Great Spirit from Under 15s

Harrogate, in the tradition of the club’s junior section were expected to be strong and well organised, whilst Bees were full of confidence on the back of a 10 match unbeaten run. Bees certainly punched above their weight in this thrilling encounter and it wasn’t until the final quarter of the game that they succumbed to their bigger opponents, eventually losing 17 points to 31
Bees won the toss and elected to kick down the slope in the first half. From the Harrogate kick off, play stayed in the Bees half and a line out won against the head allowed the Harrogate back row to break the gain line with the second phase ball finding its way to the backs; the Harrogate centre burst through a couple of tackles for the first converted try of the game. The game was only a couple of minutes old and this was not the start Bees had hoped for. We had paid the price for some nervy early exchanges and sluggish tackling.
Bees were struggling a bit in the set piece and the backs were not at their fluent best. Quite often, we were finding ourselves going backwards in possession. However, a couple of good breaks from Sam Jeffrey got us into the opposition half and pressure from the Bees forwards led to a Harrogate dropped ball, pounced on by Joe Bashforth. Joe looked certain to score only to be denied by a brilliant tap tackle from the Harrogate full-back. Despite good support play from Bees, Harrogate were able to get the ball out for a line out. Bees were awarded a free kick for “numbers” in the line; the ball was slowly out to the backs but another good break from Sam, well supported by Corey, Brooky and finally Joe had Harrogate reeling. A kick and chase by Brooky and the ball eventually found its way to Nick Gore for Bees first converted try of the game. Scores level at 7-7.
Bees won a penalty from the kick off, and a great run from Andy Niczyperowicz had the Harrogate full back making another desperate tackle – this time though the referee awarded a penalty try, which was converted to take the score to 14-7 and some good defending by Bees kept things that way until half time.
The first ten minutes of the second half was probably Bees best part of the game; the forwards were scrapping well and winning plenty in the loose; in the backs Harry and Sam made a couple of good runs but in general our back play was still under par and we failed to add any points, despite this period of relative dominance. Having withstood the pressure, it was Harrogate’s turn to attack; Andy made a great tackle but was subsequently impeded and the Harrogate support player had a free run down the wing to score and take the score to 14-14.
A lovely hanging kick off by Nick Gore allowed Joe to flatten the catcher but, despite allowing Harrogate to progress 25 yards with the ball, the referee then brought play back to that tackle and awarded a penalty to Harrogate. From here, Harrogate were able to apply pressure on the Bees defence and despite some good tackling, Harrogate scrambled the ball over for a try. The next kick off was cleared by Harrogate but again they were penalised for “numbers” in the line out Our free kick went straight into the hands of Harrogate who ran back at us and crossed the line a touch too easily for the supporter’s liking. It was at this point that a further “numbers” issue was brought to the attention of the referee. Harrogate had 16 players on the pitch!
Bees, somewhat incensed by the audacity of the situation, upped their game and won a penalty which Nick Gore kicked. However, some poor tackling from the Harrogate kick off allowed them in for their fifth try of the game before the referee brought the game to a close – final score Bees 17, Harrogate 31.
It’s probably fair to say that Harrogate had the physical and technical edge in this game and that they deserved their victory. Bees lost it in two five minute periods – the first 5 minutes of the game where we were slow to settle and missed a few tackles and a 5 minute period in the second half when we conceded three tries in quick succession. Other than that Bees were the equal of Harrogate and the lads should take great heart from that. It is testimony to the progress that we have made this season that we can compete with the likes of Harrogate. As their captain so eloquently put it on a couple of occasions, “We’re in a f******g match, lads”. Not sure that too many Mums and Grandmas appreciated that particular motivational style, but it is true that Harrogate had to work hard for their victory. A great performance from Bees and one that we can kick on from.