Beavers Push League Leaders All The Way

Another tight encounter for Beverley and yet another grandstand finish.  They were never more than a single score behind and were desperately unlucky not to snatch victory in the frantic final minutes.  Chester, top of the table with five wins out of five and averaging over thirty points a game, might have been looking for an easy ride here.  Not only did they ultimately have to rely on the boot of fly half Rhys Hayes to get their win but for the first time this season they failed to cross the opposition line.  They scraped home by three penalties to one but oddly enough Beverley will probably derive the greater satisfaction from their afternoon’s work given the relative league positions and the pre-game expectations.  Certainly they could take great satisfaction from a gutsy and hard working performance that might easily have brought them victory against a side that is as strong as any they are likely to meet all season.

Beverley nearly got off to the perfect start when David Worrall caught the ball from Phil Duboulay’s kick-off and powered up to the line only to be stopped inches short.  Beverley had much the better of the early play and they took the lead after five minutes with a penalty by Duboulay when Chester were caught offside on the 22.  Chester gradually got back into it and a Hayes penalty levelled the scores with a quarter of an hour gone.  The Beverley line increasingly came under intense pressure but a second penalty for Hayes just before halftime was all Chester had to show for ten minutes of complete domination.

Both sides were attacking wholeheartedly with ball in hand but the tackling on each side was superb.  That there were ultimately no tries was probably down to two good defences cancelling each other out.  In Chester’s case their backs flirted all afternoon with offside and most of the time they got away with it but eventually scrum half Tom Chappell did get despatched to the sin bin for persistently infringing.  Duboulay was just short with the resulting long range penalty attempt leaving Chester to turn round with a narrow 6-3 lead which they just about deserved.

The second half was altogether more even and generally Beverley had the better of the exchanges.  They might easily have gone on to win but there were too many basic errors at crucial times, although Chester too were just as guilty of this as Beverley.  Loose passing, lack of discipline, and some awful kicking from defence certainly cost Beverley dear.  Even the normally reliable Duboulay and Junior Tupai were not immune.  Phil Dale when he came off the bench tightened things up at the back and he noticeably brought more zip to the attacking play.

The pack worked hard, drove powerfully forward, and provided plenty of good ball.  Worrall was outstanding and looked capable of scoring whenever he had the ball in his hands.  At least three times he was desperately unlucky not to make the line after he had opened up the home defence.  With ten minutes remaining Hayes added a third penalty for Chester leaving Beverley in need of a converted try.  They threw everything into going for it.  In a rousing finish they attacked relentlessly, sometimes from behind their own line.

Worrall several times broke away, Glen Walden, Goran Jelencic, Tupai, and Gavin Gibson all made good ground, and they moved the ball about with abandon.  It seemed they must score in a terrific last burst but a penalty carelessly given away in the home 22 allowed Hayes to kick the ball dead and bring the game to an end.  It was disappointing for Beverley but they at least have the consolation of knowing that they have now completed fixtures against five of the top six sides and have not lost by a greater margin than a single score in any of them.

Final score, Chester 9 Beverley RUFC 3