Under 15’s hold out to reach Plate final

Yarnbury played plenty of really solid, conventional rugby and were unlucky to go away empty handed. Bees, on the other hand, showed plenty of adventure but nearly paid the price for an odd ill judged pass and missed tackle.
The game couldn’t have started better. Yarnbury knocked on the Bees kick off and a solid scrum set the backs free – Sam Jeffrey made the dummy run and the ball was out to Andy Niczyperowicz, who beat his man with ease to score under the posts. Nick converted to take Bees into a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Things were looking good but Yarnbury weren’t ready to roll over just yet. Will Rix claimed the Yarnbury kick off but some scrappy play by Bees resulted in a Yarnbury penalty which was quickly out to the winger, who evaded the attentions of full back Andy to cross the line. The try was converted taking the score to 7-7.
The try seemed to stun Bees whilst Yarnbury’s belief was back. Suddenly things weren’t looking so good as Yarnbury piled forward but some over-exuberance resulted in a Bees penalty, which Andy managed to run to half way before being stopped; Yarnbury knocked on in the contact and Bees No 8 Lewis Brook took it on from the back of the resulting scrum. Lewis was well supported by Joe Bashforth with Yarnbury lunging at the Bees marauders in a desperate attempt to stop them. The inevitable penalty came. Tony Butterworth took it quickly and ran at the opposition who, despite not having retreated, weren’t going to stands aside and let the smallest guy on the pitch run through. Another penalty! This time it was quickly along the backs to Ryan Wilson who beat a couple of men to score in the corner. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all!
From the kick off, claimed again by Will Rix, there followed a good passage of Bees play. The backs were settling and there were some nice moves along the line with centres Sam and Matty looping round to support Ryan on the wing. Yarnbury were defending well though and kept the Bees out. An infringement in the scrum led to a Yarnbury free kick, which was swiftly along the backs, the winger chipped over the top but, fortunately for us, a little too far and Bees were able to touch down for the 22 drop out. The clearing kick was long and allowed Bees to apply a bit of pressure but Yarnbury took advantage from a Bees knock on and some poor tackling by Bees allowed their winger to run half the length of the pitch and score their second try, taking the score to 12-12.
Yarnbury were on the offensive again and took the play straight back to Bees. Ryan Wilson momentarily relieved the tension in the crowd with his juggling skills but this was a period of the game that was pretty nerve-racking. Bees hung on and managed to get the ball down to the Yarnbury end of the pitch. A penalty was awarded to Bees in front of the posts in the final seconds of the first half. That should have taken the score to 15-12 but we elected to run it and the score remained 12-12 at half time.
It was role reversal in the second half, as Yarnbury kicked off, Bees knocked on and Yarnbury scored rather too easily from the resulting scrum. But Bees stuck to the task in hand. A stolen line out ball followed by a great run from outside centre Matty Dilworth set Andy up for his second try of the game. Nick converted and the score was 19-17.
Will Rix again claimed the Yarnbury kick off and some good work by the forwards set the backs up nicely. We looked to have an overlap and were anticipating a run from winger Jack Meggit. The Yarnbury centre must also have seen the danger and his gamble paid off as he intercepted the pass. Suddenly our opportunity became Yarnbury’s try, which was converted to take the score to 19-24.
Maybe maddened by the injustice of things, Bees upped their tempo and some fabulous rugby got us into the opponents 22. A penalty awarded in front of the posts was kicked by Nick Gore to take the score to 22-24. Bees kept the pressure on from the Yarnbury kick off but some good counter attacking form the visitors earned them a kickable penalty. They missed it. More aggression from Bees and we were awarded a much more kickable penalty. Nick Gore kept his cool and slotted it. Score 25-24 with 5 minutes to go. The 5 minutes seemed to last for at least 10 as Yarnbury pressed hard but Bees held them up and the referee blew to bring this nail-biting encounter to a close.
There were some real plusses to come out of this game. The forwards, despite appearing slightly smaller, edged it in pretty much every aspect. They were quick to the breakdown and supported well. Lewis Brook was immense in the loose and Will Rix claimed nearly every kick off with great confidence. Tony Butterworth is improving with every game. His alertness and decision making combined with decent execution won him the man of the match. But most of all this was a great team effort where everybody played their part and dug deep. Well done to all and good luck for the final, which is at West Park on March 27th - opponents are Harrogate.