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Bees 15 Otliensians 13
Nick Patterson7 Dec - 13:41
Bill Marshall's Match report from the game...
LESS than the thickness of an upright gave Bradford & Bingley victory over Old Otliensians in a tense Counties Two Yorkshire derby at Wagon Lane.
Visiting fly half Jake Bentley, who had scored the 80th-minute try, had a conversion to pull his team level at 15-15, but his kick smacked against the inside of the near post and bounced out, leaving the Bees winners by two points in a clash between promotion contenders on ain increasingly heavy pitch.
The home side scored tries via forwards Rob Woodhead and Alex Leadbeater, with Dom Walker adding a penalty and a conversion.
Otliensians replied with tries by Jay Walsh and Bentley, who added a penalty but missed that last conversion.
But it was defence as much as anything else that gave the fourth-placed hosts only the leaders’ second defeat of the season.
“100 per cent it was our defence that won it for us - our spread defence to take out their main attackers was key to our success,” said outstanding Bees No 8 Jim Nicholas.
“We knew that they had some sticky backs. We knew that they had some talent, but we fronted up and did what we had practiced all week as we knew that that was their game.
“The first half was very even - it became a slog-fest - and in the second half mistakes were made on both sides but it was unfortunate for them that Bentley’s penalty hit the post three minutes before the end.
“We played at least half an hour with 13 or 14 men due to yellow cards and injuries and I even had to play at 12 for half an hour, and we had a few lads who were doing nothing but defend for 20 minutes flat.
“However, when it came to when it really mattered in the last five or 10 minutes it was almost like they were waiting for us to slip up, which we didn’t, and that was the difference - a bit of luck and a lot of hard work.
“We just pick and drove and made some serious metres in general during the match after offloads and we just wanted to play the whole game in their half, but we were expecting them to kick the ball downfield more to utilise their backs.
“At half-time we spoke about our kick-chases. We had a couple in the first half where we weren’t chasing as well as we could, but in the second half we responded and it showed and we got a try from chasing hard, winning possession and we got a couple of offloads for a try.”
Discipline was again an issue for the Bees, however, with prop Lewis Brook getting a yellow card for an accumulation of team high tackles in the first half.
Prop Alex Leadbeater also saw yellow and centre Adam Gaunt received a sin bin late on for a deliberate knock on, while flanker Adam Mapals only lasted nine minutes before coming off with a shoulder injury, centre Jack Kennedy being replaced in the second half after a knee-on-knee impact.
Otliensians also suffered, with hooker John Offer coming off with a rib injury and scrum half Rob Lofthouse not lasting the course due to a shoulder injury.
Nicholas added: “It was the same referee (Innocent Gitari) who was in charge of our game at Baildon earlier this season, and discipline could have been a whole lot better - talking back to the referee, while a couple of 50-50 calls didn’t go in our favour.
“It isn’t the first time that one of our players has been told to reel his head in, but it is something to learn from and to win and come away without any injuries is great heading into next week.”
Bradford & Bingley, who have dropped a place to fifth despite winning, face another big test on Saturday when they are at home to third-placed Roundhegians.
Of the teams in the top half of the table, the Bees have lost to Bridlington and Baildon but beaten Huddersfield Laund Hill and Otliensians.
Nicholas said: “We just need to maintain a good level of consistency against all teams. We lost our heads at Baildon, but we just need to play to our shape and not get dragged into any confrontations and I am looking forward to the challenge.
“This season feels different. We have always had great culture. We have the same people come to watch us - wives, girlfriends, friends and family - and a couple of local recruits have added five per cent when it comes to our distribution, our attacking shape and our ability to spread wide in defence.
“I am enjoying it - not necessarily more than before - but winning is the best feeling and we have plenty of young lads coming through the ranks who are keen to play if we need to replace any of the Keighley Albion lads later in the season.
“The colts are playing the same style looking forward to next season, but we are ecstatic that the Albion lads are playing with us.”
Otliensians kicked off towards Dowley Gap, but had to hack the ball off the pitch in the second minute following a good kick by Bees full back Walker.
They hosts then won a penalty on their own line when winger Cobi Denton was flopped on after chasing back to a kick, but it was the Bees who were constantly being pinged for high tackles in the opening phases, leading to Brook’s yellow card in the 19th minute.
Bentley then made good ground only for his team to concede a penalty, but they had to defend following a kick infield by Bees winger Ryan Wilson, who should have been given a chance to score a try only for Corey Spencer to hang onto the ball instead of passing to the right.
Home skipper Luke Spauls was the next to make good metres, but referee Gitari then had to speak to both captains after a melee.
All-action Bradford & Bingley fly half Ben Hemsley then found space on the right, Spauls continuing the attack and lock Rob Woodhead went close before getting the first try six minutes before the interval, plunging over from short range.
Walker missed the conversion and Otliensians then lost Offer to injury, Alex Gillson coming on, and the visitors levelled matters in first half injury time with a try by lock Jay Walsh.
The Bees had the first opportunity in the second half, Walker hooking a penalty attempt wide before Kennedy was injured.
Alex Leadbeater was sin-binned in the 50th minute, but that didn’t stop the Bees from taking the lead three minutes later with a Walker penalty after his kick downfield led to an offence.
Bentley levelled matters with a 59th-minute penalty after another high tackle, but Hemsley’s kick towards the changing rooms then found turf and led to another home penalty, Gaunt and replacement Kris Gott then combining to send Alex Leadbeater over in the 65th minute for a neat try.
Walker’s conversion made it 15-8, but they were again reduced to 14 men when Gaunt was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on in midfield.
Then it was all hands to the pump in defence for the Bees, a knock-on costing the visitors before Bentley went over in the 80th minute, only to narrowly miss the conversion, leaving the home side victors by two points in a tense finale.
Visiting fly half Jake Bentley, who had scored the 80th-minute try, had a conversion to pull his team level at 15-15, but his kick smacked against the inside of the near post and bounced out, leaving the Bees winners by two points in a clash between promotion contenders on ain increasingly heavy pitch.
The home side scored tries via forwards Rob Woodhead and Alex Leadbeater, with Dom Walker adding a penalty and a conversion.
Otliensians replied with tries by Jay Walsh and Bentley, who added a penalty but missed that last conversion.
But it was defence as much as anything else that gave the fourth-placed hosts only the leaders’ second defeat of the season.
“100 per cent it was our defence that won it for us - our spread defence to take out their main attackers was key to our success,” said outstanding Bees No 8 Jim Nicholas.
“We knew that they had some sticky backs. We knew that they had some talent, but we fronted up and did what we had practiced all week as we knew that that was their game.
“The first half was very even - it became a slog-fest - and in the second half mistakes were made on both sides but it was unfortunate for them that Bentley’s penalty hit the post three minutes before the end.
“We played at least half an hour with 13 or 14 men due to yellow cards and injuries and I even had to play at 12 for half an hour, and we had a few lads who were doing nothing but defend for 20 minutes flat.
“However, when it came to when it really mattered in the last five or 10 minutes it was almost like they were waiting for us to slip up, which we didn’t, and that was the difference - a bit of luck and a lot of hard work.
“We just pick and drove and made some serious metres in general during the match after offloads and we just wanted to play the whole game in their half, but we were expecting them to kick the ball downfield more to utilise their backs.
“At half-time we spoke about our kick-chases. We had a couple in the first half where we weren’t chasing as well as we could, but in the second half we responded and it showed and we got a try from chasing hard, winning possession and we got a couple of offloads for a try.”
Discipline was again an issue for the Bees, however, with prop Lewis Brook getting a yellow card for an accumulation of team high tackles in the first half.
Prop Alex Leadbeater also saw yellow and centre Adam Gaunt received a sin bin late on for a deliberate knock on, while flanker Adam Mapals only lasted nine minutes before coming off with a shoulder injury, centre Jack Kennedy being replaced in the second half after a knee-on-knee impact.
Otliensians also suffered, with hooker John Offer coming off with a rib injury and scrum half Rob Lofthouse not lasting the course due to a shoulder injury.
Nicholas added: “It was the same referee (Innocent Gitari) who was in charge of our game at Baildon earlier this season, and discipline could have been a whole lot better - talking back to the referee, while a couple of 50-50 calls didn’t go in our favour.
“It isn’t the first time that one of our players has been told to reel his head in, but it is something to learn from and to win and come away without any injuries is great heading into next week.”
Bradford & Bingley, who have dropped a place to fifth despite winning, face another big test on Saturday when they are at home to third-placed Roundhegians.
Of the teams in the top half of the table, the Bees have lost to Bridlington and Baildon but beaten Huddersfield Laund Hill and Otliensians.
Nicholas said: “We just need to maintain a good level of consistency against all teams. We lost our heads at Baildon, but we just need to play to our shape and not get dragged into any confrontations and I am looking forward to the challenge.
“This season feels different. We have always had great culture. We have the same people come to watch us - wives, girlfriends, friends and family - and a couple of local recruits have added five per cent when it comes to our distribution, our attacking shape and our ability to spread wide in defence.
“I am enjoying it - not necessarily more than before - but winning is the best feeling and we have plenty of young lads coming through the ranks who are keen to play if we need to replace any of the Keighley Albion lads later in the season.
“The colts are playing the same style looking forward to next season, but we are ecstatic that the Albion lads are playing with us.”
Otliensians kicked off towards Dowley Gap, but had to hack the ball off the pitch in the second minute following a good kick by Bees full back Walker.
They hosts then won a penalty on their own line when winger Cobi Denton was flopped on after chasing back to a kick, but it was the Bees who were constantly being pinged for high tackles in the opening phases, leading to Brook’s yellow card in the 19th minute.
Bentley then made good ground only for his team to concede a penalty, but they had to defend following a kick infield by Bees winger Ryan Wilson, who should have been given a chance to score a try only for Corey Spencer to hang onto the ball instead of passing to the right.
Home skipper Luke Spauls was the next to make good metres, but referee Gitari then had to speak to both captains after a melee.
All-action Bradford & Bingley fly half Ben Hemsley then found space on the right, Spauls continuing the attack and lock Rob Woodhead went close before getting the first try six minutes before the interval, plunging over from short range.
Walker missed the conversion and Otliensians then lost Offer to injury, Alex Gillson coming on, and the visitors levelled matters in first half injury time with a try by lock Jay Walsh.
The Bees had the first opportunity in the second half, Walker hooking a penalty attempt wide before Kennedy was injured.
Alex Leadbeater was sin-binned in the 50th minute, but that didn’t stop the Bees from taking the lead three minutes later with a Walker penalty after his kick downfield led to an offence.
Bentley levelled matters with a 59th-minute penalty after another high tackle, but Hemsley’s kick towards the changing rooms then found turf and led to another home penalty, Gaunt and replacement Kris Gott then combining to send Alex Leadbeater over in the 65th minute for a neat try.
Walker’s conversion made it 15-8, but they were again reduced to 14 men when Gaunt was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on in midfield.
Then it was all hands to the pump in defence for the Bees, a knock-on costing the visitors before Bentley went over in the 80th minute, only to narrowly miss the conversion, leaving the home side victors by two points in a tense finale.
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