games are at home and there is still every chance of avoiding relegation but they will need to play a good deal better than they did today.
Final Score: Altrincham Kersal 8 Beverley RUFC 8 | Reported by John Nursey
