A Welcome Victory For Beverley In Dour Encounter

A Welcome Victory For Beverley In Dour Encounter

A much needed win at last for RUFC. Conditions today were not helped by a strong crosswind but as a spectacle this game was pretty dire. Neither side was able to produce much decent rugby which in Beverley’s case was disappointing given the good progress they have made in recent weeks. Never the less a win is a win. Beverley badly needed it and they will not worry too much how they got it.

The pattern of the game was set in the second minute when a Beverley penalty attempt at goal ended up near the corner flag. Two minutes later they had a penalty which was far more kickable but went for the corner instead and kicked the ball dead. And so it went on. Westoe did generally attempt to run the ball but Beverley used much of their possession by hoofing the ball anywhere with kicks that often bordered on the comic.

There was a lot of frantic endeavour but neither side could mount a threatening attack without the ball very quickly being knocked on, dropped, or occasionally thrown directly into touch. The spectators who were enduring all this in the bitter wind eventually had their spirits raised when Beverley at last broke the deadlock and took the lead.

A clearance kick out of defence failed to find touch and when Westoe attempted to move the ball inside Ryan Murray took a smart interception on the ten metre line and raced to the corner for the game’s opening try. There followed a few minutes of what was the nearest the game ever got to flowing rugby. A smart Westoe back move sent their wing racing clear for the line only for James Wright to make a superb covering tackle to bring him down ten metres short. Beverley then set up for a few powerful runs but that was about it.

Just when it looked like Beverley might turn round in the lead Westoe struck back with the last action of the half. A Beverley attack through their forwards ended with the ball being knocked on, Westoe seized possession and centre Tom King raced seventy metres to touch down. It was a spectacular score as he threaded his way through the defence with Beverley defenders seeming almost to step aside to let him through.

Early in the second half it got worse for Beverley when they fell behind. A quickly taken Westoe tap penalty ten metres out was moved left and Jack Hope touched down in the corner. The referee, Dave Charlton, entered into the spirit of the afternoon by appearing to take no notice of the clear knock-on which occurred in the taking of the tap penalty.

The game became increasingly feisty as well as scrappy. One fracas involving numerous players went on for some minutes while Mr Charlton stood calmly by and waited until it eventually burnt itself out. Westoe were enjoying far more of the possession but for all their huffing and puffing they could show nothing for it. Beverley were starting to put some decent moves together and at last Wright, their most dangerous runner, began to see the ball.

With their best move of the day Beverley snatched the lead and hung onto it. Wright made a powerful run down the wing after a kick out of defence bounced kindly for Ian Archibald who moved the ball right. Wright was stopped just short but was on hand to touch down. 10-10 and it seemed likely that the conversion attempt would determine the outcome of the match. Murray slotted it splendidly from wide out and Beverley had their noses in front.

They might have stretched the lead several times but wrong options were taken, most noticeably when a pass left instead of right from a maul five metres out would have put Lewis Starbuck over. All in all it was not a day to remember but at least it brought a long awaited Beverley victory to cheer about.

Final Score : Beverley RUFC 12  Westoe 10 | Reported by John Nursey



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