BEVERLEY  20    CALDY  45

                Not much joy here for Beverley.  Despite another sterling effort by their forwards and a spirited second half fightback they were again completely outplayed in the backs and conceded over forty points for the second week running.  The margin of defeat was perhaps a bit cruel.  Had they got over during a long spell when their pack pounded the Caldy line midway through the second half they could have been within a try of taking the lead, and at that stage the Beverley forwards were getting on top.  But Caldy somehow kept them out and two late converted tries against the run of play left the visitors with a comprehensive victory. 

                Simon Mason and Phil Duboulay exchanged early penalties before two converted tries within three minutes took Caldy into a fourteen point lead.  A lovely run by fly half Ben McPherson set up a try for wing forward Dave Mercer and then a long crossfield pass put prop Derek Salisbury over for a second. 

                Beverley got back into it when Richard Henderson broke through in the visitors’ twenty two and Jade Gardiner touched down for a try which Duboulay converted.  Only one converted try behind but on the stroke of halftime slick handling by the Caldy backs put winger Liam Devaney over in the corner for a try which Mason converted to put them 24-10 ahead at the interval. 

                Two minutes into the second half Caldy struck again when their pack drove over with lock Richard Bradshaw touching down to increase the lead to twenty one points.  For Beverley the writing looked to be on the wall but a forward drive of their own brought them a try by Gavin Gibson which Duboulay converted, and when Duboulay added a penalty shortly afterwards they had again clawed their way back to within striking distance. 

                The Beverley forwards were by now getting the upper hand with the back row of David Worrall, James McKay, and Matthew Tamali’i playing splendidly and always in the thick of things.  But despite having plenty of possession the Beverley backplay was again ponderous and lacking in thrust or cohesion.  Several times overlaps were wasted by ill advised kicking or a failure to release the ball.  It was difficult to remember either wing receiving a worthwhile pass all afternoon and a try from the backs never looked on the cards.  Caldy’s backline in contrast had plenty of pace and ideas, moved the ball about quickly, and always had colleagues in support. 

                Despite their forward domination in the second half Beverley outside the scrum could make little impact and it was the Caldy backs who seized two late opportunities to add further opportunist tries from centre Matt Pennington.  Mason, who kicked twenty one points against Beverley in gale force conditions when the teams last met, was again a thorn in their side, being successful with all of his seven kicks at goal most of them from the touchline.

                For Beverley these are early days at this level and things can only get better.  This is a tough league to come to terms with for a side which has risen through four divisions in only four years.  Nonetheless they have a good, well organised, pack, and if only they can inject some shape and penetration into their backplay there is still hope that they can hold their own.