Bees round off league campaign with composed win despite a plethora of yellow cards

Despite being reduced to 12 players for part of the second half, the Bees signed off their league campaign with an impressive 9-19 victory against fifth placed Syston.

Playing against the elements on a unseasonably cold April afternoon in Leicestershire, the Bees secured a 9-13 lead at the break thanks to a Matt Spink try, along with two penalties and a conversion by the ever-reliable Mitch McGahan.

Syston had dominated the early exchanges and looked well organised in both attack and defence and had edged themselves into a 9-6 lead thanks to two penalties and a drop goal from their lively fly half.

Yet the Bees never let their hosts take control and the pressure exerted by their industrious forwards – which included scrum half Marty Hooker playing at open side flanker for the stricken Darren Forder – began to take its toll. Syston’s cause was not helped after 25 minutes when they lost their blindside flanker to the sin bin after an altercation with returning Hungarian international prop Dan Toth.

With 34 minutes on the clock, a darting run by centre Jimmy Oliver created space for his full back Alex O’Malley. The tackle by his opposition No.15 was adjudged to be high and was shown – perhaps somewhat harshly - a yellow card. Sensing their opportunity with Syston reduced to thirteen players, the penalty kick to touch allowed the Bees’ pack to show just how effective their driving maul can be, with Spink the beneficiary.

With the Bees ahead at the break, the wind now behind their backs and their opponents still reduced to 14 men, the stage was set for the men in golden yellow to take the game by the scruff of its neck. However three yellow cards between the sixth and thirteenth minute suddenly put a very different complexion on the game.

Matt Spink was first to get sent to the cooler – for general misfeasance supposedly, quickly followed by winger Arron Wilson for over-exuberance in the tackle. When swarthy hooker Zane Raimondi was adjudged to tackle an opponent without using his arms, things were looking ominous for the now 12-man Bees.

Yet this then prompted Willy & Spanner’s charges, aided by sage replacement No.8, Matt Tibbatts, to put on one of the most impressive defensive displays of the season. Indeed, they turned defence into attack and created two penalty chances. The first was pushed wide but the second, which earned Syston loose head prop a yellow card in the process, was slotted home by Kiwi-kicker McGahan to extend the lead to 9-16.

With the Bees progressively restored to a full complement of players and Syston unable to make any tangible headway in attack, it was now increasingly looking like a game that was only going one way. When the Syston full back unintentionally took replacement winger Jack Fitzgerald out in the air (the referee thankfully didn’t add a red card to the six yellow ones already dished out), McGahan once again slotted the penalty kick to seal the 9-19 win.

As well as avenging the 24-32 defeat against Syston at Portway in the very first game of the season, the win cemented a creditable seventh place for the Bees in the end of season table – nine of their thirteen wins coming in the last eleven games played, with 43 of their final total of 66 league points also achieved in that same period.

Although this game brought the curtain down on their National League 3 Midlands campaign, Birmingham & Solihull still have unfinished business in the North Midlands Cup. Their semi-final opponents are Old Halesonians this coming Friday, 22nd April (KO 7.30pm under floodlights at Portway).

Should they be successful against Old Hales, Newport (Salop) – relegated from National 3 Midlands this season – would await the Bees in the final, which is scheduled for Sunday 8th May.

Team

Birmingham & Solihull :- Alex O’Malley , Arron Wilson (YC), Jimmy Oliver, Mikey Whettell, Nyle Beckett, Mitchell McGahan (4P,1C), Jack Jolly, Matt Spink (T, YC), Ashley Scriven, Marty Hooker, Billy Castle , Chris Goddard©, Pete Koziot, Zane Raimondi (YC)and Dan Toth. Replacements – Kurtis Payne, Matt Tibbatts and Jack Fitzgerald.