Worth the wait

More or less a full strength team available for Bees second meeting with Derby. A fixture many had been looking forward to. Nice bright morning at Portway with the usual biting wind.
Bees start doesn't go ten and Derby take possession from the first scrum. Derby send the ball out to midfield where Bees earn a turnover and Derby offend at the next ruck. Bees run the penalty sending the ball out wide with Ivor making ground into the 22. Bees recycle but are held up in the tackle giving Derby a scrum. Derby secure possession and kick clear to touch past their 10m line. Bees secure possession from their lineout but are turned over in midfield and then go offside. Derby kick to touch up to Bees 10m. Bees take possession from the lineout and Derby are offside at the next ruck allowing Bees to Clear back up to halfway. Bees secure possession from their lineout and get the ball into midfield, recycling and then sending the ball out wide before exchanging turnovers. Bees are then held up in the tackle giving Derby a scrum. Bees back row are then penalised for breaking their bind to early. Derby kick the resulting penalty for a lineout on Bees 22. Derby secure possession and send the ball into midfield where Bees earn turnover ball and clear to halfway. Derby take possession from the lineout and send the ball out wide but are taken into touch on halfway. Derby secure possession from their lineout but Bees earn turnover ball out wide. A succession of half breaks and successful recycling takes Bees into the Derby 22 where Noah sends out a low crossfield kick bouncing nicely to Dec on the wing to go over for the first score on 11minutes. Noah converts for 7-0.
From the Derby restart Bees knock on and with advantage played Derby make ground recycling through the forwards. Bees then earn turnover ball that they send out wide where Derby go offside near halfway. Bees kick and secure possession from the lineout. A backs move gives space for a kick through but Bees knock on 5m out. Derby clear from their scrum to the halfway but in field. Noah collects and a wonderful mazing run sees him through the Derby defence to go under the posts 15 minutes in, converting his score for 14-0 on 15 minutes.
Bees achilies heel in the game was the penalty count and although the remainder of the half was played mostly in the Derby half of the pitch. Derby were given opportunities to clear. Lots of competition and some gruelling work from both packs kept thing tight. Derby's efforts for the first half eventually rewarded with a penalty centre field just outside the 22 which was successfully converted to close out the half with a 14-3 scoreline.
Andy and Ben come on for James and Sandy.
Derby start the second half with Bees securing possession sending the ball to Noah near the 22. A high kicks takes full advantage of the wind and Noah chases hard and is first to the bouncing ball with a second and then third controlled kick through pounced on over the line by Noah for another score successfully converted. 21-3 32 minutes in.
Derby restart with Bees successfully recycling before kicking high, Dec makes it to the ball first on halfway but is taken to touch. The Derby lineout isn't straight and from the secure Bees scrum the ball goes out to Noah where an arching run sees him through the Derby defence for another score. Converted for 28-3 on 35 minutes.
Derby recovered well and the game returned to the attritional contest that had ended the second half but Bees edging possession. Deadlock broken with a strong run from Lewis H through the Derby pack. Scragged near the line a lovely timed offload to Lewis B sees him go under the posts from 5m out. Converted by Noah for 35-3 on 44 minutes.
Derby restart and Lewis H makes another strong run with the return before a knock on in contact. Derby secure possession from their scrum sending the ball out wide, recycling and attacking again. Derby's progress then halted with an intercept by Noah to go in for Bees final score on 47 minutes. Conversion missed to blot the copybook for today - must do better!
Derby stuck with it and a succession of Bees penalties in Bees 22 conceded too much ground and the pressure finally told with Derby's forwards going over in the corner. Not to be out done the Derby 10 converts from the more difficult side of the pitch for a right footer, nearly on the touchline into the wind. 40-10 51 minutes in.
Bees made it difficult for themselves with a mounting penalty count constantly giving up easy territory. The refs patience eventually exhausted with Josh not retreating sufficiently before tackling the Derby player. One too many penalties today so its off to the bin. Derby plugged away and never gave up but couldn't manage any further scores. But had the better of the final quarter.
Some great play in the game from both sides but in windy conditions for me the best bit of action late in the game came from a Derby lineout on Bees 22. Thrown high and long for a Derby player to run onto the ball and take a great running line to the corner. Worth a score but thwarted by the Bees defence just inches out.