Slow Start Proves Costly For Beavers At Westoe

Slow Start Proves Costly For Beavers At Westoe

A strange game. Seventy points and the closest of finishes but by no means the rousing encounter the final score suggests. Beverley started disastrously and spent all the match trying to catch up as Westoe continued to steam ahead. They did eventually claw their way back to secure two bonus points, having at one stage been 31-8 behind. Indeed in the end it became a close run thing and if ’s conversion attempt at the death had not gone narrowly wide they would have got away with a draw. Another five minutes and they might have won it.

Because of wet ground the game was switched to an all weather plastic pitch which resulted in plenty of scoring although the match itself seemed to progress only in fits and starts. It started badly for Beverley. After only eight minutes they were already 12-0 down from tries by scrum half Chris Judson, prop Richard Arrowsmith and a conversion by fly half Matthew Mellish.

For ten minutes Beverley looked all over the place. They were seriously error prone which did not help but eventually Tanumi got them going with a penalty. Sadly a feature of the game was that whenever Beverley scored and threatened to get back into it they immediately conceded points at the other end which allowed Westoe to maintain a firm grip on the proceedings. Two minutes after Tanumi’s penalty Arrowsmith crashed over again for a converted try taking it to 19-3.

A nice break by brought him a try but Westoe came straight back with another converted one of their own by wing Andrew Lawson after Beverley had knocked on near their own line. Despite Mellish being just wide with a penalty attempt on the stroke of half time Westoe were still able to turn round with a commanding 26-8 lead.

While Westoe badly needed a win to ease their relegation fears Beverley had the look of a side sitting comfortably in mid table with nothing at stake. And they were playing accordingly. They were hampered by the loss of and Aaron Carroll with injuries but carelessness again cost them. They were awarded a free kick, opted for a scrum which they lost, then made a mess of a clearance kick and Westoe wing Daniel Wilson went in at the corner stretching the lead to 31-8. It just about summed up Beverley’s first hour.

Two tries in the space of three minutes by Tupai both converted by Tanumi suddenly brought the contest to life. One more try would at least give Beverley a bonus point and they went for it with a vigour we had not seen all afternoon. They lost Joe Pickets with a yellow card and Westoe scored another try, a pushover touched down by number eight Scott Powell, but Beverley were now a revitalised side. They were showing far more ambition even if much of the execution continued to be somewhat sloppy.

All the enterprising play was now coming from them. Tonci Buzov and Martin Shaw both regularly made good ground and the crucial try came with five minutes remaining when Tanumi glided in down the right and then converted his own try. Beverley now not only had a four try bonus point but at 29-36 a losing bonus point as well. Suddenly from being down and out they were within striking distance of turning the game round. They went all out for it and another Tanumi try brought them to within two points at 36-34. A successful conversion from the touchline would have given them a draw but sadly the ball drifted just wide in the wind.

In truth it cannot be said that overall Beverley deserved to win. For the second week running they were outplayed for most of the time and apart from the spirited last quarter there was far too much lethargy about their play to have justified more than the two points they eventually came away with.

Final Score: Westoe 36 34 | Reported by John Nursey



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