WESTOE  17   BEVERLEY  12

                Westoe narrowed Beverley’s lead in the race for the play-off position in North One to two points with a deserved victory in this head to head encounter.  Beverley, however, have a superior match points difference to their rivals and now probably need just one good win from their last two matches to ensure a second place finish. 

                For the first time this season Beverley were surprisingly turned over in the forward play.  Their front five had a torrid afternoon against the big home forwards, and so completely outplayed were they in the lineouts that it made little difference which side was throwing in.  In the early stages indiscipline did not help.  With David Worrall in the sin bin Westoe took the lead after a quarter of an hour with a penalty lineout and scrum in the corner from which they pushed over and number eight Graeme Smith touched down. 

                Ten minutes later an unnecessary bit of petulance by Beverley handed Westoe a second try, scored in identical fashion by lock Paul Bird.  Jade Gardiner was yellow carded following a midfield melee and a string of penalties against Beverley quickly followed.  When Anthony Posa then started engaging himself in a series of conversations with the referee the spectre of the undisciplined fiasco at Penrith earlier in the season briefly reared its head. 

                Fortunately Beverley soon recovered their composure and after half an hour were still trailing by only ten points with the distinct advantage of the slope to come in the second half.  However, a third try just before half-time scored by centre Graeme Haswell and converted by scrum half Chris Judson took Westoe seventeen points clear and Beverley were left with  more ground to make up than they would have liked 

                They started the second half in fine style and after three minutes scored the try of the day.  Posa on his own line dummied a clearance kick and instead sent out a long pass to Goran Jelencic. The winger sprinted over half the length of the field before Umberto Cuozzo on the opposite wing rounded off the move for a superb try under the posts.  Ian Archibald added the conversion and Beverley were firmly back in the match. 

                Unfortunately, with their forwards regularly going backwards at their own put-in and not much coming from the lineouts Beverley continued to be hampered by a lack of useful possession.  James McKay made some penetrating runs from the back of the scrum and Worrall more than atoned for his yellow card with an outstanding display; but the backs were largely living off scraps and much of the midfield play in any case was pretty pedestrian.   Nonetheless Beverley continued to fight back and eventually reduced the Westoe lead to within one score when Jerry Barnes touched down after McKay had made a storming run into the home twenty two. 

                In the event the try came too late to affect the result but with little damage done to their superior points difference Beverley will not be unduly concerned at this defeat in a fixture probably few would have expected them to win.