BEVERLEY  27  BRADFORD & BINGLEY  20

                Beverley recorded their second successive win with a thrilling victory over a side currently among the early pace setters in National League Three.  It was no less than they deserved as their forwards again performed superbly, eventually playing the visiting pack completely out of the game. 

                Phil Duboulay for Beverley and fly half Tom Rhodes for Bradford exchanged early penalties before the visitors began to take a stranglehold on the match winning most of the possession and moving the ball about crisply in their backs.  Beverley for their part were kicking far too much possession away and nearly always straight down the throats of the opposition.  The result was that despite the good work of their forwards they were making little impression behind the scrum. 

                From a scrum on the Beverley 22 Bradford full back Ben Greaves went over for a fine individual try which Rhodes converted and at that stage Bradford were starting to look as though they might cut loose.  But a determined drive to the line by the home forwards and a touchdown by Aaron Yorke, converted by Duboulay, brought Beverley level as the play slowly began to even out.  The Beverley defending was again excellent.  Not only were the visitors cut down but they were constantly harried into mistakes.  It was perhaps rather rough justice for Beverley that they should concede another converted try on the stroke of halftime when another wayward kick upfield allowed Bradford to counter attack and put scrum half Ben Jackson over. 

                With a seven point interval lead and the advantage of the wind to come in the second half the odds looked heavily in Bradford’s favour.  But few could have anticipated the superb effort of the Beverley pack in the second half as they gradually took complete control of the forward play.  The introduction of Danny Cattle at scrum half brought an added spark to the Beverley play and Anthony Posa eventually began to get his kicking together.  Duboulay was again quite outstanding at full back and Craig Hancock in particular was having a good day in the lineouts. 

                Twenty minutes into the second half the Beverley forwards stormed their way to the visitors’ line where Patrick Pole touched down to reduce the lead to two points, and when David Worrall slipped through for a third try, which Duboulay converted, Beverley were not only in the lead but in the ascendancy.  Rhodes kicked a penalty for Bradford but play by then was almost entirely in the Bradford half and the visitors’ pack was largely a spent force.  The Bradford backs, however, always posed a threat but they could find no way through a solid Beverley defence which – Richard Henderson in particular – was not intent on taking prisoners. 

                Yet another drive to the line from a penalty lineout in the corner brought a fourth try and bonus point for Beverley as Cattle touched down.  For the last ten minutes it was all thrilling stuff as Bradford tried desperately to break out for an equalising try but Beverley never let go of their grip and deservedly ran out winners for the second week running.  These are still early days for Beverley at this level but they are clearly beginning to find their feet in National League Three and with an excellent well organised pack certainly look more than capable of holding their own up front.