An excellent day for Beverley RUFC. Not only did they soundly defeat one of their fellow relegation strugglers but they picked up a four try bonus point and did it all in some style. Middlesbrough are a tough side to beat at Acklam Park and with three wins and a draw in their last four matches they probably fancied their chances here. But Beverley RUFC imposed themselves from the outset and never let up all afternoon. Middlesbrough were harried into mistakes at every turn. They were simply never allowed to get going.
Beverley RUFC could not have got off to a better start. Within five minutes they were ten points up. The game had hardly got under way before Junior Tupai broke through in midfield and set up a maul which led to Glen Walden on the wing racing into the corner for an opening try. Direct from the restart Beverley RUFC attacked again and Goran Jelencic powered his way in at the opposite corner for a second try after the ball had been moved slickly through the hands.
Middlesbrough for half an hour could hardly get out of their own half as Beverley RUFC continued to go for the jugular with attacking rugby at its best. The forwards were again outstanding to a man. It would be unfair to single out any one in particular; except perhaps skipper David Worrall who once again underlined what an important factor he is in Beverley RUFC’s cause. Beverley RUFC in fact carried on where they left off last week at Stockport and produced rugby here which made a mockery of their league position. The return of Phil Duboulay at fly half was an added bonus. Today he restored the fluency to the backline which has been badly missing during his absence. Tupai at centre pulls all the strings but it is Duboulay who keeps the backline smoothly ticking over.
A penalty by Phil Dale gave Beverley RUFC a thirteen point interval lead and with more luck it might have been greater. A break by Francis Pickering had nearly brought a try, as had a thrilling fifty metre run out of his own 22 by Walden. Chris Harding was pulled down only inches short and Jelencic would have scored another had his chip over the defence bounced more kindly. Middlesbrough in the first half had hardly had a look-in.
They made a better fist of it in the second half and for quarter of an hour Beverley RUFC went through a fairly sticky spell. Kicks started to go wrong and some of the handling got very loose. Middlesbrough clawed their way back into the match with two penalties from full back Simon Moore and when Dale Hodgson was yellow carded for persistent Beverley RUFC infringing it all began to look a bit uncomfortable. At 13-6 only a converted try now separated the sides.
Middlesbrough were getting more into the game but Beverley RUFC suddenly settled it all with a try straight out of the top drawer. Tupai fielded a home clearance kick in the Beverley RUFC 22 and released Walden on the ten metre line. The winger outpaced the covering defence for sixty metres with a rare turn of speed and touched down under the posts. Dale’s conversion took Beverley RUFC two converted tries clear and it was all as good as over. Middlesbrough had battled hard in the second half but in truth the Beverley RUFC line was only rarely threatened.
If there was any doubt about the final outcome Walden removed it five minutes later when he out-jumped the home defenders to take a lofted kick by Duboulay and race in from forty metres for his third try which Dale converted. Moore did cross in the corner at the death for a consolation Middlesbrough try but by then it was all over and the day emphatically belonged to Beverley RUFC. With his three outstanding tries Walden was probably the man of the match but for Beverley RUFC it was an altogether great all round team display.
Finale Score: Middlesbrough 11 Beverley RUFC 27 | Reported by John Nursey
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