WOOLSTON ROVERS 24 BEVERLEY 40
Woolston Rovers unbeaten start to the Kingstone Press National Conference League Division Three season came to a shuddering halt on Saturday afternoon when they were defeated by a very god Beverley side at The Sadore Construction Field, Monks Sports Club.
Beverley opened the scoring in the eighth minute when the ball was slipped u to the right for hooker Tom Moor to score at the side of the posts. Stand off Lewis Straw converted and then three minutes later an error by Rovers gave Beverley possession and winger Ben Bardle scored in the right corner.
Just before the midway point pressure on the Rovers line paid off again fro Beverley as scrum half Lewis Poskitt scored. Straw converted and ten minutes later a 40/20 from Straw gave Beverley the ball in a great position and full back Billy Riby scored under the posts. Straw added the conversion.
Three minutes before the break L Poskitt raced thirty metres to score. Straw converted and to compound matters for Rovers stand off Theo Holt was sin binned for dissent as the visitors went in at the break with a commanding 28-0 lead.
Four minutes into the second half Beverley went further ahead when slick passing saw the ball reach L Poskitt who went over for his hat trick but then eight minutes later Rovers finally managed to get on the scoreboard when prop forward Ryan Hickman cleverly pinched the ball ‘one on one’ and went over at the left of the posts. Centre Lewis Hoarty converted but then just before the hour L Poskitt intercepted a Rovers pass and raced sixty metres to score in the right corner.
Rovers responded swiftly when a lovely ball from substitute Nick Braide put centre Troy Brophy over in the left corner. Hoarty converted from the touchline and then almost immediately Braide sold an outrageous dummy to create a gap that he exploited to score wide out on the left. Hoarty added the conversion.
Rovers were then reduced to twelve men when winger Alex Dunne was sent off for alleged stamping, much to the surprise of both sets of players, as he got upto play the ball and from the penalty Beverley winger Josh Poskitt scored in the left corner but Rovers had the final say two minutes from time when a kick downfield by scrum half Conner Muir saw Brophy chase the ball and he hacked it on further and full back Luke Walker was quickest to react to pick up and score under the posts. Walker added the conversion himself but it was too little to late as Beverley were left t celebrate a deserved 40-24 win.
Best for Rovers were hooker Ryan Brown, prop forward Ryan Hickman, second row Dan Fearnley loose forward Harry Files and full back Luke Walker.
After the game Rovers Head Coach John Fieldhouse said, “That was very disappointing and completely out of the blue; to go in at half time 28-0 down was not acceptable. We showed no respect for the ball when in possession and after two games where our defence had been excellent we seemed to forget how to tackle. A few home truths were spoken at the break and even though we then conceded early in the second half we competed a lot better and made the scoreline more respectable, although with a little more composure we could have made the result a lot closer as we finished very strongly. To concede forty points at home was a nightmare and we cannot have a repeat of that again.”
ROVERS
Luke Walker, Alex Dunne, Troy Brophy, Lewis Hoarty, Will Chadwick, Theo Holt, Conner Muir, Jack Sherratt, Ryan Brown, Ryan Hickman, Dan Fearnley, Anthony Clayton, Harry Files. Subs: Aaron Barber, Christian Taylor, Owen Hazlehurst, Nick Braide.
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