BEVERLEY 26 BIRKENHEAD PARK 21

What a match! Beverley snatched a last gasp victory in the final minute after they had trailed 21-7 with ten minutes to go. But it wasn’t all about the final minutes. This was cracking rugby from start to finish, played by two good sides in the true spirit of the game. Not a single punch was thrown all afternoon. Credit was also very much due to referee Steve Penfold who kept the game flowing throughout with the minimum use of his whistle. You always felt that the side which eventually lost this game could feel desperately unlucky. In the end Beverley scraped home because they lasted the course better in the heat and just about deserved the victory because of their determined never-say-die attacking.

The day got off to a sombre start with both sides observing a minutes silence for the untimely death of Jane Thorpe, wife of former Beverley skipper Paul. Thereafter it was rugby at its best. Both sides showed their intent to play a running game and went at it hell for leather. Birkenhead had Beverley on the rack for the best part of half an hour, partly due to Beverley’s careless handling which constantly lost them possession. Only a superb defence somehow kept Birkenhead out but eventually the pressure told when centre David Ibbotson got in at the corner for a well deserved try which winger Dave Hall converted. Beverley, it is true, were at that stage down to fourteen men with Phil Duboulay yellow carded for lying on the ball.

A seven point deficit was clearly not insurmountable for Beverley but disaster struck again on the stroke of halftime when they carelessly gave away a second converted try. There appeared to be no danger when they put into a scrum in their own 22. But a dreadful pass out went to nobody and handed Birkenhead a scrum five from which second row Chris Saidi easily touched down leaving Hall with a simple conversion.

7-0 was not the end of the world given that Beverley had a lighter and more mobile pack which always looked likely to last better in the heat. But turning round fourteen points adrift was a different matter. An immediate yellow card for Vinnie Collingwood at the start of the second half for a shoulder charge did not help. Fortunately for Beverley there is a gritty determination about their side this season and they increasingly took the game to Birkenhead with relentless running rugby in which the whole side played its part. Twelve minutes into the half they got their reward with a try from Ian Archibald after the pack had driven to the line from a penalty kick into the corner. Archibald converted with a fine kick from the touchline to bring the deficit back to a single converted try. Suddenly there was hope for Beverley but within five minutes they again found themselves fourteen points behind when Birkenhead’s outstanding number eight David Blyth broke away from a rolling maul to touch down and leave Hall with another easy conversion.

For the last half hour it was all Beverley. Wingers Goran Jelencic, Collingwood, and full back Richard Bussey (pictured) all ran strongly as Beverley threw everything at Birkenhead. But a score would not come and with ten minutes remaining victory was looking increasingly unlikely. Suddenly substitute Phil Dale dummied over for a splendid try under the posts. Archibald converted, and Beverley were back in business. With five minutes remaining they took a quick tapped 22 drop out, Jade Gardiner surged up the field, and skipper David Worrall ran in to score from forty metres out. Archibald’s conversion brought the scores level. A draw, you felt, was probably a fair result. But Beverley were not done with. In the final minute Dale fielded a Birkenhead clearance on halfway, set off going right and put Jelencic away to power his way down the wing for a thrilling match-winning try. Archibald’ s conversion went wide but who cared.