Rugby seconds brush aside hapless Bradford
UNIVERSITY OF YORK SECONDS 88 vs. UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD FIRSTS 3
BUCS Northern Conference 3B, Wednesday 4th March 2009
York University seconds continued their winning form on Wednesday with a convincing victory over a hapless and lacklustre Bradford side that barely turned up. It was over as a contest well before the end of the first half, with a solitary, but well taken, penalty kick being Bradford’s only contribution to the final score. York’s dominance showed as soon as the game started, with winger Michael Bloom scoring before the first minute had elapsed. By the second-half, York were scoring less than they perhaps should have, as so many players were selfishly trying to get themselves on the score sheet.
The points came from fifteen tries, ten in the first-half and five in the second. Scorers were; Bloom (3), Voight (2), Gait, Carr (2), Pond (2), Beaman, the substitute Tominey, Trotter and Smallwood, with Beaman converting nine of them, some by drop-kicking rather than kicking from the tee.
The game was truly nothing more than a training exercise, with Bradford being clueless on the ball and nothing short of hopeless defensively. Bradford could not handle York’s pace and movement going forward and the home side were able to pass their way through the Bradford rearguard far too easily. However, it would be unfair on York to say they didn’t deserve the win, as they played some brilliant counter-attacking rugby, far too skilful for the visitors to cope with.
Bloom opened the scoring with a quick-fire double in the opening five minutes, both well worked down the right-wing. Neither was converted by Beaman, who took some time to find his kicking rhythm, restricting the score to 10-0. Then, what turned out to be Bradford’s only reply came with a well-taken penalty from just ten yards in York’s half. This, for the briefest of moments, suggested the game might be something of a challenge, before winger Voight capped off a neat move by the backs, pushing it to 15-3 to the home side.
The fourth try was typical of York’s counter-attacking style, with Bradford having the ball stolen from them in the ruck, and passed straight out to York’s backs who, via Gait, scored quickly and neatly on the break. York’s number seven, ‘Abs’ added one with another quick passage of play on the right wing, as did Carr, with a similarly worked try.
The best try of the game came with the next forward thrust; a neat kick by Pond, over the top of Bradford’s defence, was turned into a try by Trotter who chased convincingly and dived on the ball, rewarding the great vision exhibited by both of the players. Beaman then added another, running nearly the whole length of the pitch in a classy individual effort. Voight added his second with the penultimate try of the first-half; and Bloom found the time to complete his first-half hat-trick, by capping off another nice move by the York backs that reinforced the idea that this was nothing more than a training session for the home side.
Despite some awfully high tackles that Bradford were lucky not to be pulled up for, substitute prop Tominey managed to add his name to the long list of try scorers early in the second half, again finding space on the right-wing. Following some shocking hands from Bradford, Trotter was able to capitalise and nick a try. Top try-scorer Bloom was the victim of a horribly high tackle, with the Bradford player gripping him around the neck, and was fortunate to not have a serious injury. Smallwood then broke through a crowd of defending Bradford players far too easily to score York’s thirteenth try.
The final two tries were Carr’s and Pond’s second of the match. The former by running the length of the pitch, made to look nippy by Bradford’s sluggish defence, and the latter capping off scoring just twelve points away from a century. The game ended 88-3 and, to be frank, York could have and perhaps should have managed to break into treble figures.
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Why are the photos of the york sj match?
beamen sounds like a legend
Beamen seemed to produce a ‘man of the match’ performance. However, Did he really kick all the coversions? As far as I am concerned, he is not a prolific kicker.
Although playing in the game, I have never had the fortune of meeting the legendary Gait, Abs or Trotter. Though by the sounds of things, they could probably kick better than this ‘Beaman’ character, who has been struggling all season with kicking out of hand, let alone from a tee.
Although playing in the game, I have never had the fortune of meeting the legendary Gait, Abs or Trotter. Though by the sounds of things, they could probably kick better than this ‘Beaman’ character, who has been struggling all season with kicking out of hand, let alone from a tee.