Best performance

Published on 14th February 2008 in Sport

Goole U15s 24

Bramley U15s 22

If Brian Ashton, the England rugby coach, wanted to see an example of how a team performs for the full 80 minutes of a game, and not just the first half, then he should have come down to Westfield Banks last Sunday morning as Goole U15s produced one of their best performances for a long while to beat a very useful Bramley side.

Although the scoreline did not suggest it, Goole gave Bramley a good game earlier this season when they travelled to West Yorkshire on a freezing cold winter's morning. Despite having a number of players missing due to half term, they were confident of reversing the result at home.

Goole started the game well, showing a real appetite to run the ball as well as some very powerful rucking and continuous pressure of the visitors with winger Stevens, No 8 Lamb and flanker Newsome to the fore.

Despite dominating every aspect of the game Goole found themselves behind on the score line when they gifted Bramley a silly try when they failed to deal with a high ball. Undeterred, Goole went on the attack again and great handling by the three quarters gave Stevens a chance to show his pace and only an excellent last-ditch tackle prevented Goole from drawing level.

Goole got their deserved first score following continued pressure. The forwards were ripping into their opposite numbers with real pace and power, prop Thornhill again showing he is developing into a fine player with a number of great runs. Another good run by the other prop, Green, saw Goole close in Bramley's line. With the backs also giving their opposite numbers no time to think or move, Goole robbed the ball for scrum-half Betteridge to score.

Goole went further ahead following good handling again by the backs, which sent Stevens storming through to outpace the defence. Bramley were finding it difficult to live with Goole as the relentless pressure and excellent rucking continually pushed them back deep into their own half. From a resulting scrum 10-metres out a great move saw Betteridge take a dummy run to one side of the scrum, taking part of the cover with him. At the same time Lamb picked up and went the opposite way, crashing over the line with a couple of would be tacklers hanging on. Moore added the conversion and Goole went into half time 17-5 up and in command.

The second half saw the inevitable comeback by Bramley, as they introduced a couple of replacements in the backs that made an immediate impact. With Goole showing a little tiredness from their first-half exploits, the new Bramley centre scored a fine individual try as he carved through Goole's cover.

As if this wasn't enough, he repeated the same thing again minutes later after Goole were stretched one way and then the other. With the scores now level Goole needed to get back into the game. Showing great determination they were not going to allow the game to be taken from them and great covering defence from wingers Binnington and Stevens kept Bramley at bay. The latter pulling off two magnificent try saving tackles.

If Stevens' defence wasn't good enough, he regained the lead for Goole when he pounced onto a good kick through by standoff Moore, gathered the ball and sprinted 60 metres to score under the posts.

With Moore adding the conversion Goole were seven points clear with only a couple of minutes left. Agonisingly, Bramley had a chance to bring the score level following a last-minute try but the conversion went wide and Goole cleared to take a fully deserved victory, their third in a row.

Man of the Match: James Stevens.