| MATCH REPORTs BEES (h) 36 - 40 bristol |
| Saturday 12th September 2009 |
Billed as a clash of clubs, budgets, facilities or whatever else you might care to throw at distinguishing these two now Championship sides, Bees’ home tie against last year’s Guinness Premiership basement boys was just one of those games to get the competitive juices flowing, for both supporter and player, on a beautiful day at Sharmans Cross Road yesterday.
With Bees making huge efforts off-the-pitch to cater for their biggest audience in over 4 years supporters were treated to an eventful day and an equally eventful game that not only produced nine tries but seventy-six points before Bristol eventually claimed the maximum points result, 36-40.
That Bees would see the game as there for the taking is testament to their true character, down by eighteen points (to six) after the opening twenty-five minutes it might have been easy to think that a side shorn of hooker Ben Phillips, centres PJ Gidlow and Cameron Mitchell, wingers Simon Hunt, Tal Selley, David Akinluyi and Mitch Culpin, not to mention Jack Preece, Ricky Davies and Dan Seal in the front row was incapable of over-turning the tipped team to return the Premiership. Coming off a rotten score-line against Plymouth, the Rugby Times had Bristol to win by thirty points and it looked like the writing was on the wall early-doors after Dan Montagu skirted over after seven minutes following fly-half Adrian Jarvis’ successful first minute penalty kick.
A dubious penalty try was awarded on fifteen minutes - following little warning and no previous scrum penalties - and whilst gratefully received by the visitors, most were baffled as to its origination and application. Jarvis’ conversion and another penalty nine minutes later with Bees’ opposite number Mark Woodrow recording two strikes at goal in response left the home side trailing by two tries to nil and twelve points. Inspiration was needed!
Enter stage left, Ryan Tomlinson: a loose ball snaffled, the Canadian outside centre stormed up-field and although felled just short his incursion provided the platform for further forward momentum. Captain Rob Connolly’s cameo at inside centre – last tried to horrific effect in Bees shock National Two loss to Wharfedale a year ago – worked a charm this time around, the Irishman having all sorts of fun in both attack and defence before registering a punishing score following his mid-field partners’ break; Connolly is many things, but particularly so, he is maximum effort, Chris Brightwell’s flat pass providing the opportunity for the flanker by trade to fly onto the ball at what we think might have been 116mph....from 15m out you just knew he wouldn’t be stopped, and he wasn’t, and with Woodrow in the zone Bees were back in the game (13-18).
With intent registered and belief restored Bees tempo, organisation and pace onto the ball all lifted. Carries from back rowers Brightwell and Leo Halavatau into the heart of Bristol’s defence were damaging, hooker George Thomas - a Duracell bunny all day long - chopped down anyone and everything within touching distance whilst half-backs Sam Brown and Woodrow were pulling the strings on the end of quicker and quicker ball. But Bristol too would not lie down and whilst mistakes littered their game, some forced others not, they were able to respond – new signing Jack Adams in particular proving a handful with a ram-raid try from 40m out after Bees were too slow to their own breakdown, suffering the consequences accordingly.
On the stroke of half-time Woodrow’s deadly boot again clipped his home-town side’s lead (16-23) before Spee and Brightwell linked straight from the second half re-start to ignite the Sharmans Cross faithful: right wing Will Martin’s timely reef of the ball from a front-foot Adams the catalyst for Brightwell’s charge and lay-off to Spee, who with time and space, turned his opposite number, Tom Arscott one way then the other, before leaving him on his rear while the New Zealander touched down for his first of the season. Converted by the impeccable Woodrow the sides were level again at 23-23.
Three further tries from Bristol, courtesy of fly-half Jason Spice, Adams and another former Moseley/Gloucester man, Dan Norton turned the screw, disappointingly so as the footage will show as the scores were mainly soft, missed tackles and Bees own errors in their 22m the prompts, but such opportunities still need to be finished and that they were, when needed, was the difference on Saturday between the sides.
Replacement fly-half Mark Davies slotted one conversion from three to improve Norton’s score to take Bees out of (losing) bonus point range, despite Woodrow’s two further successful shots at goal on fifty-six and sixty-two minutes (29-40). The home crowd, at the thought of having come so far, so close with no points to take from the experience were disconsolate, but Bees would not give up and so it was that the last word went to them.
Mounting wave after wave of attack, Earnshaw drove his men on, it was nail-biting stuff as yards were gained - substitutes Craig Voisey, Shaun Pammenter and Adam Clayton all contributing to good effect - before they were lost again, Bristol’s goal-line defence and strong scrummaging adding to the pressure and nerves that at times claimed some of the final exchanges - and on it went like this, for six, seven minutes as the final chapter played out, Bees edging closer, Bristol edging them back before finally the lock was picked...Bees Man of the Match, Mark Woodrow, dropping the ball onto a six pence for left wing Ronnie McClean to race on to. There was no doubt the former Coventry flyer reached the ball first whilst Lee Robinson half-heartedly negotiated the bounce of the ball and so it was, from this final flourish, that Bees took a much deserved point from the tie to finish just four points shy of creating the Championship’s first major upset. For the rest of the season, on this form Bristol might be worried, Bees however, should be buoyant.
To see Bees versus Bristol match photography click here.
Action timeline |
|||||||
| Team | BEES SCORER |
TYPE |
TIME |
TYPE |
OPPOSITION SCORER |
SCORE |
|
| 1. Matt Long | 1 |
P |
Jarvis |
0-3 |
|||
| 2. George Thomas | Woodrow |
P |
4 |
3-3 |
|||
| 3. Darren O'Reilly | 7 |
T |
Montagu |
3-8 |
|||
| 4. Alex Davidson | 15 |
T |
Penalty |
3-13 |
|||
| 5. Stuart Ault | 16 |
C |
Jarvis |
3-15 |
|||
| 6. Chris Brightwell | Woodrow |
P |
20 |
6-15 |
|||
| 7. Russell Earnshaw | 25 |
P |
Jarvis |
6-18 |
|||
| 8. Leo Halavatau | Connolly |
T |
28 |
11-18 |
|||
Woodrow |
C |
29 |
13-18 |
||||
| 9. Sam Brown | 37 |
T |
Adams |
13-23 |
|||
| 10. Mark Woodrow | Woodrow |
P |
40 |
16-23 |
|||
| 11. Ronnie McClean | |||||||
| 12. Rob Connolly (c) | Spee |
T |
41 |
21-23 |
|||
| 13. Ryan Tomlinson | Woodrow |
C |
42 |
23-23 |
|||
| 14. Will Martin | 50 |
T |
Spice |
23-28 |
|||
| 15. Reece Spee | Woodrow |
P |
56 |
26-28 |
|||
59 |
T |
Adams |
26-33 |
||||
| 16. Craig Voisey (O'Reilly 44) | Woodrow |
P |
62 |
29-33 |
|||
| 17. Dale Garner (Thomas 76) | 73 |
T |
Norton |
29-38 |
|||
| 18. Shaun Pammenter (Davidson 60) | 73 |
C |
Davies |
29-40 |
|||
| 19. Toby Freeman | McClean |
T |
79 |
34-40 |
|||
| 20. Adam Clayton (Halavatau 60) | Woodrow |
C |
80 |
36-40 |
|||
| 21. Jimmy Williams | |||||||
| 22. Rod Petty (Spee 76) | |||||||
END